Untitled

Untitled
by khezial tahr

It had started with a gift to his son, Roan. On coming of age he asked for one thing, to see his homeland and meet his people for the first time. Grim was unable to say no to his son, despite the perilous trip. After several weeks he had arrived in the lands just north of the Ascalon ruins.
Grim and Roan had made short work of the first warband they had met. But the second remembered Roan’s scent from childhood. And they had been quite impressed by the dismantling of a rival band. Over several days Roan and the Fireclaw Warband had bonded. Rage Fireclaw himself seemed taken with Grim, despite taunting him with names like ‘meat’. Grim quickly ended such comments with a brutal efficiency only a Charr could respect.
“Show us the strength of these gods. We see your strength to rise above the prey. Show us your ways and we will follow.” The warband was prostrated before them. Even Daramishi Tahr, an old acquaintance of Grim’s from the Sunspear ranks, was impressed.
Daramishi turned to face Grim and could only blink a stunned response. “You must have made quite the impression.”
Could he do this? Should he? Roan watched him with an eager expression, his ears perked up and shifted forward as if trying to hear Grim’s thoughts. “You will have to submit yourself to the gods. If they will allow you to act as their hands then I can show you that path.”
“We are strong. We will show them our strength.” Fireclaw rose up, puffing his chest out proudly.
Daramishi stood, leaning on his staff. “Do not forget Dwayna, Lyssa, Melhandru, or Kormir in your searches. They do not value strength. Can you find your way to speak to them as well?”
“We will do what is needed.”
Grim nodded. “You must be ready to work hard. And travel. We will need to go to the Crystal Desert and beyond. It is there you must train. And you must do as I say. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Get your things. We travel light and fast, and through very unfriendly territory. We leave at dawn.”
When dawn broke, Grim was waiting for it. Roan could barely sleep that night, barely containing his excitement. As the light began to break through the morning clouds Fireclaw’s warband appeared over the hill. Daramishi yawned in greeting to Grim, leaning sleepily on his staff. Grim gave him a questioning look.
“As if I would miss this,” was the only response he got.

They moved quickly and quietly. Several factions among the Charr waged war with each other. The remaining followers of the flowed Hierophant raged against the new found ‘Godless Charr’ with a brutality that rivaled their war against Ascalon. All those scattered factions hunted humans, which made life even more difficult. Skirting the skeletal remains of the human outposts, the journey went by in a blur of lifeless terrain and poisoned waters. Soon, they found the crevasse that would allow them an escape from the dead remains of human life and into the Crystal Desert.
Unleashed in the heat of the Crystal Desert Grim broke free of his gloom. The open arid air seemed to cleanse him while the blazing sun burned away his melancholy. He went right to work. From dawn to dusk the Charr, lead by Roan, were put through training as rigorous as any Grim had ever faced. Planning to practice on the hordes of hydras that combed the desert, they were quickly surprised.
The landscape was torn and pitted as if a great battle had taken place. As they traveled deeper into the desert they began to find more and more carcasses strewn about. The third day in the desert, everything changed.
“Smoke ahead.” The scout rasped. Fireclaw nodded and looked to Grim.
“If I’m right, that should be Amnoon Oasis.” Daramishi rubbed his bearded chin. “This is going to be bad.”
Grim scrambled up the dune to see the pillar of smoke from the next ridge rising into the air. Thick and black it rose up in the still desert air. The oasis was lost in smoke and motion. Flames rose from the few remaining shacks but the roar did little to cover the sounds of screams though. Soldiers of all shapes and sizes swept the outer ridges killing anyone they found. Staying low, Grim tried to identify one of the several banners the troops proudly displayed.
“One looks Elonian, another almost looks Norn? What type of army is this?” Grim whispered to Roan. Sliding back down the dune, the dervish motioned for the others to fall back.
“Get down! A patrol is coming!” Fireclaw rasped in a hushed tone. Scrambling for cover, they ducked around a rock pile as the patrol circled hill.
The first was large, far larger than any Charr. Grey skin covered it where a thick dull pelt did not. Clothed in tattered rags the rest followed. All were grey skinned and moved with a shambling gait. Most seemed to be held together by will alone.
Daramishi hissed, “Undead!”
The first volley of arrows came as he spoke. Along the dune stood several more, armed with bows began to rain down arrows. The Charr Firewielders let loose first, unleashing a blast of rippling flame that quickly engulfed the archers. The Charr rangers responded by launching flaming arrows at the walking dead. Dead flesh burned like kindling, enveloping them as mouths moved in silent screams. The first group charged forward to be met by the warriors. Roan rushed in with his scythe in hand and spun. A mighty two handed swing cut through the first enemy he met. Following his own momentum he continued to spin, this time raising the scythe above his head and bringing it down in a powerful stroke. The monstrous undead bellowed in rage as he was cut nearly in two. The other Charr followed right behind. With surprise on their side they quickly cut down the patrol.
Grim rushed forward to see another group coming at them. The sounds of battle attracted even more undead. The leader was large, dressed in heavy plate armor covered in bladed ridges. Long blonde hair streamed from the massive helm.
“The Vanguard is here! Kill them! Bring me their heads!” The deep voice bellowed out the call for battle, and the troops responded by rushing madly forward.
Grim responded by rushing forward and meeting the rush head on. Behind him Roan and Fireclaw bellowed their own challenge as they followed. Grim smiled and called on the power of Balthazaar. His body twisted and contorted into an aspect of the Battle God. Spiked armor formed around him and a maniacal laugh escaped his mouth as he stepped forward. The first strike broke three warriors. Grim never stopped nor slowed as he went on. The butt of his scythe snapped the head back of another, buying him time to sweep out the legs and sever the head in an easy motion. More rushed in and he began to spin twisting right, he let momentum carry his blade through another warrior, tearing through its ribs. Another swing and he unleashed the God’s fury, blasting out to strike all of his attackers with a mad swing.

