Twilight of the Goddess (Tygara)

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


One phase of the battle was complete. A bridgehead had been established on the outskirts of the Underealm. Now it was pointed at the heart of the Xioquo civilisation like a spear that refused to be dislodged. Now it was just a matter of driving it in deeply enough and piercing the heart. Night had fallen, though the Qadiri and Eldorai soldiers stationed in the Underealm would not see the difference, for there was no light once one left the narrow confines of the entrance way. It was damp and cold, casualties had been high, but the soldiers were in high spirits.


A pity so many of them will have to die, Tarissa was deep in thought as she made her way to a cave that had been claimed by the Truthseekers. Prisoners were still being processed and they would soon need a facility to contain them.


Obsidian-armoured, masked Truthseekers snapped to attention and saluted her in the Eldorai way when she stepped into the improvised dungeon and was taken to what passed for an interrogation room. The mighty obsidian door, which was emblazoned with arcane runes that reeked of evil and malevolence, opened with a hiss. Inside a drow had been chained to a chair. Her wrists and ankles were tightly bound. She looked tired, hungry and rather angry.


"Vul'Iztica, Your Grace. A daughter of one of their councillors," a Truthseeker explained helpfully. Her voice was modulated by an electronic speaker inside her blank mask. The Xioquo's blue eyes conveyed anger and hatred, but also tiredness. Good. She might be useful if she was not entirely broken.


"I am the Duchess of Galondrona, commander of this army," Tarissa declared. A guard pulled up a chair and the Eldorai sat down. The Xioquo only looked at her blankly, as if refusing to acknowledge her.


"I imagine you're uncomfortable. My apologies, but you know how war is like. The present situation has two outcomes. You don't offer me anything of use and I let the Qadiri have their way with you. Or you tell me what I want to know and your fate improves a lot," she folded her hands in her lap while one of her aides translated.


The Xioquo continued to be silent. Her face was bruised, showed signs of electrical burns and her lip was split. The Truthseeker glanced at Tarissa, as if asking for permission to roughen her up, but the Duchess shook her head. "Patriotism? I can respect that. Loyalty to the race comes first. I doubt your kin would reward it though. I believe if I sent you back, they'd brand you a traitor and punish you more harshly than even I would. Some of my colleagues want to wipe out your entire ruling class...but not me. I see use in you. So, I ask again, what are the Xioquo planning? What 'wonder weapons' do you have left? Answer me, and I may have a healer look at your injuries."


A minion handed Tarissa glass of water and she put it on the table, in front of the drow. For a long moment the Xioquo was silent. Her breath came in laboured pants. Then words escaped her lips. "You cannot stop what is coming. She...is rising," she spoke quietly in her native tongue.


The duchess leaned forward, looking intrigued. "She? Is Mystra rising? Tell me everything."


There was no mirth in the drow's laughter. "Words mean little. I want to be brought to a safe place. Far away from here. The ritual has long begun. You're playing into her hand. Every life you take brings her closer to awakening..."

 

[Illyria]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

Power, power was intoxicating. It was more seductive than any lover, any drug, any bauble. It made even the most noble possessive, it made even the least ambitious covetous.

As the slaves died and their souls were fed to the dark force behind the door at no stage did any of the Xioquo ask the most important question of all; what is power without control?

Power was seductive, but it was commonly available. Many people had power, and their good or evil use of it distinguished them. However, power without control was mere anarchy, and control without power was laughable.

As Mystra stirred not one of those present had really considered what would happen once their fear and paranoia had brought forth their Queen. Some might expect they could direct their Goddess to turn her attention on the invaders, an approach as successful as directing a tiger by holding raw meat.

For one who gained strength from death none of them had realised that in the end it did not matter whose death it was.
The ritual had reached the tipping point, the point of no return. The Darkness was rising and now Qual’Zyanya’s plot could not prevent it. Ironically, it only hastened it.

As Taal’Xioas paused to admire her handiwork she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Qual’Zyanya was pushing her way through the crowd.
“Where are you going, Qual’Zyana?” she asked.
Over the general hysteria and mass of people there was no answer. She would never get an answer.

