Login | Register


All times are UTC + 1 hour [ DST ]


It is currently Mar 29th, '24, 00:58




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: The Final War
PostPosted: Apr 4th, '07, 23:15 
Twilight Council
User avatar

Joined: Nov 24th, '04, 18:55
Posts: 620
Location: The zephyr lands 'neath the brine
On the plains of Solinar

Anni looks up for a moment, just five seconds before the land shakes and a great scarlet pillar of light erupts towards the sky, piercing the very clouds, with the horrid images of shrieking faces in the far distance to the north
Anni: "It has begun."
Morhion: "What has begun, Anni?"
Anni's fists clench with a crack of each knuckle
Anni: "The end."
Anni: "The armies of the Ancients have a new leader."
Morhion: "Who?"
Anni: "Wishes t' have his name hidden until the bards start ta sing it. He's decided 'at whatever it takes we'll take back the land that is ours."
Anni seems to brace herself for a moment, as if gathering her confidence
Anni: "Solinar will be safe."
Morhion: "And what of everything else?"
Anni: "The dwarves will hold 'em off at Claw Canyon."
Gaelathneselis: "And Elemensfaar?"
Anni: "The giants will smash the rest. They won't reach that far."
Nix: "Sounds like the whole plan is that the dwarves get bashed first..."
Anni: "Bashed? The dwarves? Ye don't know'em honey."
Nix: "If you say so..."
Galiae: "What will we do then Anni?"

A strong presence begins to grow in the area and as Anni yells "Ins'seth A'thaan", with a loud single marching step a thousand soldiers clad in purple and black appear from the very shadows nearby

Anni: "I'll not be responsible fer lives farther than moonthar bay or Claw forest. Whoever decides ta fight this war, does it on their own account."

The clouds over Solinar grow dark and menacing with oddly sharp platinum bolts of lightning arcing through them.
A hurricane seems to wake south of Solinar and a deep humming tone begins to sing a strangely familiar song.
Platinum armours and holy weapons create an almost daylight tone above, as a flying host of celestials paint the sky a surreal golden hue, descending from the clouds.

Laura nudges Anni
Laura: "W...whats happening?"
Gaelathneselis: "War."
Anni: "We'll purge the far north of His influence."
Galiae's eyes turn back up
Galiae: "Look... It's lovely in...a sad sort of way..."

The angels hover and keep singing, the warriors below beginning to hit their shield with their warhammers, the clerics beginning to cast Bless over the masses among the lines.

From north heavy marching steps can be heard, and soon ten battleflags' worth of heavy-armoured orcs march in.
A shaman with a hunched back trots from among the lines of over six feet tall and just as wide brutes , some of them carrying a flag on their backs with the symbol of Rabio and just nods his head into a bow as deep as his elderly back allows.
The armies and angels stop. Huge giants wade through the formation of orcs, gnolls on their backs with throwing axes, all dressed in the colors of the Beast Mother.

A tense silence settles over the gathered angels in the air, the Ancient armies across the plains, and the arriving masses of rabian forces as the shaman and Anni size up eachother after a respectful bow.
"I am Hishnak, Shaman of the Empire of Her Grace the Mother,"
speaks the shaman in a hoarse, low voice, yet it is heard all across the plains.
Anni: "I, Anni Redriner Glaurd'Har, greet you in the name of the All Father."

Anni glances up at the angels as their hovering crowd spreads and the three arch-angels, Raphael, Michael and Gabriel descend lower in the skies.
"The heavens shall aid your cause as agreed,"
speaks one of them from beneath their identical armour
"Friends and enemies, they do not exist this day,"
another angel continues and the celestial host begins to hum the warsong again, the masses lining up strike their shields and the orcs growl as they enter rage. Children wake crying in the city.
"For the Heavens and Earth let us unite!"
the third angel sings, his voice heard through the noise, and the celestials take off towards the north, taking lead, reaching the pillar of light at the speed of thought

"For Haniel - For destiny!"
Anni shouts, her trembling voice almost too weak and muffled as the orcs and ancients begin to charge towards the north apparently empowered by the angelic songs
Anni glances back to Pelgrin, then to Murdoch with obvious fear-fought determination in her eyes.
Anni: "I might not be back... take care of'em please."




((It won't happen until next version but by tomorrow moonthar and beyond claw forest are off limits))

_________________
What the king dreams, the Hand builds.


Top
 Offline Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Anni Redriner: Avatar
PostPosted: Apr 4th, '07, 23:43 
Twilight Council
User avatar

Joined: Nov 24th, '04, 01:09
Posts: 2367
Location: TOOOOLSET!!
I am but a frail shell of faith, for the Lord, for the people. My might is their faith and His glory, my swift stride is but to the beat of their hearts and to his will, my allegiance, my every breath is theirs, in my eternal struggle for freedom, for love, for innocence.
I refuse to take their prayers as my own.

She strode the soil of the North with ever-returning fear and never-felt doubt. Recalling the conversation they have had last night, she stopped for a moment, pondering.

"Dina York has lead this army once before and she has failed, Anni" - she heard Glortor's voice in her head. "It matters not whether you triumph or fall, what matters is that you are true to your heart all along."
"What 'bout Dina? She never told me" - Anni asked, looking up at him.

