Act 2 Scene 1: Let them remember why they fear the dark [Walking with the Darkness]

cyl

cyl

Creepy smile
Walker in the Darkness has been calling his knights and devoted servants to his secondary fortress as soon as he heard about the fact that Blood Pearl had fled Great Forks.


Five days after, the deathknights that were sent to Great Forks returned and presented themselves before their Liege as soon as they arrived.


The The Quiet Prince of the Golden Cenotaph who was in charge of the mission bowed to his lord and presented him the legendary sword soul mirror.


"Oh lord of the dead, I have come as you have asked. Our comrade has fled the city of the gods, but we haven't returned empty handed..."


He would never finish that sentence as a heavy bolt of dark lightning projected him 20 yards away
 
The raptok took a step back at this outburtst, but calmed himself, the fact of the matter was that despite the level of distrust he still received he had been serving the walker for some time and knew he hadn't done anything to warrant a lightning bolt.


A sleek reptillian build, a Brown cloak is worn over black volcanic rock and orichalcum armor, the center bears the sunburst emblem of the Unconquered Sun, originally in orichalcum, it is blacked out with a thick coat of black paint. A shining blade juts out above one wrist though often when he walks it remains hidden inside a prepared fold of his cloak. He walks with a stout stick, a hunched posture hiding his long neck. Giving the impression of age even as he sat in his prime.


He remains carefully quiet.....
 
The Dark Emissary looks impassively at the unfolding scene. He was sent on another mission while this group was sent to hunt down Blood pearl, but from the few rumors he's heard they have been detected, and suffered some loses, which is probably the cause of his Master's anger.


For now he remains standing in his glorious soulsteel breatplate, and wearing his prized possession, Sharp Whisper of Malevolence at his side. While his celestial hearthstones do not work here, he is still a striking figure to look at, and he carries himself with the ease and comfort of one who knows his worth, and his favor in the eyes of his liege.
 
The Banner of Unceasing Strife


Loud giggling echoes from a darkened corner of the room. A young woman sits there idly toying with a dessicated white lily as she laughs inappropriately loudly. Various small metal piercings on her face make a stark contrast against her pale skin, as does the scorched on Dusk caste mark on her forehead. Worn and tattered mourning garb clings to her slightly fleshly form far more tightly than would be proper for an actual mourner. She eventually manages to calm her laughter, pressing a single finger to her lips, but is unable to suppress a small impish smile.
 
As the dark energies still go through his wounded body, the Black Psychopomp stood from his throne. His appearance was more threatening than ever, and even his wife, the Green Lady who was at his right side lowered her head even if his aura of menace wasn't directed at her.


"Be glad I have other plans for the moment than to train another moonshadow exalt... I send you on a risky diplomatic ground to lead an investigation, and you attack city officials, steal from the city gods, and have the audacity to come before me after you failed me.


I have tolerated enough mistakes from my knights, and have been far too generous until now. First the sinner, then Blood Pearl, now you... Is failing me what I have taught you ?"


He took a few steps in the vast throne room towards the twitching body of the Quiet Prince, the black shredded curtains moving as if they were agitated by his presence, his bootsteps resonating like thunder against the dusty marble. On the way he siezed Soul Mirror lifting the legendary grand daiklave with his barbed guard and huge curved soulsteel blade, lifting it single handedly as easily as if he was taking a fruit from the ground.


He inspected the blade for a time and finally used his foot to make the Prince roll over, his back against the ground. The exalt was in such agonizing pain all his facials veins looked like there were about to burst, his eyes had turned almost completely red and he bled from his nose and mouth, trying to speak but unable to articulate a single word.


"I guess you're not a total failure after all." said Walker feeling the blade. "But next time you fail me, you'll be lucky if I choose to forge your soul for a gift to my beautiful wife and give your carcass to Lu."


He came back to his throne silently, leaving the deathknight on the ground agonizing and loosing consciousness, and sat back in his throne putting Soul Mirror at his left side.