Under the platform the primitive yet still deadly clockwork device clicked.

In the confines of the Underealm the explosion shattered the darkness into blinding light, thundering noise and choking smoke. Every Xio’quo on that platform was instantly killed or maimed, and every one within twenty yards was floored. Some were dead, some were maimed.
Either way, the sudden surge of death gave the ritual that little bit extra kick required.

Darkness started to seep out from the dark doors of the Queen’s mausoleum. Finally, they swung open, the black iron pushed by no mortal or visible hand.

From within strode a figure so shrouded in shadow that she could not be seen, save for burning amethyst eyes visible through the murk. Where she walked the lifeforce of those near her withered and died. The eyes flicked over the scene, to those Xioquo who were fleeing, those who stayed to face her. Many fell to their knees as their Queen approached.

‘Arise, my children. You have been led astray by false prophets, by ignorance and empty words. Together we will remake this world. The strong will survive, the weak will perish. Now, march on our enemies or die here.’

As inspiring speeches went it was likely pretty bad. As a motivational speech though it certainly moved those Xioquo present. The option was simple; die or fight and possibly die. Mystra did not care, either way they would strengthen her and she would regain her power.
The wounded and dying choked out their last breaths as their Queen took their life from them. All, slave or Lady, all were equal in death as they had never been in life.

All across the Underealm and indeed the world those who felt the Force would feel that something had happened. It did not bode well for the invaders that it was clearly coming from further within the Underealm.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

It was before dawn that the next stage of the operation would begin.

Angelii

The Angelii would move up the western bank of the underground river and take control of the Beast Pens with a smaller force moving parallel with the Firemane troops. This smaller force would be Eldorai regulars, and their job was to provide supporting fire to their human allies. A contingent would also be sent to meet up with the Qadiri under Tarissa.

As Aeda led forward her troops, Kaida and Elincia along with the rest of the Angelii would be in the vanguard. Though opposition was much reduced and more and more civilians were coming in to surrender, there was still the chance of snipers and of course unleashed beasts.

Firemane

Along the eastern bank the Firemane forces, Tempest and Aba following Siobhan, would advance. Their job was to secure the slaving ships and mines, free the prisoners and turn the mines into a temporary holding area for Xioquo until such time as the battle was won.

Again resistance was likely to be weakened but importantly the fanatical might try to use the slave’s lives a leverage.

Qadiri

The Qadiri, showing the perhaps understandable lack of faith in them from the Coalition, were given the objective of taking and holding the barracks and fortress area. It was not expected that these areas would be strongly held.

Reserve

Tegaea had decided to come ashore from the Phoenix and had moved her command post to the shattered ruins of the eastern tower. From there she could better direct reinforcements and troops by land and water.

 

[Qual'Zyanya]

[member="Illyria"]


No. Spirits, what have we done? Shock and horror crossed Zyanya's features. Her iron-clad self-control completely failed at her in this moment. They had been stupid, foolish and had inadvertently breathed life into Mystra. In this moment, Qual'Zyanya very much hoped against hope that the old guard was right about their goddess. But she knew in her heart of hearts that they were wrong. It did not matter who died, as long as Mystra had sustenance. Qadiri, Xioquo, humans...they were all the same to her. She was nothing but an abomination.


"Hail the Queen!"


The wounded and dying, no matter whether they were a slave or a highborn matriarch, gasped for breath for the last time before their lives were extinguished by their Queen. Before her, everyone was equal. Ixtar, get out of here. Now, but the telepathic brush against her sister's mind came too late.


"I am the beginning, and I will be the end. There shall be no life outside of my embrace. There are traitors in our midst. Pathetic vermin who sought they could do me harm. Kill them." The Queen's voice thundered. The entire hall trembled as if shaken by tremors.


Then suddenly the Priestess from earlier was leading a pack of soldiers towards Zyanya. "I know her! The Quals sabotaged the sacred rite. They are blasphemers! They wanted to surrender to the Enemy! Let the Queen feed on them!"


"Feed on the traitors!"


