Scene 1: Old Friends
Having dealt with Ashura the group now turn to deal with Khitai, the Dragonborn Emperor of Arkhosia. They have clashed with his forces in the past, disabling his fleet as it attacked the City of Kings, escaping or killing his assassins on several occasions and ramming one of his skyships. In that time Azhanti has grown in influence within the Empire. He has formed an alliance with the Cult of Panath, assumed the mantle of the Avatar of the Storm and caused deep divisions within the Church of Vulcan. Now he prepares to make his final move but first he must show that he is willing to protect the Empire.
First on the agenda are the lost legion, a force of Imperial Sardukar abandoned in the North when the alliance with the Lokarnos collapsed. They have been captured by the forces of Reptos and he prepares to crucify them all. The group make a stealthy entrance into the City of Sarind. Only a little moonlight lights their way and in the air above the Taken patrol the city. Artemis leads them through the ancient and crumbling sewers and they quickly reach the slave pens where the Dragonborn wait for their execution. The night air is filled with their death dirge.
Artemis makes quick work of the locks and Azhanti implores his people to seek hope, a new saviour has come (him obviously) and they have a chance to redeem themselves. A portal is swiftly opened to the Library but as the evacuation begins they are discovered, the golden clad Herald of Reptos appears to deny them their escape. Artemis is startled to discover that it is his mother, Taken by Reptos and now his slave but he doesn’t allow sentiment to stand in his way. The group attacks, Morn crashing into the Herald but her claim that “no weapon may harm her” proves to be true and he finds himself stunned by his own blow.
With a brief look of regret the Herald does the only thing she can and summons her master. Reptos emerges from the shadows and draws a blade from thin air. “You recognise this I think, I took it from a hag of your acquaintance.” It is Soulstealer, the weapon wielded by Zirithian the Vampire which can kill even Immortals. Reptos strikes and his blows deal terrible wounds to Morn who staggers in the face of the onslaught. The Dragonborn continue to flee and the group only have to hold him off for a little while for them to escape. Artemis even hurls himself bodily at the Warlord, dragging him to the ground but he finds himself flung away. Morn is struck down but as he does so his tattoos flare and his strength returns. As the last of the Dragonborn flees through the Portal the group run, Reptos will have to wait for another time. Once they are safe Azhanti promptly anoints a number of the rescued warriors as Paladins in his service.
Scene 2: The First Gate
With a large force of Dragonborn warriors the group decide to tackle the second problem, the siege of the Nightwyrm fortress by an army of vampires and cannibalistic ghouls. Their arrival comes at a fortuitous moment, the many tiered citadel is under attack yet again and the group moves quickly to help defend the walls.
What they find is a vision of horror, hundreds of thousands of ghouls assault the citadel, vast necromantic war machines move up behind them and flowing through the army are hundreds of swirling spectral vampires. The air reeks with the stench of death and decay and both Morn and Azhanti can feel the fear emanating from both human and Dragonborn refugees.
Azhanti takes the lead descending to the wall with his newly inaugurated Paladins and on mass they Turn Undead. Thousands of ghouls explode at their arrival and the host is thrown back. Artemis takes the opportunity to lead a sortie against the enemy but they recover quickly and push back. The postern gate is taken and the wall threatens to fall. Morn tries to block the entrance by toppling an enormous statue across the breach but in his clumsiness only widens it. The defenders are forced to fall back and all looks lost. As the army routs across the connecting bridges the doors to two large buildings swing open and hundreds of terrified, sickly or old slaves pour out into the courtyard. The ghouls, sensing an easy meal descend on them buying the troops time to reach the next level and destroy the bridges. Only two more levels remain.
The group are not pleased. Although feeding the slaves to the ghouls saved those still able to fight it strikes against something deep within each of them. Various underlings are punched in the face until Morn manages to speak to the General who ordered the plan. He is unapologetic, his duty is to hold the citadel and protect the millions who live in the eastern province and besides they were slaves provided to them by the humans. Azhanti orders him not to repeat the tactic while Morn and Artemis head off to confront the person responsible. They find him living in a luxuriously appointed palace, filled with slaves and functionaries with incense and perfumes to hide the stench from outside. Morn is unimpressed with the minor prince who has found himself de facto ruler of the mass of humanity here. Words are exchanged following which Morn throws him off a wall to be eaten by ghouls.
Meanwhile Azhanti has paid a visit to the Temple of Vulcan. There he finds one of his High Priestesses. She has taken in many of the sick and the wounded and her initiates tend to their wounds while she prepares a ritual to dedicate the entirety of the summit of the Citadel to Vulcan and thereby sanctify the ground against the undead. The two clash, each testing the others faith but neither are moved.
Scene 3: The Second Gate
Alarm bells ring, the next wall is under attack. Out of the smoke and fire a monstrous creature can be seen emerging. If some mad wizard were to conjure an earth elemental from a graveyard then this might be the result. Its body is a mixture of earth, rock, bones and gravestones, its fingers are huge slabs of stone which dig into the walls as it hauls itself up. What’s worse are the dozens of chains attached to its massive body, chains the ghouls are using to scale the walls.