"I expected better of all of you who went to Great Forks, I understand that you tried to please me bringing this precious sword to me, but fortunately for you, your failure will be of some use to me, and I have plans for you to amend for your past mistakes.


The gods of Great Forks have captured my second priest, and I cannot let that pass. This give me an excuse to launch a full scale war on the city... though I had another idea when studying the possible outcome of such a war.


I've designed a plan and presented to the dark masters, and in their infinite wisdom, they have approved it.


We will wage war on Great Forks, but this is not how we are going to destroy the city..."


He looked through the room searching for someone and spoke.


"My beautiful Bride of the Ruby Blades, come to me !"
 
His look went through his court and finally he saw the red haired beautiful woman.


"I will divide my army in four quarters.


The first one will attack Great Forks, trying to draw most of our ennemies, tauting them into defending the city. My most trusted general, Shard of Basalt, will be leading this assault as only he can withstand the forces that will be unleashed against his detachment.


The second will be lead by the Bride of the Ruby Blade, and will head for Nexus as soon as the reinforcements from the Confederation will arrive at Great Forks. I suspect Lookshayan forces will be dispatched, as well as most of the mercenary companies from all the Hundred Kingdoms. The drug trade is too important for the Guild and the gods of Great Forks have many faithful allies.


Your primary target will be to lower the dam of the Gray, to flood the whole region and create a lake. As Nexus's military will probably be sent to protect Great Forks, you will be able to conquer the city easily and I count on you and your group to turn it to the realm of the dead.


The two other detachements will remain close to the border of my realm, ready to be mobilized quickly if needed.


All leave now, I will summon you within the next hours to give you your assignments."


Then he dismisses the assembly with a sleight of his large and powerful hand. Two undead servants picked up the Prince's inert body and dragged him far from sight.
 
Quickly, the Dark Emissary makes his way to Strife "My dear, you looks absolutely marvelous today" he raises her hand to kiss "I am sure you have heard our Master's plan, as well as everyone else, but unlike the rest of those brutes I would like to hear what your art of divination says, and maybe you would be willing to help me with some tips..."


He will use all his natural guile and flattery to do this. he doesn't like to use his charms for something that he hopes just the right words would work, not to mention that he doesn't wish to make an enemy out of her.
 
"As you command, my lord," Bride of the Ruby Blades bowed as she was dismissed, an impassive face at her companion being dragged away for punishment.
 
Juxtaposed Betrayal of Lineage


Jux stands slightly to the left, her ever present smile on her face partially hidden as she fans herself with an exquisitely crafted fan. She wears a beautiful black gown that hugs her perfect figure and plunges deeply almost to her navel showing plenty of her unblemished skin.


A frown starts to crease her forehead as the Walker states his displeasure at the events of their exit from Great Forks, she shakes her head at the Walkers distain in pure disbelief of his lack of true understaning. Did the Neverborn themselves not order the recovery of the sword, and were they not assaulted by the idiots of Great Forks, were not many lifes extinguished. Her smile starts to return as she hears of the Walker's plan, a suitable path for destruction, with plenty of opportunity for the application of suitable and perfect killing.
 
The Banner of Unceasing Strife


"You wish to read the stars with me? Are you certain you can abide by the fate that is layed out? You will not struggle and rail against the cruel injustices of predestination, will you? It would be such a shame if I had to punish you for insufficient dedication to will of our true masters. Those of weak will sometimes find their minds broken when they hear the Will of the Neverborn in the movements of the Calendar," she says sweetly to the Dark Emissary, sounding excited (almost aroused) when she speaks of punishment and shame.


She stands abruptly and with little grace at that point, and begins walking away without waiting for a response to her little speech. With a flick of her wrist she tosses the dried lilly she was playing with into the ground, imbedding the stem of the seemingly mundane flower an inch or so into the floor. A finger pressed to her forehead then comes away bloody, and she makes small satisfied noises as she licks the vitae off again. Her steps walking away form an inelegant rythmless dance, moving with the whispers she hears echoing up from the Void below.
 