There was no point in denying this. Zyanya refused to beg for her life before her mad goddess. She was cornered. However, a terrible rage rose inside. She would not end up as the food of a mad, demented goddess! "You deluded, suicidal fools!"


As the guards approached she drew upon the power of the spirits and harnessed her kindred element to send a powerful wave across the stone, knocking a few guards down. From everywhere little rocks were turned into improvised projectile as she unleashed a hailstorm. Then she ran, as fast as her legs could carry her. The situation was still quite chaotic after the bomb explosion.


"Run. There is no place from me. I will be all that there is." She could see Ixtar trying to fight her way out with her retainers. They were so close, then there was a loud scream of pain when her sister was run through by a loyalist's sword...

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Elincia Alanis"], [member="Aeda Shaytari"]


It was end game. A professional soldier like Kaida could easily see why enemy resistance was melting away. The Xioquo were unused to total war, especially on their own terrain. Defeating the Qadiri's first assault had given them a false sense of security.


Then they had wasted their best troops in the battle outside the gates of the Underealm. From a purely military perspective, it would've been more efficient to draw the invaders deep into the endless tunnels of the Underealm and put up guerilla resistance. However, the Xioquo simply could not sustain a long, drawn-out campaign. They would have eventually starved and morale would've plummeted. Now nemesis had come to them.


They met little resistance on the way to the pens. "Not fire!" A young Xioquo boy, probably still a preteen, cried out in heavily accented, ungrammatical Eldarai and tossed away his archaic musquet. He did not even wear armour, just a dirty uniform that was far too big for him. "We not fight." He raised his hands in surrender.


Kaida felt sorry for the lad, but knew better than to trust on faith alone. The Xioquo had a well-earned reputation for using suicide bombers. She tilted her head towards one of her subordinates, a terramancer. "He's clean. I sense no explosives," the Angelii spoke softly. Due to the electronic speaker inside her helmet, her voice had a slightly mechanical quality to it.


"Easy, kid, you won't be harmed. Come here," Kaida responded in Eldarai since she couldn't speak the Xioquo language. However, her helmet had an integrated translation device, so the boy ought to understand her. Her tone was unusually soft. "Wing Leader Elara, escort him to the others. Make sure they're all vetted. The Priestesses will see to them."


Across the tunnel, many other Xioquo soldiers were dropping their weapons and raising their hands in surrender. These were not janissaries and Mystra fanatics, they were children, old men and women. None of them wanted to die for a lost cause and sacrifice themselves for uncaring mistresses. However, not everyone was ready to lay down arms and give up the futile fight.


There was a warning in the Force, more like a whisper. "Get down!" Suddenly Kaida surged forward and grabbed the boy, pulling him down to the ground to shield him. It was not a moment too soon, for a sniper hidden on one of the cliffs fired. Unfortunately for the fanatic, the bullet was no match against the Seraph's phrik armour and thus disintegrated upon impact.


"Sniper. Cliffs. Flush them out!" Bolters put the sniper's suspected general position under fire, then the terramancer from earlier unleashed a blast that blew away her cover. However, in this moment two things happened: Firstly, everyone present felt a sudden disturbance in the Force, as if a thousand souls had cried out in agony and then been silenced forever. Secondly, the pens' gates opened and a small swarm of massive spiders charged. They looked mean and hungry. At Kaida's command Angelii soldiers assumed phalanx formation and opened up a devastating volley of firepower on them.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"], [member="Tempest"]


Slavery was nothing unusual on Tygara. As a matter of fact, all native elf races practiced it. Their alliance with Firemane and the Eldorai had not suddenly turned the Qadiri into abolitionists and so Semiramis still ruled an empire mostly populated by slaves. Even the Paragon Tylania had not abolished it despite being a peaceful light sider, though in all fairness slavery among the Vashyada was more like indentured servitude instituted as punishment for crimes.


However, only the Xioquo took it to extremes. Their entire society was wedded to it. Slavery and the corruptive power of the Dark Side were the glue that bound their society together. Slaves could be worked to death, raped, sacrificed or fed to wild animals. Thus it was only fitting that the Firemane war machine make it a priority to set these poor souls free. Two task forces had been assembled. Task Force Alpha to board the slaver ships, Task Force Omega to converge upon the pens and seize them.