Behind him Roan and Fireclaw stood back to back. Fireclaw’s axe cut flesh and bone neatly.
“Circle up! Around me!” Daramishi cried out. The warband responded only when Fireclaw moved over to his side. Roan and the Warband circled around the monk just in time to see another wave of troops rush them. The firewielders stood by the monk’s side and worked as quickly as they could. Fire erupted within the mass of undead at several points. Explosions sent flaming corpses sprawling in flaming pieces. The warband’s archers covered the warriors with a barrage of arrows allowing the remaining undead to be easily cut down.
Most of these undead wore Kournan armor. Some even looked like Sunspears. The mass of undead crashed around them like a rotting wave of flesh. The circle tightened as they hit, but the Charr held their ground, bolstered by the Monk’s quick prayers of healing and protection. Grim stood his ground, moving between attackers in a blur of motion and blade. The mass of undead surged again, and he could see one of the Charr go down. His friends dragged him back inside for aid and tightened the circle. Daramishi worked as quickly as he could to stem the tide of damage that rolled in on them. Fire fell from the sky and erupted from the ground itself as the firewielders worked double time.
More commands bellowed from the mass of armor that led this battalion. A deep chant poured out over the undead, bolstering them. Grim slid his grip down the scythe and swung it in a circle around him as he spun. With his long reach aided by the full length of the scythe he cut a circle from the heart of the attackers. From its center he stood, as if in the eye of the storm, and pointed to the Undead Lord.
The Undead Lord, responded by hefting his axe and charging forward. A bellow like a blood maddened minotaur cleared a path through the undead to Grim’s clearing. The dervish knelt down and lowered his head. His mouth moved in well practiced prayers and his aura began to change. Greens and browns surrounded him as his form once again changed.
Melandru’s form wrapped around him as he rose to meet his opponent. The brute’s axe swung down at him, but Grim easily side stepped. A flick of his scythe and a tear opened on the exposed upper arm of his enemy. The undead Lord began to burst into flames. Grim parried the second swing with the staff of his weapon and drove the blade again into the undead Lord. A burst of white light tore through the chest. The Undead Lord grabbed Grim by the throat and tossed him to the ground like so much dead weight. Stunned, Grim barely rolled out of the way before the armored boot drove down where his head had been.
Lashing out with his legs as he tried to stand, grim tried to sweep the legs of his enemy. The Undead Lord jumped back and barked out a laugh. Grim rose and smiled. “I thought I would never face another opponent this skilled. I salute you. Now die.”
The general laughed as he towered over Grim. “I am SVANIR! Remember my name when Grenth takes you into his cold embrace!” His heavy shield lashed out with enough power to push Grim back despite Grim’s defense. He hooked the curved blade over the shield to swing it away, which left an opening he could use. Grim stepped into Svanir’s attack, grasped his wrist and twisted. The huge warrior was caught off balance long enough for Grim to toss him over his shoulder. The brute grasped Grim’s leg and with a mighty jerk, took him to the ground as well. Both were back on their feet in an instant.
Grim looked over the situation. He was not doing enough damage to this undead General. Time to change tactics or was dead for sure. . He knelt again and with a quick prayer his for changed again. This was soothing and calm, like the center of a storm. Dwayna’s grace blessed him now.
Grim spun in the dance of the Scythe and Hood. He ducked below a mighty swing of the undead lord’s axe and side stepped another lethal blow from an armored fist. Grim grasped the hand of Svanir and pulled him off balance while sweeping his legs from beneath him. Using his moment he slammed the butt of his scythe into the back of the armored helm. Svanir staggered forward and spun with a wild swing of his axe.
Once more they stepped into each other. Blades moved at a furious pace, making it hard for the others to follow. His own blade rattled off of the heavy shield or armor as often as it bit flesh. He lashed out again, sending the blade wide past Svanir’s head. The laughed and stepped in for a mighty blow with his axe. It was time to play dirty.

