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[Atilliano]

Aarseral stood in a forest clearing, enjoying the gentle spring breeze.
He looked at his apprentice who stood a couple of metres away from him studying the runes.
Aarseral was pleased with the Apprentice, who made great progress.

Then he realised that it had been years since he met anything from outside the forest and began wondering what became of his siblings.
After a couple of minutes he said:'Keep up the good work student, I will return in a couple of hours.'
'Of course, master.' his apprentice answered.

Standing in yet another clearing, Aarseral began gathering his power.
In the middle of the clearing, A tree grew, it was very large and extremely thick with a lot of holes in it.
Then, Aarseral began creating small, shining orbs of light until he counted a hundred.
He gave them life, but no real soul.
They were the forest wisps, Aarseral's flying eyes and ears in the world, and the tree would be their home and breeding site.

'Go, my little ones. breed many newlings and when you are of significant number,
spread across the world and give me all the information you can get.'

Satisfied, Aarseral returned to his student.


Aarseral creates the Forest Wisps, his own flying eyes and ears in the world. Now only a hundred, they will reproduce in the Breed-Tree at the begining and end of their life.
They die after ten years, but not before (females) they make twenty last children.
In a life-time, A Forest Wisp creates over fifty new Wisps.
They make so much children because they are very fulnerable to almost anything they encounter.

[Karnewarrior]

  Estriss ducked behind a tree when she came upon the cripple in the clearing. He moved with confidence, and strength, and slowly he preformed the moves that would take down two enimies flanking him.

He brough the sword up and across, slowly drawing it in a circle and spinning on his heel to face another invisible opponent. He ducked and spun, swinging the blade in a wide arc before rising and tightening his spin, and he arose in the same position he was in a few seconds ago.

This went on for minutes, maybe hours, before Eowel stopped his training regimen. He turned slowly to the bushes and stepped warily towards where Estriss hid. He rthoughts raced. Had he heard her? No, she hadn't moved! Had she breathed to loudly? Had she not hidden as well as she thought?

Eowel reached the bush just as Estriss leapt to her feet to run. He grasped her roughly by the shoulder and spun her around to look him in his eyes. They seemed to burn- no, they were actually alight with a barely vivible flame! What sort of being had the young cripple become?

"Tell no-one of this, hear me?"

Estriss nodded her head, terrified. Then Eowels head snapped up and behind Estriss.

"The town." Was all he said. "Hide!" He sprinted into the woods at speed, leaving Estriss shocked and trembling in the clearing.

**********************

The town was alight when Eowel reached it. Strange beasts roamed casually about, striking down anyone unarmed with impunity. The townspeople were fighting well, but they were losing, slowly but surely.

Eowel leapt into the battle and immediately decapitated one of the Chosen, the Godblade slicing through shell and flesh as easily as a knife through butter. He spun to confront a new enemy, who was sneaking up behind him. He took off this ones leg and ran him through as he thrashed on the ground.

The temple!

Eowel raced to where the temple of the firegoddess was being lit aflame. The temple was made of stone, but the supports were wooden and they caught with some effort. A big Chosen was responsible, standing off a little to the side, smirking as the temple caught.

Eowel went for the quick kill, slashing at the things spine, but it spun around quicker than he anticipated. All Eowel scored was a rather shallow gash in the things stomach, and in return he lost the element of surprise.

Eowel arrives at the scene of battle and confronts Ganad before the burning temple.

[nuker w]

Floating high above the ground below, The Wanderer observed an interesting sight. It appeared that a small village was being attacked by a group of what looked like bandits, yet he could feel the presence  of a God among it. Smirking, he pointed his finger at the village and clicked his fingers.

Far below in the grounds beneath him, the desert creatures halted. Then as one, they turned and made their way towards the small village, in search of the weak and distracted victims that He has offered.

The Wanderer directs the Creatures of the Sand towards the small village, in hopes that they will be able to corrupt some of the villagers or bandits whilst they have their focus elsewhere.

[Iituem]

Estriss held back at the edge of the village, behind a bush where she had no choice but to watch the carnage helplessly unfold.  Eowel had warned her to stay, but how could she?  She could feel blind terror gripping her heart, choking off the air to her lungs.  The village burned, the shrine burned, and all she could do was sit here, helpless and alone.  Unable to help, to save anyone, to do anyth-

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself," snapped a cold voice from behind her.  Estriss tried to turn from her crouch but ended up falling on her backside.  The dark-garbed, dark-haired man snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Oh yes, you're really looking strong there, aren't you?" Dordrath snapped.

"Who- who are you?" Estriss stuttered, trying to claw backwards towards the bush in the hope of safety.

"I was Dor..."  The man faltered, and a look of burning anger flashed across his face.  "It's not important who I was.  I come on behalf of one who can give you the power you need."

"Power?  What do I need power for?"

"To save them, dolt!"  Dordrath's shade gestured angrily at the burning village.  "And every second you waste, more and more of your friends and family will die.  Do you want that?"

"No!" Estriss yelled, then caught herself.  "Are... are you from the Goddess?"  Dordrath snorted.

"No, I represent one much worse.  Swear to him, to Shaq, and he will give you the power you need to save your village."

"To- to this 'Shjjjack'?  He will save us?"

"No, to Sh- ah, never mind.  And he'll give you the power to save yourself.  Now will you swear or not?"

Estriss hesitated, trying to frame her thoughts around the implications of swearing to this unknown figure.

"Oh look, another of your townsfolk just got slaughtered.  Time's wasting, Estriss!"

"Okay, okay!"  Estriss scrunched her eyes shut and balled her fists.  "I... swear.  I swear to Jack."  She opened her eyes, full of fear and fury.  "Now save them!"

The man's mouth flickered slightly, curling in just the faintest hint of a cruel smile.  He vanished.  Estriss screamed.

"No!  No, you promised!"

Oh, shut up woman, snapped Dordrath's voice in her ear.  I'm still here.  Now, twelve paces to your left.  Oak tree.  Run.

"What?"  Estriss swung her head around, trying to see the vanished figure.

Run!  The girl glanced out beyond the bush and ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the tree.  She threw herself behind it, lungs burning from exertion.

Good, said Dordrath.  Dig.  What you find will help you.  Estriss lacked the breath to question the command, so she scrabbled in the dirt by the roots until her fingers brushed bone.  Fearing the worst, she wedged her fingertips around it and pulled, unearthing a slim flint blade with an ivory hilt.

Move to the first building, take cover one pace behind the leftmost part of the wall.  Estriss dragged herself to her feet and shuffled over to the building, an old mud and straw hut.  No, not just a hut, Endram's hut!  Was Endram still alive?  Was he-  Focus, girl!  Now wait until you hear it.

Hear what?  Estriss strained her hearing against the roar of flames and battle, trying to figure out what the voice was referring to.  Her question was answered swiftly; a terrible roaring and clattering, like the breathing of a strange and alien beast.  Estriss caught sight of the silhouette of the creature against the floor, at first thinking it a man until she realised that no man could have- could have claws.

When he moves forward, don't hesitate.  Strike.  Estriss felt fear lock her arms and legs, felt it paralyse her as surely as any serpent's venom.  Parts of her screamed to run, to flee, but then the beast stepped before her.  Now!

She couldn't do it.  She couldn't move her arms.  The beast turned to see her and she witnessed him in all his terrible splendour; the chest and legs of a man, but in place of arms two enormous claws, and his face human but for the mouth of some sort of shellfish.  He roared and swung one of the claws.  Duck, you fool!

Estriss ducked.  The claw smashed into the mud wall.  Strike, upwards, beneath the ribs!  Somehow the act of dodging had made things real, had freed up her body.  Estriss struck upwards with the knife, feeling the flint point pierce the soft grey human flesh beneath the beast's ribs.  The knife had nicked one of the ribs slightly; they felt wrong, almost jelly-like instead of hard bone.  Draw right and down, came Dordrath's voice, sharp and urgent.  She drew, and the beast's black eyes widened with surprise.   Estriss had to leap backward from her crouch to avoid the mess of organs that slipped out like guts from a fish.  The beast man staggered and then toppled to the ground.  His claws snapped weakly a couple of times and went still, but by this point Estriss was already on the move, Dordrath directing her steps.

"What was that?" she asked beneath her breath, moving into position behind some rubble. 

He was one of Amparos' Chosen, the product of a deal with the God of the Sea.  Estriss swallowed. 

"And what God did I just make a pact with?"  Dordrath's laughter filled her head, but he did not respond.  Estriss winced at the implication, but suddenly noticed that the tiredness had gone from her limbs.  They felt full of energy now, stronger and looser than the tenseness she had felt before.

Four paces left and forward.  Estriss caught sight of the Chosen ahead, a cross between man and fish.  The creature was eating something, and Estriss did not care to think about what as she snuck up behind.  Uncertain how to cut the throat of something with a fish's head, Estriss drove the knife through the Chosen's back.  She felt the distinctive pressure and tear of the knife penetrating the heart.  Back!  Estriss leapt back, narrowly avoiding a heavy wooden club swung by the fish man.  She ducked twice more, once with Dordrath's guidance, before the fish man's body seemed to finish pumping his horrible clear blood out through the hole in his back.  The Chosen crashed to the ground and Estriss felt a surge of strength, vitality and speed wash through her body.

"Okay, what was that?"  Estriss wiped clear blood on her skirt and adjusted the grip on the bone-handled knife.

I told you, the Pact will give you power.  Whenever you kill, you will grow stronger.  Part of the effect is permanent, but you will feel it most just after a kill.  Now, ten paces to the left is a tree...

Estriss stalked through the burning village, killing three more Chosen under Dordrath's guidance until she came to the shrine where the worst of the battle was still taking place.  Eowel was there, hacking through Chosen with the long silvered knife he wielded whilst other townsfolk hid or died fighting.  Estriss prepared to launch herself into the melee, but Dordrath spoke up.

Don't.  You need to go for the heart of this.  Right, by the top of the shrine.  His name is Ganad.  Estriss' eyes were drawn to a particularly ghastly, enormous Chosen watching over the battle.  She saw Eowel fight his way up to the beast and try to take him down, but was surprised by the Chosen's agility.

Typical Carmanthyre, always going for the glory over the kill, muttered a voice that was very similar to Dordrath's, but somehow very different.  It sent shivers down Estriss' spine for a moment, then was gone.  You still have the element of surprise, though, Dordrath cut in.  If you want to save your village, kill that Chosen!

Jack indirectly manipulates the battle through a patsy, Estriss.
Jack uses the power of his Covenant to empower Estriss after each kill she commits.

[Blargityblarg]

Tass soared. Having taken the form of a silver-beaked raven, he could see much of what transpired about the world, but the thing that brought his attention most was a bright, fiery dot marring the inky blue-and-black perfection of his beloved night. What was worse, though, was the sensation of a divine presence. Perturbed, Tass flew down to investigate.

Alighting next to the epicentre of the god-sense, Tass barely avoided a knife in the abdomen from a ragged-looking monk girl. Seeing the knife, he grinned- an argent streak opening across his face.

'Shaq? You there?'

[Humaan]

Aarrook had gone quiet for some time. He had to rest, you know. Maybe he was getting to old for this, maybe it was time to die. Success had to come first, though. The Gallic were still progressing, but they had yet have to fight any major threat. It seemed that nothing could disturb this peace and quiet. Of course, Aarrook was still waiting for those he had rescued. He already checked and comfirmed the safety of the path they had to take. He had already tended to the Gallic and prepared them for the refugees. So it came as a surprise when a new entity appeared, asking for Aarrook to go to the meeting. Who was sending this entity, though, Aarrook did not know. The Overgoddess most certainly did not send this entity, with the Overgoddess being more direct. Aarrook followed this Angel, not to the plain of mortals, but to an area above. There, was a lone pagoda standing. Aarrook approached, but did not know what he would see.

[Iituem]

Visible only to Tass' eyes, the image of a horribly burned, black-haired northren appeared next to his presence.  The avatar cycled until it reached the figure of a young, black-haired northren instead.  He spread his arms with a broad grin.

"Tass!  How are you, uncle?  Haven't seen you alighting in the world since, oh... the Overgoddess manifesting?"  Jack glanced to the side where Estriss, oblivious to his presence, continued onward with a part of him still whispering in her ear.  "Trying to keep my presence here relatively muted - Carmanthyre getting wind of the intervention probably will end up with him stabbing me in front and himself in the foot.  But really, what have you been up to?"

[Digital Hellhound]

Ganad let the two torches fall on the thick, wooden supports in the temple. The fools had left the things lying around in their own temple. Perhaps this was a shrine for a god of fire or somesuch?

He stepped back, watching with satisfaction as the flames began dancing up the supports. He had seen a few children and a priestess hide in the temple earlier. Either this would smoke them out, or they would be crushed under the collapsing roof. The combat trance he had experienced earlier had worn off, and only hazy memories remained.
Crushing a woman's skull against the wet grass. Severing an old man's spine by opening the pincer inside him. Ganad smiled at the memories.

Sensing movement, he tensed. Someone had gotten right behind him without any sound! Ganad quickly spun around, pushing himself backwards. His attacker - a boy with a strange blade - drew blood, and he cursed himself for being so careless.

The boy came around again. Ganad roared, slamming his pincer into the side of the blade, but, amazingly, the boy managed to keep his grip on it. Curious. All the others in the village - even the so-called defenders - had barely known how to hold a spear the right way around. And that blade! Where had he found it? Was he their leader? No, too young. Perhaps an outsider, th -
 
Ganad shook himself from these thoughts just in time to see the blade come down again. He raised his pincer - it was armoured, tough enough to deflect attacks with most weapons - but the boy slashed a wide gash across it, like cutting through paper. Ganad stumbled back in astonishment - then focused. It was just a simple youth. He had defeated worse foes in the past.
 
Ganad took a few steps back and grinned. He let out a roar of anger and pain and launched off into a charge, trusting his body mass and momentum would be enough to overtake the boy.

[Blargityblarg]

Tass quickly discorporated, respecting his nephew's wish for secrecy. Taking the form of a silver mote, invisible to those he did not intend to see him, he responded.

'Oh, not much, not much- lofty goals and baby steps and all that, you know. This, though. this is interesting, with this girl. She's proving quite the warrior, though she doesn't really look the type.'

Tass paused for a moment, as though remembering what he had come for.

'Anyhow, enough about me. How have your machinations been machinating?'

[Iituem]

"She isn't, honestly.  Besides woodwork and gutting the odd animal here and there, never used a blade in her life.  But then, she has motivation."  Jack nodded towards the shrine, where Ganad and Eowel were engaged in heavy combat.  Behind them, unseen by both combatants for now, Estriss snuck through the rubble.  "I wouldn't say she has feelings for the boy, yet, but there's a spark.  Not to mention her mother's one of the priests in the temple."  Jack reached around and scratched the back of his head.

"As for machinations, they machinate somewhat slowly.  Would you believe she's the first to take up the offer?  It's almost as if they had some sort of deep-seated aversion to murder."  Jack chuckled.  "Mortals often go their own way and aren't entirely reliable, but I suppose that is what I love about them.  Try explaining that to something like Amparos.  What does the sea care for the lives of men, anyway, save to further its fury?  I have a few appointments to keep after this business is concluded, but you might want to visit some of your other nephews - I'm sure War, Greed and Battle will all have their own things to say on all this."

[Blargityblarg]

'I see. Still, she's doing quite well for someone without a smidgen of experience. Could be a lesson to be learned in there. Anyhow. You seem to have things under control.'

With a nod and a jaunty wink, Tass departs.

[Atilliano]

As the Wisp traveled through the land he suddenly felt something was wrong, and so he flew towards it.
After a brief flight, he reached a village that was being raided by strange men with fish-like bodies.

Back in the forests of the south, Aarseral saw the destruction created by the fish-people and felt awful that he didn't do something about it.

After some brief moments, Aarseral stood a mile away from the village.
He saw trees here and there in the fields and began transforming five of them into ents.

'Go, kill every single fish-man you encounter and safe this village from them.'
With these words, Aarseral climbed in a lonely tree and watched as his ents began making their way into the village...

Aarseral creates five Ents to battle the Chosen that are raiding the village.

[Lordinquisitor]

"And another one joins the battle." Rahisael laughed; A sound that was drowned out by screams of fear, hate and death.

It was indeed too easy. What was once a small raid now seemed to be a contest between several gods- Some of them were hidden from him, but others even decided to participate directly in the battle.

He had half a mind to join them; but even though the thought was incredible tempting he knew better. If he would be seen taking part in the slaughter the other gods would immediately jump to conclusions.

It would offer a convenient excuse for the god that was responsible for this attack. And Rahisaels goal wasn`t to unite the whole world against him but to fracture the other gods in as many, small, alliances and groups as possible.

His time would come. Soon. He had already some tasks in mind for his new favorite plaything.

[Ghazkull]

The Maw grinned at the strong feelings raging in the village...the greed of the fishmen...the lust for revenge in the little girl...the wrath of the little cripple slaughtering the fishmen left and right...it was beautiful. And already he could feel a far stronger urge at the edge of the village drenching out even those inside. Small glittering red eyes followed every single dying corpse...every single hut going up in flames. The weapons lost and those falling down in agony shouting curses while their last breath tore from their lungs. He could feel the barely restrained greed of his children as they waited for the end. The black furs concealing them from unwanted attention only the red glittering eyes ,to the untrained eye seeming to belong to wild animals, betraying their position.

[Karnewarrior]

The thing rushed at Eowel, using it's considerable mass and density to it's advantage. It was (at that point in time) a advanced tactic, using a relatively great knowedge of basic physics, even if tose forces were far from being named.

Eowel, for his part, emptied his mind again and allowed Carmanthyre full use of his body. Eowel dropped to the ground, hitting it hard. The earth knowcked the wind from him, but it was worth it. The sudden and unexpected move had Ganad stumble in a attempt to crush the boy. Eowel raised his blade and cut at Ganad, who jumped back quickly and only recived a deep cut for Eowels trouble. The edges of Ganads guts could be seen, but they were far from hanging out.

Eowel shot to his feet and smashed the tip of the Godblade into the ground, launching another sword into his hand. Now using two swords he executed a ferocious attack, dipping and weaving. Ganad deflected each attack but was wearing down, blood loss and the long fight taking their toll.

Eowel ended the combination attack with a double-cross down, striking low beneath Ganads defenses. Gnad caught the blades and brought his leg up over the tangle, but Eowel dipped his head back and flipped.

The two circled eatchother, newly respectful of the others prowess.

"Who are you, and what do you want with my village?!" Screamed Eowel.