"Dina was actually your predecessor in being the chosen one , the one prophecised to defeat the Final Enemy. She, however, failed. Her soul was ripped from her body despite being immortal, as he lost her faith at the hands of the Cheater.
Her father was beheaded below Solinar some two hundred years ago for crimes he did not commit. Dina fled to the north with her younger brother who joined the army while she was working as a healer in the temple.
One day the undead breached the northern gate and they were forced to fight back. Her brave whitstanding and the fact that she's a "Daughter of a headless man" made me believe she's the one." - he sighed, remembering the prophecy.
"But I was wrong." - She placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Out of Haniel's mercy she was brought back to life and put to temple duty in Daranul, that she's been working hard on, eversince." - she nodded, understanding.

She dodged an undead minion's axe and touched its skull head. She frowned for a moment as she made a final decision. "No matter what, I'll make my stand. I am needed, they are countin' on me."
Her eyes flared a platinum colour and she remembered for the soldier.
"My name is Sanders O'Hara. I served under King Murdoch and have fallen in duty for the Dark Fire. I am unfit. Destroy me." - she muttered.
She shook her head, subduing the rotting body, and reaching for the damned soul.
"In the name of the Lord!" - she shouted, and divine might erupted near her, turning an amount of the damned to shuddering, fearful mortals. They trembled, falling to their knees. "Thou art dost granted what thou dost beesecht." - sang the angel Efrael above her. "Go away, I don't need ye."
Another howl was heard and another wave came, charging the armies of Orcs, where one mortal fell, a priest stepped forth to resurrect from the mercy of the gods.
"The Gods art amongst us today, Shatterfist."
"I HATE 'at name! Get lost!"
"You might not need her Anni, but she needs you." - she heard a familiar voice, and glancing back she saw the face of the Lord fade among the spreading crowd.
"Fine. Damn it. Will I never be free?"
"Our freedom dost cometh from choice." - sang Efrael and merged with Anni, increasing her speed and strength dramatically. She cut a jagged swath upon her ethereal, shadowy frame, dealing redemption to the last standing forces of the undead army.
In her wake the fallen warriors rose to their feet, and the damned were purged of the curse.

Silence settled over the battlefields, only the song of the Angels was never ceasing, and she gripped the holy sceptre of Haniel, glaring into the swirling portal beneath her: into the eyes of the Burning Hells.
She landed, surrounded by the highest ranking priests of the land. She took a glance at them: those from Elmensfaar and from Nherazkar, the elderly frame of the goodly high priest Andrew Domian, the tall and confident stance of Glortor'Rai and the ever-kind smile of Elshannil from Nighthaven. Rianth himself towered over them with his arms folded high in front of his chest in a tribal leader's manner, the lesser deity of giants graced her with a nod. Next to him the cunning , cruel and tiny black eyes of the orc Hishnak returned her gaze. "Today we sit peace. But from tomorrow the old law shall stand between Man and Orc." - he said and she did not respond, stepping up to the gate.
"By the foundations of Babylon!" - she took the scepter and struck the planar gate.
"In the name of the Lord!" - the clerics began to chant , each their own prayers.
"Where there is darkness, let there be light..."
"Gkrazk kbar'huursh r'rkak Rabio.."

...and then there was silence.


I am faith incarnate, for the people who have faith in me. My might is their faith and their glory, my swift stride is but to the beat of their hearts and to my unbreakable will, my allegiance, my every breath is theirs, for I know their freedom, their love, their innocence.
Their prayers I hear, and I shall do as I must.

_________________
"There is no Sparta.
THIS. IS. SPOON!!"


Top
 Offline Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Apr 5th, '07, 14:25 
Twilight Council
User avatar

Joined: May 24th, '05, 00:48
Posts: 467
Location: Geek Haven
She had told Anni and those near her earlier that day that she would be out of reach. But she hadn't gone into detail as to the how, or the why with her sudden absence. There was no need to frighten the young ones, the impressionable ones. Besides, she had no place to tell them of her plans. It could be seen as a warning, a foreboding message of what was to come in only a matter of hours.

To see the dead amoung the living, plain as day, and as real to her as any fleshy being of this world can be two things. It can be a curse, a deserved punishment for her years of murder, destruction and manipulation of the living innocent. But it can also be a blessing. A chance at redemption for her own soul as she helps the dead to move on and find their peace. It's all a matter of perception.

But blessing or curse, some messages can't be ignored. And a wave of the dead, the sudden rise in numbers around her, beseeching her, begging for her help and to help their loved ones still living from meeting an unfortunate demise soon became all she could see. They nearly blocked the living from her sight, the masses of spirits were like a tide that had risen, threatening to drown her.

She had to leave that place, to her sanctuary, a place of peace where her spiritual familiars would drive the endless multitude back so she might think clearly, and observe.

And observe she did, not in a physical form, but a spiritual projection. Across the many miles of terrain, the mountains, forests and plains to the place of meeting. A benefit of being able to converse and interact with the dead also provides her with a way to watch. But little else but watch. Actually stepping through the spirit realm with her physical body is possible, but as she knew, this again wasn't a place for her.