Artillery fire rained down upon the walls guarding the enclosed slave pens. However, the mortars did not drop explosive shells, but...shackles. The binds of slaves who'd been freed in Firemane's past campaigns. Over the past months, Firemane propaganda had found its way into the pens. Even a few agents and weapons had been smuggled in.


"I am the Karishzar. Defiler of Cities and Rulers, the Imperishable Flame. I used to be a slave. I come here to bring you liberation. Anyone who slays their tormentors will be rewarded. All mistresses will be made slaves unto you or perish."


The voice of the Destroyer was carried across the caverns by the power of the Force. It was like the thunderous roar of a wrathful goddess. Furthermore, her message was repeated over loudspeakers Firemane soldiers had brought with them.


"I am not your enemy. Your enemy is besides you. It is every Xioquo who holds a whip and leeches off your life. Your enemy has nothing for you but chains and suffering. I will give them what they deserve." For a moment the cavers shook as if hit by powerful tremors. The fuse had been lit. Then the pens exploded. Perhaps the slave revolt had been planned from the start and just coincided with the arrival of the Firemane forces. Perhaps their coming was the catalyst that gave the slaves the boost they needed. Either way, the squalid pens erupted in violence.


Further away on the river, Firemane naval commandos emerged from the deep waters and scaled up the slaver ships, who would find their retreat cut off when Firemane surface ships appeared. Some slavers, so desperate to avoid capture, set fire to their ships, trying to take their merchandise with them. Fires spread across the sea, lives were consumed, but Firemane had borrowed a few cryomancers from the Angelii and they put their Sciia to good use to put out the flames.


"Tempest, Aba, begin the assault Take the pens," Siobhan spoke, sounding a bit out of breath. Two light Mag'ladroth walkers, hulking behemoths of doom, suddenly surged into the air as they activated their jet wings, aiming to bypass the walls and land directly in the pens. They were accompanied by a small force of Firemane sky troopers. A cold shiver ran down Siobhan's spine, when she felt the disturbance.

 

[Darth Libertas]

((Feel free to skip Tarissa)

[member="Illyria"]


"Aaaargh," a Xioquo janissary cried out in agony when a blue energy beam fired from Sumiko's disruptor pistol uttery vaporised her hand. The drow guardswoman fell to the ground, clutching the burnt stump that was all that was left of her mutilated arm. Far away from the battlefield, sacrificial altars and filthy slave pens, the former Inquisitor was busy raiding. There could be no greater contrast than between the splendour of the villa and the squalour the Xioquo commoners lived in.


Mosaics and carvings adorned the walls. There was furniture made of stone or, in rare cases, elf flesh. The hall was dominated by a massive, gilded throne that seemed to have been made out of skulls and bones. Rich, expensive looking carpets and rugs lay upon the floor. Feeling a warning in the Force, Sumiko whirled around just in time when a janissary unleashed a storm of the Force, shooting lightning at her.


Sumiko met the arcing electricity with the might of Souldrinker. Bolts of lightning coiled around her blade like snakes as she absorbed much of the attack. Her hands began to burn, but it was not enough to stop her. The Xioquo dodged with lightning speed when she fired her gun and so the beam disintegrated a portrait right behind her, but then the Atrisian leapt and sliced just once. The sentient blade scythed through the Xioquo, devouring her life essence in the process.


"Barbarian, thief! How dare you intrude upon the mansion of House Taal?! You're too late. The Queen has arisen." She sensed danger from behind, but too late. Swiftly, a strong pressure clamped down upon her neck, squeezing it tightly. It took some effort to push back against it in order give her room to breathe and keep her windpipe from being crushed like a twig. She had to give the drow witch credit.


The Lady of the house stepped into view. "You'll be a suitable sacrifice to her," she sneered hatefully. "Guards, do your duty. I want to make her suffer." She was accompanied by janissaries...but through the Force they felt less confident than her! Sumiko notied that the woman was wearing a golden necklace that radiated strong, dark energies.