Not much in tune with the Whispers of the Neverborn, the Dark Emissary easily keeps up with Strife "My Dear, if I didn't wish to hear the Fate ascribed by our dark amsters, I wouldn't have asked you. As for cruel injustices or weak will, I can assure you that I do not ascribe to either. But if you are so interested in shame or punishment I'm sure we can both play the game, and inflict both on one another, I'm quite competent in mind games, and I'm sure I can teach you a trick or two." As he says this he licks his lips, though whether from anticipation or ecstasy it's hard to tell, probably both.
 
Cocking his head in a near bird like manner to hear the proposed plan the dragon-king simply nods contemplating how best to aid in such an assault....


As the Walker dismissed the gathered forces of death, he filed out like the rest, stooping to pick up the dried lilly, having missed it's origin, he found the presence of even this desicated plant perplexing here in the domains of death.


He moves on, shaking his head as he watches the carrying on some macabre form of the human courting rituals. "<Sentient from birth and savage throughout...>" he hisses under his breath in the high holy speech of his kind, a common dragon-king expression for humans, disgusted that even in pseudo-death they could not control their instinct to rut in front of their master. Controlling his tongue he thinks on to himself..../Perhaps it is better the abyss take it all rather than leave creation to their kind..../


He walks on, distracting himself from such thoughts with plans of how to take a city and wondering where he could find kudzu in a shadowland, though forced by happenstance to walk behind the duo for the time being.
 
The Banner of Unceasing Strife


Laughing loudly and audibly at the Dark Emissary's response, she is about to respond when she hears the dragon-king hissing under his breath behind her. She is instantly and unnervingly still for a moment. Then she turns, agonizingly slowly, and in strongly accented High Holy Speech, she says "<Vhat did you say?>"
 
Favored Lizard


The raptok stops to keep from running into the abyssal, about to slide past he stops, stunned at the words, heavily accented but obviously the same ancient reptilian tongue "<H-how do you know this language?>" He asks, shocked. Having grown used to being a mysterious outsider amongst the Walkers forces, it was unnerving that one of these deathknights might be familiar with his kind.
 
The Banner of Unceasing Strife


"<It is the holy language of mein birthplace. How is it you speak this vay also?> she says, somewhat haltingly. Her mannerisms and body language seem totally different, subdued and non-aggressive, as she communicates in the High Holy Speech.
 
Though unable to understand what the two of them were talking about, Dark Emissary stood there waiting impassively, though his eyes betray is amusement with the scene unfolding. Whether he was amused by Strife's sudden change of posture and mannerism, or by something else, is anybody's guess.
 
Rasheel


Rasheel watched from off to the side during the Quiet Prince's report... and subsequent blasting. He couldn't really say much (especially out loud) about their failure to find Blood Pearl. He had done his bit; checking out clues (he still had that stuffed dog and note around somewhere...), threatening people, killing people... Pearl had been gone by the time they had even gotten to Great Forks. Not much that could have been done with that. And as for the whole mess in Great Forks that had really ticked off the Deathlord... well, Rasheel was just the hired muscle for this, wasn't he? Sure the Walker was pissed at the lot of them, but as had just been seen, the one in charge had taken the main punishment. Rasheel was just fine with that.


As for the plan that Walker in Darkness had told them, much larger scale than the Lunar was accustomed to. Wipe out a whole city, and Nexus at that? Not that he personally had much problem with it, aside from the obvious chance of people trying to stop them. Still, it was sure to not be an easy task.


The new group of people were an odd bunch, not that he was really any judge. The talking lizard (and he could tell it was speech, especially since that one Deathknight was replying back the same way) was interesting, though... Good size, fairly functional hands/claws... Obviously this one would be off limits for the moment, but he'd have to ask sometime if where any others like it were...


He ginned at the thought, as he looked at the assorted Deathknights (and others) he would be working with. Shrugging to himself, he ambled out of the hall to kill time until called again.
 
Ruby


Slipping back out into the hall, Ruby sighed. This would not be pleasant, hopefully the campaign under her command would do better than the one led by The Quiet Prince.
 