Grim lashed out, the scythe blade moved directly to sever the head from his enemy. The giant shield rose up, taking the bait. As he exposed his lower body, Grim slammed the blade point first through the top of the undead’s foot. The cry of pain and frustration that the undead Lord released shook the dervish’s ribs. Axe and shield swung wide, leaving him exposed and open. Grim took his chance and brought the back of the scythe up under the brute’s chin. The blow rang out as metal connected with metal, snapping his head back and sending the helm sailing into the mob behind him. Following the flow of motion, he dropped the blade through its neck. With a twist and a jerk the head came off clean. The world seemed to silence as it rose into the air.
Hands grasped him and pulled him back. Green tattoos of dragons entwined circles the forearms. Daramishi. The monk had him. He could feel the calls to Dwayna and her warm compassion flow into him. When Grim came back to his senses he could see the undead pressing on the Charr Warband in a wave of hate and rage.
“Daramishi, there are too many. Lead the others back. You must sound a warning. Palowa Jokko is back.” Daramishi nodded. He opened his mouth, but the look in Grim’s eye told him all he needed to know.
Daramishi stood and prayed over Grim again. “Go now.” He turned away from the Dervish and yelled, “Fall back! Fall Back!”
Grim placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “May the Gods favor you, my son.” With that he rushed out into the fray. As the wall of undead rushed forward to surround Grim, a shadow rose to cover the battle field.
Roan yelled and moved to rush forward. Several hands grasped him and held him in place. He soon saw the wisdom of not weakening the circle, especially as it moved back. Grim fought like a lion, his blade slashing everything that came within reach. His dance was flawless, and rewarded by the gods. Several burst came forth as he struck, sending enemies flailing away torn asunder.
The sound of combat was still strong as the warband rounded a large dun. “We must go and sound the alarm. The scourge of Vabbi is back and with numbers not before seen in any lands.” Daramishi rushed forward to grasp Roan by the shoulders. “Do not let his sacrifice be for nothing! Go!”
Explosions of pure white light erupted from around Grim. His dance was flawless as Roan led the others back. Piles of the fallen collected around where Grim stood. Each swing sent severed bodies sprawling. As the shadow continued to creep forward, they continued to back up. Finally, they turned and ran to the cliff’s end. A strange stone platform sat alone in the dust. Daramishi rushed out and hit several tablets and a circle of magic rose up. He pushed the Charr into the circle just as the undead broke forward. In an instant they were on the other side. Flashes of light were still breaking from the battle site.
Roan turned back for a moment. “You will be avenged father. Both Paolwo Jokko and this new force will pay.”