Then Sumiko brought her willpower crashing down upon the invisible hand choking her and dissipated it. The noblewoman looked shocked and balls of fire manifested inside her hand...then dissipated. It was if someone had placed a lock on her power. "W-what have you done to me..."


"There is no goddess. Your queen will devour all of you," Sumiko said matter-of-factly. It was almost amusing to watch. The Atrisian had learned the Xioquo language by ripping the knowledge from the mind of a drow. "I am tearing your power out of you. I'm afraid the spirits will not hear your call." In truth, Sumiko had not severed her from the Force. That took a lot more work, time and preparation. However, she was instituting a mental block to make the noblewoman think she was cut off.


"Don't just stand there, gut her!" The noblewoman yelled at her slave-soldiers. Fear was leaking from her. That was the first step towards losing control over the situation. The feeling of powerlessness was the worst torture for her.


"Kill her, and I can offer you a way out. Before you die along with the rest of Underealm," Sumiko countered. She could not exert her mentalism to touch their psyches while she suppressed the Force inside the matriarch, but she doubted that she'd need to.


"I am your mistress! Defend me, or I will cut out your tongues!" The matriarch shrieked, then one of the janissaries suddenly grabbed her throat and slammed her into a glass table with such force it broke!


"You command too much and understand too little. I'm not your slave anymore," the slave-soldier shouted angrily, spitting on her deposed mistress. The Scion of House Taal looked frightened and shocked. Consumed by rage, she drew a knife, but her former minion simply disarmed and then stomped on her throat. There was a gurgle, then the noble was dead.


"Sky woman, you are with the one they call Karishzar. What is it you want? We will not exchange one slave-mistress for another," the former slave said forcefully. She seemed nervous, but also curious about what Sumiko had to offer her.


"I have come with her army, but I don't serve her. You must have seen the signs. Your insane queen will devour everyone in their path. I don't want your servitude, your loyalty will suffice. Show me where your mistresses keep their artefacts, then we'll depart. Be advised, time is of the essence."


A few looks were exchanged between the slave-soldier and her comrades. Perhaps some were using telepathy to communicate. The slave who seemed to be the leader of the group turned away from Sumiko. Words passed in a Xioquo dialect the Atrisian did not understand, before the woman faced her again. "I do not trust you, but we accept your offer, sky woman. Do not betray our faith. Come with me, I shall show you the vault."


The smile did not reach Sumiko's eyes. It never did. "I believe you and I will get on very well," she stepped over the corpses and bent down to remove the noblewoman's necklace and claim it for herself. It was raiding time. Little did she know that she'd run into a certain fugitive some time after vacating the mansion.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

The break of dawn had come. Abaigeal lay on her bunk in one of the triage tents, and stirred awake. The night have passed well enough, she even found the opportunity to get some rest, her body demanded it in fact. Fitful dreams however, had entered her mind, vision of dust and waste and blood and death. There is always death. She sat up on the edge of the bunk and looked around for Tempest, hoping she had a better night and felt much better for it. Soon the two of them would be on assignment, their mission directive simply enough but not by application, this would be difficult indeed.

She had heard of what the Xioquo did to their slaves, and nothing but abhorrence filled her heart for the Xioquo. The only justice they would recieve for their crimes was death. Abiageal would help secure the Pens, and she would do this without question, but the question was, what would they find there? She steeled herself mentally for it, it would not be a pretty sight, the conditions of not only the pens but the slaves would be neglectful.

Abaigeal pushed off the bunk, there was no time for much more then to get ready and so she climbed into her armour once more and as she did up the last piece, her eyes flashed over to Tempest. "You awake?", she gently asked. "It is time to move out".

​

​

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Tempest"]​

 

[Elincia Alanis]

Another day, another adventure. Elincia opened her eyes in the tent, sighing as this whole thing wasn't a big bad nightmare but all real. But she had something to hold on to, since she got her promise from the Host Leader that they would meet again after the battle! Now, she had no experience in that sort of thing yet of course it had to be fun. Anyway, she didn't even know what the meeting would be about. Maybe she just wanted to give a lecture about how she shouldn't be such a pain, but of course that was only a small possibility! Right? Anyway, she would be pretty right if the meeting was about that since her chest ached painfully. "I should have let that healer look at that..." She talked to herself, appearantly everyone except her was out of the bed already. Besides, it was too late to think about that anyway.

So she left the tent and joined her sisters. They were moving out already. So, no time to waste! She started to follow them, her eyes searching for any unusual movement. This place was indeed safe after killing so many, but it could still hold some mysteries to itself. The Angelii continued to move forward, even though tired from the battle they still were determined! They had come to some kind of tunnel, but suddenly the forward group stopped over a appearance of a little boy. If it was her, she would have killed the boy instantly without waiting a second. It was enemy territory after all and she wouldn't have any chances. But... surprisingly, the ice lady seemed to show mercy... Elincia, was indeed shocked. And if she wasn't tired she would have shouted a swear word about this situation. "Who are you and what did you do to the ice lady?" She said to herself again with a low voice, sounded impressed but shocked at the same time.

Not so long after, there were more surrenders, mostly children and elders. The other faces of the war, the most effected ones. It could be sad if Elincia wasn't a "I don't care" kind of person. Her face was indifferent during whole these. Anyway, the group continued moving with the civilians, and arrived to the pens. But then, she heard a distant sound, which she thought because she moved too much. But the sound was revealed shortly after. Of course, confrontation did not make them wait much longer and whole group took cover as a sniper shot hit the ice lady's armor. "Oh kark!" Elincia said suddenly as her hand went to her sarix. Since appearantly she lost her blaster in the struggle. 'Luckily' for her to not feel so useless, after the snipers the beast pens were opened and the huge spiders were unleashed. They looked pretty poisonous. Listening to the ice lady's orders, she joined her sisters and formed a shield, not letting any of the spiders any chance!

She took a breath and let the Sciia flow through herself, then unleashed her ice powers over the spiders, piercing the smaller ones immediately, which they popped immediately as the sharp ice touched them. And that was gross! Anyway, she continued to unleash her sharp ice spears towards them. Even though spiders were dying one by one, it seemed like their numbers were multiplying more! And there was a sniper too. Things started to look bad, but nothing the Angelii couldn't handle!

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] [member="Tempest"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tempest

The voice of the Liberator boomed through the mines and the slaves listened. They were a wretched, downtrodden lot for sure, treated miserably and liable to be killed or maimed on a whim. However what had always kept them in line were three things; fear, force and self-preservation. Now though with so many soldiers sent to the front the overseers were well outnumbered by their charges ten or twenty to one.

Heads turned from their tools to the slavers cracking their whips. It was time. Hope was that most dangerous of impulses because it made the craven brave. At first in ones and twos, then in masses they turned on the slavers.

The pickaxes, shovels, hammers and chisels they carried proved even better at splitting skulls than they did rocks. The overseers found that whips were a poor weapon of actual combat; not when a dozen angry slaves were descending on you with sledgehammers and mattocks!

Some used swords and guns to kill many of their slaves, but numbers told and one by one they were pulled down and butchered. Some, the cruellest, were subjected to lynchings where all the indignities they had performed were repaid by a vengeful mob.

A few of the overseers, those deemed less vicious or having tried to limit abuses, were spared and put in the chains their slaves had formerly worn and were forced to gather the dead together.

Here and there some overseers fled for the exits, but the Firemane troops shot them down in an unheroic but justifiable act of wartime brutality.

Tempest watched it all and did not intervene. It was true that she had been freed many years, but the horror never had left her. While part of her was sickened by the slaughter part of it was exultant at the humbling of the mistresses. She had held her troops back deliberately, ostensibly to not get the slaves caught in the crossfire, but now she turned to Aba and activated her comm.

“Things seem to be settling down, Sio, we’re going in.” Turning to Aba she pointed to where some wounded slaves were pleading for aid. “Can you help them out? We’ll secure the rest of the caverns.”