The group hurry to confront the abomination. If they cannot kill it quickly then the walls will be overcome but it is amazingly resilient and many ghouls also swarm into the battle. Azhanti is pulled down and falls but as he does so lightning surges all around him. He rises into the air and all across the wall ghouls are reduced to ash. Despite the creatures resilience it cannot stand up to our heroes and as it crashes to the earth below they stand proud on the walls, power flaring all around them as they challenge the armies leader, the Lich Lord Dust, to meet them face to face.
He declines.
Our group have a plan. The city is sealed from teleportation effects by Dusts necromantic siege engines. If they can destroy them and open a portal to the Shrouded Oasis then they can bring real sunlight into the battle if only for a little while. The Vampires would be destroyed, the army dismayed and perhaps Lord Dust exposed.
Scene 4: The Third Gate
Azhanti chooses to call upon the Dragons, four more favours he has from them and so he calls upon Incendus, the Fire Dragon. The city shakes and from the mountains behind them a vast shape emerges. Its wings blot out the sky as the mile long Dragon God descends upon the host. A gout of flame engulfs the entire rear section of the invading army obliterating its war machines in the blink of an eye. As it does so the group open the Gate, sunlight pours through bathing the city in its purifying presence. Hundreds of Vampires explode into dust and the ghouls recoil in horror. Only one spot remains unaffected, a bubble of darkness too deep for any light to penetrate.
Lord Dust is exposed and the group strike. Azhanti transforms himself into a dragon and descends carrying Morn and Artemis into the heart of darkness. There the group once again fight the ancient Lich. The battle is a strange affair, vampires and ghouls flow around the battlefield while Dust proves to be extremely tricky to pin down. However, his evasiveness cannot last forever and as his minions fall to claw and hammer and bow his finds himself outnumbered and outgunned. He calls for parley and Morn crushes his skull with his mace and jumps up and down on his bones.
As Dust falls Azhanti receives a sending, something terrible is happening at the temple of Vulcan, he must come at once. He quickly takes to the air, the battle still rages below, even bereft of their leader the vast army of ghouls presents a serious threat. Morn and Artemis take to the walls and implore the Dragonborn to believe, in both themselves and Azhanti. Azhanti lands on the upper level and shifts to his humanoid form, the Temple is dark and nothing stirs.
As he enters the smell of blood is fresh in the air. In the main sanctum the bodies of the refugees lie, their blood pooling on the floor. The High Priestess stands at the altar, tears running down her scaled cheeks. “What have you done” he asks. “You have left me no choice. You are an abomination, a power hungry and self aggrandising fool. You will destroy us all. If you succeed here then your name will resound throughout the Empire. I cannot allow that. I have opened a gateway to the army below. The ghouls will pour through this place and slaughter our troops from behind. This battle will be the single greatest failure in the history of the Empire and the blame for that will fall on you. With this stain on your soul you will not be able to challenge the Emperor.”
Azhanti’s axe flies from his hand burying itself in her chest as the ritual completes and the pool of blood shimmers and changes. The portal has opened and the ghoul army scents fresh blood. Weaponless, Azhanti steps into the Gate to face the onrushing ghouls. Lightning flares all around him incinerating the first wave. As he drinks in the power creating the gate storm winds blow all around him driving back the second wave. Finally with an eruption of divine power the final wave is shattered and the Gate collapses. With its fading energy Azhanti once again announces his presence to his people. All across the Empire in the Temples of Vulcan the statues of the old God explode leaving behind a new symbol, the crossed lightning bolts of Azhanti, Avatar of the Storm. The God Emperor is coming and he wants everyone to know it.
The matter of the ghoul army still remains to be dealt with. Azhanti once again calls on the Dragon Gods, this time on Acerbus, the Green Dragon. The ground beyond the Citadel begins to heave and buckle and acid boils up out of the depths. As the enormous dragon emerges from the ground the ghouls try to flee but none escape, all are dissolved. As he emerges from the Temple Azhanti brings with him a cleansing storm to wash away the blood, the bodies and the fear. Behind him a tall slender Dragonborn with shining green scales watches him leave. “Soon my brother, very soon.”
*cut scene*
Outriders from the army of Reptos scour the plains and the deserts of the south at the command of their master. In the skies above the Taken search for any sign of the Pashtun people. Their great stone mesas are broken into but they are empty. In his Palace Reptos rages at a people who have escaped him. The Pashtun have fled into the Shrouded Oasis to escape his dominion.
*cut scene*
In the onetime Temple of Sopias the Princess Menandore of Dream plays host to Danku Sinesh, the doomed man. “You have what I require woman, now give me the Key or I will take it from you.” She stands, imperious and confidant in her strength, “It is not for you or any mortal to possess.” He smiles drawing a long thin blade and advancing on her, “Foolish woman,I have not been mortal for a very long time...”
*cut scene*
At The Wall in the far south of the Empire of Arkhosia the Twin Star Sisters, Dragonborn demigoddesses stand ready to face the warriors of chaos. In the distance giant figures emerge from the surf mounted on great sea beasts. Long spears rest easy in their hands and lightning flickers all around them. As they close the Sisters receive a call, the Avatar of Storm challenges the Empire itself and their master needs them. With regret they rise into the sky and fly quickly northwards. Behind them the Chaos Giants sweep across those who defend the Wall sending it crumbling into the sea below. Ouroborous has landed his first forces on Arkhosian soil, how fitting it is that they are the self same giants who set out to destroy him when he crashed to the world so long ago.
