Arathi 4
[Rouse the Spirits]
"Blue sky, black sky, red sky, nine skies, blue sky, black sky, red sky, nine skies."
The chant goes on, and you stand beyond the walls of Stromgarde watching the spell-makers do their work.
Dak'mal leads them, the eldest and most experienced of the shaman, is aided by Keldran and Castillian, using their own magics to beckon a powerful spirit up from the earth.
"They're almost finished." Sesk whispers beside you. They need now only the catalyst. Give it rage, give it fear, give it hatred, and send it forth!"
Your own chant flies from your lips, the ancient words of the Flamebenders issuing forth.
The Fireblade blazes, you sweep it up, your anger lending strength to your arm. Your face distorted in a rictus, you thrust your sword into the earth.
Burning blood spurts out, a roar from the earth as something crawls forth.
"Now turn it!" Dak'mal cries, and his arms strain as bolts of coruscating light reach out, lashing at the spirit, sending it crashing blindly toward Stromgarde.
Horses scream as the thing passes, throwing their Stromic riders, and the grassy plain bursts into fire as the spirit crosses the distance, smashing against a corner of the city's gatehouse, screaming once more, lashing everyway till it claws a hole in the defences, the stone melting all about it, setting the roof of the block ablaze as the spirit roars it's way inside.
"By the Light!"
Exclamations come from the warband. From the humans, horror, yet from the orcs, glee…
You watch dispassionately as the spirit breaks through the defenders. You see them, not with your eyes but with your soul, you see the spirit bear down on each force, hurriedly assembled from the defenders.
Witherbark witchdoctors hurl their hexxes, Boulderfist mages and shaman try to calm the creature, and the humans just try to cut it down with their swords.
A rain begins, whether conjured or natural, you feel it falling on your bare shoulders. The day is dark, as if sensing your mood.
Blow by blow the creature fades, it grows smaller, dimmer. The thing's energy, artificially strengthened by your magicians, begins to slip away as it fights, till it struggles as a creature no larger than an orc, broad and mighty but its fire quenched. The defenders of Stromgarde rally, they cheer as one Ogre strides forth and with a great blow of his club, shatters the spirit finally, a steady pattering on it's embers.
Then you hit them.
What follows is quick. The warband is well trained, and the defenders are exhausted. You leap into their formation, blade whirling, a dozen souls dismissed as you walk, face set, your brother at your side, lashing out with his greataxe.
The end result is the same as all your battles. The rain grows heavier, your banner limp with the wetness of water and blood. The mud squelches as you walk to score of surrendered Syndicate warriors. Blood runs, the ground a black morass.
It is not a custom of the orcs to take prisoners, and while you had not come to this land for slaughter, you set Tagorr to his bloody work, and the executioner of the Blackrock steps up, blade in hand.
You regard the fading embers, away to the side of the road. The spirit was not Forneus. Nor had Marduk the Death Knight been Forneus. That spectre, that spirit which had haunted you for many months, was gone. It was time to stop seeing the Duke every time you looked upon a fire or great mountain. Today had been strategy, nothing more…
"Captain," the commander of the Stromic knights addresses you, unsure of your title, "The loyalist garrison is destroyed, it is unfortunate but Prince Galen will understand. What is your course now? The Prince has given me orders, that I might request you move on to Boldergor, the mound of the ogres to the east. In your mission you'll pass it in any case. I would advise it certainly, for it is seldom wise to leave an enemy at your flank."
Choose 1:
[ ] Stay the Course
Ignore the Stromic knight's request, and the desires of Prince Galen, move on toward Hammerfall and toward the settlement of your people.
[ ] Into the Mound
Accede to Trollbane's request, moving on the Ogre stronghold known as Bouldergor