Anni, meeting with the figureheads of this realm, the final battle drawing close. She witnessed this from afar, not so naive to beleive she would be unseen, she didn't try to hide. Her shoulder length white hair flowing in an invisible wind, one blowing in the spirit realm, it also caused her robe to flutter soundlessly. With the scythe bestowed upon her by Zanbaru resting upon her shoulder, she appeared as a sentinel, waiting for the inevitable.

And she didn't need to wait long, as Anni struck the Planar Gate and a complete silence folowed, but on the Spiritual Realm, what Scyla beheld was breathtaking, and terrifying. The Gate itself resonated from the impact, sending forth waves like a droplet of water landing in a still pool. And these shockwaves rushed at her with incredible speed. She planted her feet and took the scythe in both hands, bracing herself for the impact, which never came.

A moment later, she's returned to her physical body forcefully just as the waves were about to hit her. Her breath coming in gasps, she stares up at the ceiling in the back rooms of the Zanbaru temple, in shock. She stays like that, alone, for some time, catching her breath and trying to interpret what she just witnessed.

Sitting up, still holding the scythe tightly, she looks around. The halls are empty, and she assumes she's still alone until the figure of a young girl appears before her. A spirit, her familars had let this one pass but she doesn't know why, until the child speaks.

"Pray for her. Show yer faith in her, an' her strength, an' her desire to do what's right. She needs it now, more than ever."

As quickly as the child had appeared, she fades away again.

And Scyla lowers her head, and prays. To Zanbaru, to Haniel, to Anni...

_________________
I created the sound of madness, wrote the book on pain.
Somehow I'm still here to explain,
That the darkest hour never comes in the night.
You can sleep with a gun.
When you gonna wake up and fight... for yourself?


Top
 Offline Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Apr 6th, '07, 01:45 
Masters of Fate
User avatar

Joined: Mar 24th, '05, 15:37
Posts: 475
Location: Lushleaf, Gnavin's Laboratorium
In the fruitful fields of Lushleaf, atop a hill overlooking the entire Shire, Candeth slowly watched outward, beyond the shire's small rolling hills and plains of wheat, beyond the forests to which give the solitude and protection to the small settlement.

She watched every single orc cease their efforts of the warfront, mid-charge, and break into a retreat. She observed them march northward in as organized of a line as a company of orcs can muster. She watched them finally meet up with the giants and goblins, gnolls and the like, all headed north.

Her hair slowly blew in the wind, unbound by the shackling embrace of a pony-tail band. It whipped back and forth as the wind picked up. Clouds slowly rolled over the sky, obscuring everything from view.

The winds continued to pick up, ushering the clouds in ever increasing speed. The trees of the shire slowly swayed to the side, all of their springtime blooms being blown off by the wind. Unseen currents in the wind caused the small blossoms to slowly sway and change course towards Candeth, where they took on the image of a motherly woman.

"Times are changing my gentle priestess. Your place is here with my people. It is in this time that they need your guidence more than ever."

Candeth looked to the motherly figure. A single tear fell down her cheek. She didn't need to ask who was leading the charge. She knew who it was down in the depths of her living soul. She had been told the prophesy since she was old enough to hear. The temple often sang of the event which was unfolding right now.

Candeth slowly whispered, her throat tight in raspyness/ "Where then do you want me?"

"Care to the wounded. When they return, they will need your help. Just as they have helped my people in the past, so I shall return the deed, through you."

Still unsure about things Candeth risked questioning further, "And what about Anni?"

The leaves danced about for quite some time at this, pondering. "She will need your faith, as she always has had. She will need your love, as you have always shown. She will need your hope, as you always have given."

Candeth looked back toward the landscape sprawled before her, she knew the oncoming battle would be one told and retold for eons. She looked toward the mountains in the great distance and for the first time in several years, she fell to her knees crying, afraid.


Top
 Offline Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Apr 16th, '07, 16:55 
Masters of Fate
User avatar

Joined: Mar 24th, '05, 15:37
Posts: 475
Location: Lushleaf, Gnavin's Laboratorium
The rumors spread like wildfire, Anni had went to hell and shut the door behind her. Candeth slowly rocked in her chair by her hearth in her tiny burrow. She knew where her heart was, with those adventurers...down there. They were delving deeper and deeper to find her. They were struggling, this was apparent by their slowed progress in the gaze of her crystal orb. She closed her eyes, the small orb rolling out of her palm and down her fingertips to crash on the floor and roll off into some unknown niche. She felt void of emotion, her entire form but a vessel depleated of its contents. The words of her goddess kept ringing in her ears, "Your place is here with my people", over and over. She opened her eyes slowly after a time and looked at the hearth's flames. They danced in an ever-struggling fight to go upward. They lashed and whipped and toiled until after a while they became images, viewable only to those learned to see beyond the normal. They taunted her with their images of the adventurer's failing their journey over and over. She gazed at them seeing the inner image which they refused to show willingly, that the party was shortening the distance between them and Anni.

_________________
It is better to be silent and appear ignorant, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.


Top
 Offline Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC + 1 hour [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron