Session 30: Days End Part 2

Nearly two years ago at the start of the game Morn’s player wrote a piece of background material about The Unfettered God. At that time Morn was a Paladin of the Unfettered God. In time he would learn that his God was a fraud, slay his High Priestess (twice), lose his Paladin status, become a fighter and eventually drive his hammer through the skull of the duplicitous Chaos Lord.

The story which Morn wrote was about two divine lovers, forever separated from each other by the scheming of the Unfettered God, in truth a Lord of Chaos seeking to break various divine compacts. This session saw the resolution of a thousand year old wrong as well as the beginning of the Age of Darkness when the Sun itself would go out.

Scene 1: To Kill a God

Our session opens with Artemis sat looking over the desert. Behind him their forces have amassed ready to march across the blasted salt plains, to brave the deadly illusions of Ashura and to assault the Shrouded Oasis itself. Artemis sits contemplating how one might kill a Primordial and even if he should do it at all.

As he sits Udun, the elderly wrinkled shaman joins him. The two talk about what is to come and the different options. Udun explains that the Primoridals are creatures of more than just flesh, their bodies can be destroyed but their spirits remain and will in time return. Reptos slew both Vulcan and Ashura and, unable to destroy their spirits instead he trapped them in the Plaza of Dead Gods. This however required the sacrifice of hundreds of his Magi to create the binding spells, a resource our heroes don’t really have access to.

Udun sets out his options. Ashura has fallen into the void and become a creature of entropy. Destroy him and he will in time return. Destroy his link to this world, the World Tree at the heart of the Oasis, and he will be cast into the void forever, never to return but the Oasis will be lost, its heart destroyed. Lastly they might cure Ashura, place the artefacts which the group plundered from his Tomb into their proper places in the Oasis and Ashura will be restored. Artemis is left to brood and think over their options. No-one truly knows what might happen when a Primordial dies and Artemis has plans for the Oasis in the future. As he ponders he catches sight of a figure, clothed in white silks flitting across the dunes.

Intrigued he gives chase. The woman sees him and flees but he has the speed of a gazelle and the senses of a hunting cat. A few well placed arrows bring her up short and she turns, fear in her eyes. This is no mortal woman but a goddess, the Hidden Moon. She trembles under his hard gaze and explains that she has been separated from her husband, the Burning Sun, who has fallen to his father’s corruption. She came to camp hoping to gain Artemis’s aid but his reputation as the God Killer frightened her away. She asks for his help, defeat her husband and purify him of his corruption and she will help bring them to the Oasis through Ashura’s traps. Artemis agrees but only on one condition, if he succeeds then she and her husband must withdraw from the world and take no part in its end game. Reluctantly she agrees and gives him an arrow crafted from moonlight which will drive the entropy from her husband.

Scene 2: Desert of Desolation

The forces of our heroes gather. In the centre march the Stone Dwarves, those who have accepted the curse of flesh together with their battle golems. Supporting them comes Finnest, the Silver Caste dwarven astrologer and his cadre of magicians. On the flanks ride the Pashtun cavalry and the Dragonborn of the High Lightning Clan and above fly the witches and shamans of the Pashtun. Surrounding all of them are the forces of the Elemental Court, freed from the influence of their father Ashura.

Morn ranges through the army making preparations while Azhanti takes to the air to scout ahead helping to avoid various ambushes. As they press closer to the Oasis the sand and salt rises up in great walls to block their path but it cannot prevail against Azhanti, Lord of Storms. As they enter the ancient ruins which ring the Oasis Artemis slips through the rubble assassinating the leaders of the forces waiting in ambush while Azhanti navigates the deadly traps and ancient slumbering curses which fill the ruins.

As they press forward the sky goes dark, waves of entropy flow from the Oasis blotting out the sun. The forces gathered waver and cry out and Hidden Moon turns her face from the horror. Stepping forward Morn takes her arm and brings her a revelation. The Unfettered God is a lie, his bargains nothing more than trickery and deception and, most importantly, he is also very very dead having been killed by Morn himself. Beyond the gate to the Oasis lies her husband who she has not seen in a thousand years. The Unfettered Gods bargain does not bind her and all that they need is for her to open the Gate. Emboldened by her speech she turns to face the Oasis, spreading her arms wide moonlight fills her and beams of pale light strike into the heart of the Oasis. As she rises into the sky the Moon appears full and bright and burns away the entropic energy covering the land leaving the way to the Oasis free.

Except for one obstacle, the Burning Sun has returned from the Void and now, instead of a creature of blinding light he has become part of the void, light, energy, heat and life are all sucked into him. The forces of the Kireshi range out behind him but this battle is between the God and those demigods who would challenge him. The ancient ruins ring with the clash of steel but our heroes are in no mood to dally. The Burning Sun is swiftly overwhelmed and his heart is pierced with the arrow of moonlight. Freed from his corruption he rises into the sky and finally the Sun and Moon are reunited together.

In the background Finnest the dwarven astrologer begins making furious notes on how this conjunction might best be used.

Scene 3: The Oasis

Our heroes enter the Oasis and now at last the time of decision has come for Artemis. He chooses not to try and restore Ashura, the Primordials have had their chance and it is time for the world to be rid of them. He will kill Ashura and the World Tree but seek to preserve the Oasis as his own realm. (The PC’s scored a complete victory on the skill challenge to reach the Oasis, that is all successes and no fails. I have allowed those sorts of successes to permit them to change established campaign facts or establish new ones. In this case Artemis asked for the chance to save the Oasis which I was happy to agree).

First however is the small matter of reaching Ashura. The Oasis is actually its own small world separate from the one our heroes know. It is a small fragment of a previous reality which was preserved by Ashura as a home for his people. Tall mountains ring a long wide valley filled with thick jungle while in the centre rises a mountainous crag on which stands the ancient groves and the World Tree, the first tree to have life breathed into it. Those jungles however are thick with enemy forces committed to defending their God, no matter how corrupted he might be.

Artemis chooses the first mode of attack. He calls upon the Spirits of the Desert to sweep aside the Kireshi forces and open the way to the mountain. They surge forward but as they do so Ashura appears ready to subjugate his unruly children once more, a move which might doom our heroes before they even begin. At this point the dwarf Finnest acts. He has completed his calculations, predicted the moment of Ashuras appearance and prepared for it. As Ahura emerges from the mountain the skies clear and the Sun and Moon appear in perfect alignment. Overcome by their radiance Ashura flees back into the grove to take no more part in the battle. (Getting to the mountain was a skill challenge. Artemis managed to roll a 1 on getting the spirits involved, a move which would have lost them as his allies. However, I had given some of the allies the PC’s have some mechanical benefits. In particular the dwarven astrologers gave the PC’s a reroll which came up as a 20 which we count as a critical giving 2 successes and driving Ashura out of this battle).

Taking the opportunity provided our heroes pour forward. The Dragonborn and Pashtun work together drawing out the enemy into a series of traps while Morn reinforces the dwarven battle golems and takes pot shots at the Kireshi aerial cavalry with huge blacks of masonry. In the skies above the jungle Artemis flies with the Pashtun witches and their wyvern riders duelling with the First, leader of the Kireshi warrior caste. The two lock into a deadly embrace high above the jungle. Their mounts clawing at each other they plummet towards the ground with Artemis managing to pull up just in time. The First survives slowly clambering from shattered body of his mount when Isaac Antarion, clan chief of Clan Antarion emerges from the shadows and slits his throat. With their forces in disarray and their leader dead the Kireshi break and the route to the mountain and Ashura himself lies open. (This was another complete success, damn their good dice rolls which they used later on to connect the various different realm fragments together).

Scene 4: The Greater Darkness

Our heroes make their way unimpeded up the mountain to the once sacred groves and ancient stone circle which sat at the top. What they find is a mass of corruption, decay and rot. Strange fungus grows over toppled ancient stones. The earth has turned black and rotten and the World Tree itself is bloated, its bark split and its branches hung with creepers and vines. Most worrying however is the huge figure of Ashura who towers over them, filled with power and ready to break bones and tear flesh.

There is no time for banter and they surge to the attack. They have prepared for this battle and have carefully hoarded their strength. Ashura however is not alone and out of the earth crawl skeletal Kireshi archers and from the stones emerge corrupted Kireshi druids wielding soul fire. Ashura strikes without mercy, his very presence leaves our heroes vulnerable to corrupting forces present in the glade but Morn weathers the blows inflicted by the God long enough to allow Artemis to do what he does best. He moves with a fluidity no human should possess and with an accuracy which defies description. Arrows fly over and over again slamming into Ashura with deadly precision. Slowly, ever so slowly, the titan falls. The Oasis falls silent, the sounds of battle fade away as all eyes turn to the mountain, can that be it?

The sound of laughter fills the glade, “Did you think it would be so easy?” At the far end of the glade the World Tree shudders and heaves as the Spirit of Ashura moves within it. “I am eternal, I have looked into the Void and it has filled me. You cannot destroy me.” The roots of the ancient tree run through the entire mountain and now they rise up grasping and clinging, pinning our heroes down and draining their very life essence. Morn manages, somehow, to get the monstrosity into his reach and lock it down and once again Artemis strikes. The Bow of Ashura possesses the power of the sun and as he unleashes its power his arrows burst into flame and explode on contact. Each hits with bone jarring force but the explosions also manage to engulf Morn in flame and he looks like he might go down if not for the handy assistance of Azhanti.

The World Tree falls, its trunk split apart, its corrupted bark burned to ash but still it is not over. His spirit now forced from its host Ashura rises once more, a tall slender ghost of black flames armed with a soul destroying blade of night. Morn charges and the weapon flicks out seeking to end his life but it is no use. The spirit of Ashura is destroyed, banished for all time back into the void to be consumed.

Silence engulfs the Oasis and then a great wind begins to blows. The Spirits of the Desert, children of Ashura, arrive to mourn the passing of their father. They kneel around the spot on which he died and let forth a great mourning wail. The earth buckles and from it his body returns, cleansed of the corruption which afflicted him. The spirits raise him up and wind him in funeral sheets. “We take our father now to be buried. Before we go we give you this gift” A sapling bursts from the husk of the old World Tree and swiftly begins to grow. Its roots run quickly through the Oasis purging the corruption of the Void but they go even further, working their way through the roots of the multiverse itself. The new World Tree connects all of the fragments of previous realities, opening paths and gates between them.

“The time of the elder races is fading away and with us must come our children.” Out in the Oasis the Kireshi begin to fade away helping to undo the corruption of the Oasis. “Our last act is to fulfil the promise our Father made to the first Great Huntsman. We gift to you the Oasis, let it be a safe haven for your people, a place free from the great game of the immortals. No divine being, whether God, Demon or Lord of Chaos may enter its gateway between now and the end of all existence”. With that they fade away, never to be seen again. (It’s worth noting that this includes both Morn, as a demigod, and Ashura as an Avatar of Storm).

Epilogue

No-one knows what happens when a Primordial dies. The Primordial’s are the fundamental building blocks of the world, the Lords of Law and without them it is possible the world itself would cease to exist. How can a world live without a Sun to warm it, without a Lord of Life to quicken the spirit of living beings. With the death of Sopias people have begun to stop dreaming. With the final death of Ashura light itself goes out of the world.

As Ashura falls outside of the Oasis the repercussions begin to be felt. The Burning Sun, God of the Dawn embraces his love, the Hidden Moon and the two circle one another in a meeting long since postponed. But with the death of Ashura his children fade away and Hidden Moon is left with nothing but tears for her lost love, left to wander the skies alone and bound by her promise to Artemis to not interfere.

Worse is yet to come. The Sun God is dead and as dawn approaches he makes no appearance in the Eastern sky. Only the stars and the Moon remain to give light to the World. The Age of Darkness has begun and the world has entered its last days before the end of time itself.

*cut scene*

In the southern mountain the dwarven astrologer Finnest leads his people back to their hold. When he arrives he finds the gates sundered, his people dead or gone and the home forges shattered. The forces of Amaan have broken the outer defences and driven into the heart of dwarven territory. Amaan once again sits on the Throne of Kings as Giant Emperor and Finnest is left with a hard choice. Remain here and fall under the domination of the Emperor or leave his home forever and accept the Curse of Flesh and the loss of his immortality.

*cut scene*

In the City of Sarind the human and Dragonborn defenders prepare to withstand another assault from the forces of Reptos. When Dawn fails to come their courage falters and the forces of Reptos, enslaved to his will and fearless of the dark, charge. The City quickly falls and the Dragonborn legions are captured. Their fate is yet unknown but it is unlikely to be a kindly one.

*cut scene*

In the Nightwyrm Fortress, the last bastion protecting the rich eastern provinces, the warriors standing the ramparts wait anxiously for the dawn. Below them surges the army of vampires and ghouls raised by Lord Dust. When the dawn fails to come a great cry of despair goes out. Now the exhausted defenders must stand their ground with no respite in sight. They cannot hold out for long.

*cut scene*

On the southern coast of Arkhosia stands The Wall, a defence against the attacks of Ouroborous’s spawn seeking single combat against the champions of the world. Many heroes have been chained to the Wall but now two more arrive out of a night sky that will never lift. The Twin Star Sisters, Dragonborn demigods, daughters of battle and personal bodyguards of the Emperor come to the aid of the beleaguered heroes. Out in the distance the seas churn and boil as powerful Warriors of Chaos emerge to test themselves once again. If The Wall falls then they will be free to range across the southern provinces bringing death and destruction to the people.

*cut scene*

In the Forbidden City, Heart of the Palace of the Emperor of Arkhosia, in the Capital city of the Empire itself Khitai, Dragonborn Emperor sits brooding in his chambers. He watches the advance of the Lokarnos fleet, the City Ships come together for the first time in a dozen generations. He knows they come to destroy him and his people for his betrayal of their trust. His advisors have called for him to unleash the dragons but he has dismissed them. As their ships approach ancient engines hum into life and slowly the vast city ships rise into the air. Soon they will surround the capital and begin their bombardment.

Silently the Emperor watches, doing nothing.

Session 29: Days End

We played again last Sunday and the group decided to deal with the issue of Ashura. Ashura is a Primordial, a Lord of Law and one of the Creators of the World. He was killed millennia ago by the recently returned Warlord Reptos. Unfortunately for him it is not normally possible to kill a Primordial. Its body might be destroyed but its spirit lives on. Reptos sacrificed hundreds of his Magi to imprison the spirit of Ashura in the Plaza of Dead Gods.

Thousands of years later our heroes disturbed those bindings in their first ever adventure. His spirit freed, Ashura fled to the Shrouded Oasis where his children, the Kireshi, worked to resurrect him. Unfortunately they lacked the artefacts which held his soul together (the PC’s having made off with them) and the resurrection went wrong. Ashura returned but now as a creature of the void, determined to suck all life out of creation.

However, before dealing with this little wrinkle the group take the opportunity to quiz the Library. They learn a great many things; the origin story of humanity; the reason the Beast pursues them across realities; the status of the Primordials; the nature of places such as the Shrouded Oasis; the nature of the True Dragons; the source of the weapons they wield; the weakness of Reptos as a proto Primordial and the existence of a weapon of mass destruction capable of permanently destroying a Primordial amongst other things. Before the can quiz it further however fate intervenes.

Scene 1: Help me Obi Wan

The images the Library is showing them shimmer and change. They are receiving a sending from the witch Sybelle, a member of Artemis’s clan who he has had little time for in the past. “We are under attack, Ashura moves against us, I am sending you the pattern for our location, help us Artemis, you are our only hope.”

The group acts quickly and the Library is able to dispatch them to the portal location provided. They find themselves in a large cavern in one of the great mountain strongholds of the Pashtun desert people. An explosion rocks the structure and rubble rains down from above. Sybelle is there and explains that Ashura has raised his new Empire and dispatched his child, the Black Sun and the hosts of Kireshi corrupted by his return against them. He plans to sweep across the continent and exterminate all life. The group immediately move to help hold off the attackers while the people flee through the underground tunnels to the Citadel, the strongest of the mountain fortresses.

Azhanti takes to the air leading a wing of Wyvern riders against the elemental spirits enslaved by Ashura. He draws them away from the battle giving the defenders precious time and from his vantage point he can see the oncoming death. Ashura has raised a vast wall of sand which stretches hundreds of feet in the air and crosses from horizon to horizon. The spirits of the desert have been aroused and the wall is death for any enemy of Ashura to attempt to cross. It is also moving towards them. Azhanti tries to gather aid against them calling on the local spirits but they reject his advances, he once worked with them but spurned them some time ago and they have not forgotten.

Morn meanwhile takes his place at the forefront of the battle. He leaps down onto the narrow span of rock leading to the main gates and shatters it with his Hammer, sending Kireshi soldiers crashing to their deaths. Artemis moves through the battle directing their archers and unleashing various traps set up by his people to protect their homes.

However it is not enough. The armies of the Kireshi vastly outnumber them and they are pushed further and further back into the mountain until an avalanche of sand is unleashed against the invaders burying them in the tunnels. Azhanti follows up from behind sending howling winds ripping through the invaders. His armies beaten back the Black Sun takes to the field personally. The ground blackens and crumbles at his approach and the sand melts into glass and shatters.

The Pashtun flee into the tunnels while our heroes wait the coming of a God. As he enters the chamber where they wait the air begins to scorch. The ground breaks open and the burning skeletons of ancient Pashtun pull themselves out of the sand while in the background a huge salamander noble armed with a mighty bow slithers into view.

The Black Sun charges Morn, the impact sends shockwaves through the room and flames erupt all around them. Morn staggers almost overcome by the first charge, only just saved by the strength that runs through his Hammer. Artemis seeks distance but struggles to get out of range of the burning aura and Azhanti’s healing powers are put to the test. The Salamander is quickly dispatched and the skeletons prove to be little hindrance even as they arise again and again. The Black Sun however is another matter. Highly resistant to damage his very presence causes flesh to burn however our heroes are mortals no longer.

They withstand his assault and counterattack. Morn drives him back out of the room and Artemis moves into position. Time seems to slow to a crawl as he draws back the bow and lets arrow after arrow fly, each striking some vulnerable spot and delivering terrible wounds. Overcome the Black Sun slumps, defeated. Standing over him Artemis delivers a final message, “Tell Ashura that I am coming for him” as he ends his life.

Scene 2: You can't choose your family

Their commander defeated the Kirteshi host withdraws behind the great Wall and the group makes its way to the Citadel, the Pashtun fortress where the five great clans have gathered. They quickly learn that not all is well. The people are not united; the Clan Chiefs argue and squabble amongst each other; the young warriors have lost respect for their leaders; the Elders have retreated into the deep caverns for reasons they refuse to disclose; Sybelle is condemned to death for breaking the Clan Chiefs edict not to contact him and his sister is here advocating for an alliance with the Arkhosian Empire.

Leaving Artemis to solve his local problems Azhanti and Morn set off to pursue their own agendas. Morn returns briefly to the City of Kings. Arriving late at night he finds it a hive of activity, the slave army is rebuilding the City and the skies are patrolled by the Taken, Reptos’s flying carpet riding Magi. Morn however has other matters of concern, he has come here to right a very old wrong. He heads towards one of the Cabals towers, one time home of Althea who the group assassinated early on in their career. In that tower they once found an Angel captured by Cabal sorcery. Fearing trickery they left it where it was but now Morn returns to release it, shattering the chains with his Hammer. As it flies into the night sky it gives thanks for its release although what the consequences of this act might be few can say.

Meanwhile Azhanti spends his time with a small group of Kireshi refugees who have been given sanctuary in the Citadel. Not all Kireshi have fallen under Ashura’s influence and many who have resisted him have come here to aid their human allies. They have not been treated well and many among the Pashtun call for them to be expelled or killed as the enemy.

Azhanti moves among them healing their afflictions and bringing them word of a new hope, a new future which he is creating in their lifetime. They flock to hear him speak, a divine Avatar walking among them. After several days of teaching and working he invests some of them as his first non Dragonborn clerics. It seems that the Church of Azhanti will be an all encompassing faith.

While this is going on Artemis spends his time talking to the Clan Leaders. His own clan supports him but the others are reticent. Some favour alliance with the Dragonborn, others just want revenge for the harm they have suffered. He clashes briefly with his sister Kallista but can’t seem to bring himself to simply impose his will on his people. He can see the logic of an alliance with the Dragonborn, his people are threatened on one side by Ashura and the other by Reptos. The only allies they have are him and his friends and several of the Clan Chiefs seem to think they cannot rely on him which annoys him no end. He does however decide to save Sybelle, simply removing her from her cell and informing the Clan Chiefs that she is under his protection.

Scene 3: the Water of Life

Before he can meet the Chiefs in Council however he is called for by the Elders. It is time for the Tournament of the Great Hunt to be concluded. Three challengers have been chosen, Artemis who slew Sopias; Kubolta of the Hashashin, the assassin who slew Shraal the Lord of Entropy and Captain Strom who Artemis killed in the belly of the Kraken but who has returned from death itself.

Artemis is lead into the darkness where the Elders wait for him. Sitting at the head of their circle is the shaman Udun who they met long ago and who pointed them towards the dwarves. He face is familiar and it’s almost as if he has always been in his life somewhere. The challenge he sets is simple, the Hunters must find the last remaining Spirit of Water which took refuge from the Taken in the deepest caverns when Ashura was slain by Reptos. They must return with that spirit and thereby restore the Court of the Spirits of the Desert to equilibrium. Only one of them may return.

The three set off in different directions. It quickly becomes apparent that the tunnels twist and turn on each other in confusing ways but Artemis is prepared for this. He begins to sniff out the scent of water in the air but as he heads further down Kubolta strikes. The two clash and the assassin is left to bleed out on the bare rocks. The tunnels lead to a huge cavern with a narrow bridge across. Below lies a lake of magma and lurking within is the body of an enormous Dragon, hundreds of yards long. A True Dragon, kin to those who created the Dragonborn. He manages to make his way across without disturbing the creature.

Reaching the other side he finds himself trapped in an ancient maze but such obstacles are far beyond him now. He navigates it with ease but finds Strom waiting for him. The Captain remembers their previous encounter and seeks to delay him so that he can win the race but it is not to be. Coming back from death it seems is a onetime thing for him and he will not see the light of day again.

The maze ends at a door forged from silver and covered in intricate runes. A few deft adjustments and the probing of some tools flicks it open with barely a moment’s thought and he finds himself in a vast lightless cavern. Before him is a lake of perfectly still dark water and in the centre sits a pedestal above which floats an orb of water. He slips quietly into the cool dark lake and, making barely a ripple, manages to cross the expanse without troubling the denizens which lurk in its depths. Placing his hand on the orb he finds himself suddenly transported elsewhere.

He is flying above a lush verdant forest. It is night and thick clouds obscure the stars. Four dark figures mounted on flying carpets pursue a watery spirit across the sky as it makes for the looming mountain. Artemis realises he has travelled into the past. Not far away Reptos battles with Ashura waiting for midnight when he will be at his weakest while here the Taken seek to destroy the spirit of water on which the Kirteshi’s forest home depends. He moves quickly to intercept them, arrows flying out of the darkness. First one then two of the Magi tumble from the sky but the others are rapidly closing. If they reach the spirit before it can seek the safety of the mountain then it will be destroyed and the Desert Court will be permanently unbalanced. The third Magi falls to Artemis but the fourth seems much more adept in the air. A black clawed hand reaches out to grasp the creature and put an end to its kind once and for all when Artemis blows him out of the sky. With a brief look back of thanks the spirit dives into the mountain there to wait and heal and grow over the course of millennia.

Artemis wakes up as if from a sudden dream. He is back in the cave but it is filled with sound and light and movement. The Spirits of the Desert are whole once again and, complete, they have thrown off the influence of their corrupted father. In the skies above the Citadel a miracle begins to grow, something which has not happened in the desert for a very long time. Rain clouds boil up out of the mountain and spread southwards across the desert. The parched land is soaked and bursts into life and as the rains reach the wall of sand it collapses. Cheers are heard all through the Citadel as the Pashtun people have reason to hope for the first time in a long while.

Scene 4: Why wont you just die!

Artemis heads quickly to the Council of Clan Chiefs. As he arrives Kallista is there trying to salvage something for her master the Emperor but he cuts her off listing all of the alliances the group has forged. Those combined with his new status of Master of the Hunt ensures the Chiefs fall into line. Kallista makes a break for it recognising that the group is unlikely to respect her personal privacy. Morn tries to stun her with the Hammer but she dances away only to be caught by the backswing. As she hurtles across the floor Artemis snatches the bracelet from her wrist which would have allowed her to teleport away but she is not without resources. She dives out of a window plunging down the face of the mountain but Azhanti follows her. Unfortunately unused to his new wings she slips from his claws and disappears into the night to return later to seek her revenge.

The celebrations go on long into the night and out in the desert Ashura broods. He withdraws his armies into the Shrouded Oasis and spins powerful illusions around it to conceal it from his enemies. His child, the Black Sun, is returned from the Void and set to guard those few paths which remain through his deadly illusions. In the Citadel our heroes are left to think how one kills a Primordial. Sopias died at their hands but he was chained, weakened and perhaps even sought death, Ashura will be a very different prospect.

*cut scene*

In the City of Sarind on the southern coast of the continent of Frigia trumpets begin to blare. Soldiers rush to man the walls as the slave army of Sopias emerges from the many open portals in the fields surrounding the City. The herald appears once more clothed in gold demanding their surrender. She is answered by a hail of arrows which are reduced to cinders before they even come close.

The slave army surges forward but as they do so another horn is raised. All along the walls Arkhosian Sardukar step into position. The lost legion, trapped here when the alliance with the Lokarnos failed have joined forces with the Humans to oppose the Tyrant Reptos. Only time will tell if they can hold or if they will become a footnote in history.

*cut scene*

In the Western Province of the Arkhosian Empire lies the Nightwyrm Fortress. Once the home of a powerful dream dragon of lust and greed it has for many years served as protection for the main pass between the Empires eastern and western provinces. Now it is flooded with refugees escaping the horrors of the advancing army of Amaan, lead by the Lich Lord Dust. Black clouds have blotted out the sun for days, protecting his army of cannibalistic ghouls and vampires from the effects of the sun. They cannot hold out for long and each one that succumbs is yet another soldier raised to fight for the enemy. Anxiously Humans and Dragonborn alike look to the skies hoping to see the arrival of the Dragon Wings which might yet save them.

*cut scene*

In the Palace of Reptos, Warlord, Tyrant and would be Emperor of all the World an emaciated figure is dragged into the Throne room by two of the Taken. “We found him hiding amongst the refuse my Lord. His powers are gone with the death of his God, would you have us slay him?”

“No, I may yet find a use for him, it is a fitting end for Hu’maa, High Priest of Sopias, to join my Taken.”