Juxtaposed Betrayal of Lineage


Jux turns slightly to the left and nods, perhaps in reply to an unspoken unseen comment. She then glides out of the audience hall. She smirks slightly at the Dragonking from behind her fan as she moves past him and the Banner, towards the armory and stores of this fortress.
 
Favored Tool


Shifting his head from side to side on his long neck examining the deathknight, the dragon-king seemed rather confused by this statement "Most odd, this is the high holy tongue of my people, dating back to a time before your kind drew breath." He cocked his head in a curiously bird like maneuver, linguistic curiosity piqued,"I wonder how this came to pass? Might I inquire of your people?....They were not, I assume, Dragon-kings...?" This last is said with an acompanying hiss that might well be a reptilian ironic-chuckle.
 
Two minutes passed, and Karo, the ghostly intendant of the master stepped out of the large iron and ebon doors leading to the throne room.


He announced loudly the list of people who were supposed to meet with the master now.


The list contained your names, as well as Stitches, Voice, Fallen Prince, Ogama, and the Constable.


Karo opened the doors and let you enter the room once again.


It had been rearranged much like a war council... or a tribunal.


At the end of the room were the Deathlord and his beautiful wife, both were noble in their appearance, but looked preoccupied, and before them, a serie of tables and seats for you to take your place.


You quickly sit in the chairs and Walker put two fingers on his temp.


"Now, you will give me your report on what happened in Great Forks and my priestess. Then we will talk about your next assignment.


Artificer of Fallen Bones, Bride of the Ruby Blades, you are the most trusted servants I had sent to Great Forks under the supervision of that failure of a knight... Tell me, what happened, and what have you learned ?


I also want to hear your report about what happened to Stormrider in Nexus, his body has been broken and I want the head of his aggressor, no one dares to attack my servants without dire consequences !


Blood Pearl's loss will be tampered by the strategy I have chosen, but I will need her back soon after Great Forks has sunk !"
 
Conversation interrupted by duty, he makes a mental note to continue it at some point in the future as he files back into the great hall for the wartalks. He frowns at the human seats before the tables....Eventually, choosing one and turning the chair sideways to sit.......Human seating rarely agreed with him, the odd monkeys just didn't understand the importance of a hole for the tail to stick through.....He sat in silence, not a part of the events in question....
 
Interrupted by the call, Dark Emissary enters the hall, and takes a seat close to Strife. While still paying attention to the proceedings, he activates his essence, and sends a flimsy tendil of it directly to Strife, hoping to establish a silent communication with her, to continue the discussion they started before the dragon king's hisses interrupted them.


----------------


Spending 5 personal motes on Screaming in Silence. Strife can try to resist this with her Dodge MDV, if she doesn't want the contact from him.
 
Juxtaposed Betrayal of Lineage


The doors open quietly and Jux slowly walks in. She slowly walks up to the occupied tables and chairs and demurely sits in an empty chair nodding slightly to the empty space next to her. Her eyes seem unfocused as if her thoughts or consciousness is elsewhere.
 
Ruby


The crimson maned peacebringer coughed quietly at her patron's words. The position where she was seated in the room meant that the coughed had the time and space to slowly echo about as if gathered in formation and allowed to march, slowly gathering in numbers with each fading past.


Right. The others likely were waiting for her, given that she had been given the command of their next joint mission.


"My lord. As you know that we were commanded to venture forth into the spirit ruled city of Great Forks to chase after your errant priestess," Bride of the Ruby Blades paused for a moment before continuing on.


"Our arrival in the city via the Yellow river was uneventful. Save for the inquiry of our purpose. We naturally left our purpose relatively vague."


"Next, we split up to search the city for Blood Pearl. However, the group I was in encountered a slight delay in the form of some misbegotten spawn of the red bitch."


"We corrected the mistake of their existence. Clearly, not enough of them are being drowned at birth, like people do with normal puppies. After all, bitches have four of five puppies at a time. You keep one or two and drown the others," Ruby shrugged here, as if saying what can one do, really?


Her pause here was sufficient for someone else to step in, if they so chose.
 
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