As they passed through they were greeted as liberators and heroes. Tempest used her lightsabre to cut the chains, many of which were made of a strange metal resistant to, but not impervious to, the energy blades. A few overseers holed up in a stronghold and still resisting were given a chance to surrender, and when most refused the walkers ended their pitiful existence with explosives and fire.

Aeda

The Grand Seraph was in her element here. Marching behind the shieldwall she called out orders.
“Check your targets, aim well. Ruby, drive back that horde on the right! Talon Vetra, concentrate your fire on the ceiling. Do not allow them to get above us.”

When she reached Kaida’s command she noted with approval as the snipers and bugs were being dealt with.
“Taldir, when you are ready, advance and give enfilade fire to Gold Company. Use your Sapphires and Diamonds to prepare your position.”

The feeling of unease came over her, the shuddering in the Sciia. She looked deeper into the caverns, but no enemy came yet. She tightened her jaw.
“Be ready for anything,” she added.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Elincia Alanis"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]


"Though darkness closes. I am shielded by flame. The night is dark and full of terrors, but Valora's flaming sword burns the unclean." Vicious beasts, with teeth sharp enough to rip an elf in half, limbs strong enough to break bones and with a chitin exoskeleton bore down upon them.


Vaena Askari felt a stab of pity for these poor creatures, for they had been twisted by the dark sorcery of the Xioquo. Faith, Kaeshana valour and Kaeshana steel would bring them victory against these monstrosities. It was the will of the Goddess. Thus she did not fear or doubt. The ground shook when the beasts charged them head-on, but Red Company held the line.


The Company had been organised into tactical assault groups, divided by specialisation and named after the gems the Eldorai loved so much. Ruby summoned blasts of flame and heat to burn the giant spiders, roast them and burn away any hiding in holes and trying to burrow out. Diamond would blast them with torrents of lightning. Emerald would cause a small, surgical avalanche of rocks to rain down upon them from the cliffs. Sapphire would impale the beasts upon ice spears, impede them by freezing their limbs with ice or summon mist.


Thus she assumed her place in the phalanx, directing the pyromancers, having passed her Taegis a battle sister. Further away Taldir was confidently issuing commands in her cold, confident voice. Vaena's ands became fire as she summoned blazing heat and let loose streams of flame, igniting beasts. Her eyes glowed as she called upon the might of the Goddess to smite the demonspawn. "Askari, combine with Sapphire. Turn the ice to steam. Watch your aim. Da'nathea, Diamond blasts them," Kaida shouted to make herself over the massive amount of noise generated by bolter fire, beastly screams and cries of pain.


Vaena did not need any further encouragement. "Ruby, roast the beasts after Sapphire ices them. Valora is with us!" She hoped that Kyran, god of animals, would give these poor creatures peace after they perished. The cryomancers assigned to the Sapphire group summoned their Sciia to conjure up a massive blast of ice. Abruptly the temperature dropped rapidly, the moisture in the air was agitated and spiders were caught in ice.


Visibility was reduced by a dark mist in the air. The spiders were used to the cold, so that would be less of an issue for them. However, Vaena and the other pyromancers harnessed their power to turn the ice into steam. The sudden shift from bitter cold to blazing heat was both unexpected and painful. Blood-curdling screams echoed across the caverns as the spiders were boilt alive. Meanwhile, Diamond took advantage of the spiders' predicament by unleashing torrents of blue-white lightning. After all, the ice had melted and thus there was plenty of watery liquid on the ground and thus electrocution ensued. Some Xioquo warriors who'd surrendered earlier added their power to the onslaught.


"Angelii, advance. Enfilade fire for Gold Company. For Kaeshana!" When the signal was given, Askari retrieved her shield from her battle sister and raised her sarix, showing it was time to go on the assault. Enfilade fire meant flanking fire. Red Company was on the right end of the line and would bend forty-five degrees upward and lay down a base of fire to rain down hell upon the beasts, trapping them between themselves and the other Angelii company. Breaking into pairs, the Angelii advanced. As was common, one would play the range game, while her battle sister would protect her up close with sarix or sarzmigar. Finding themselves cornered, the surviving beasts panicked or went berserk.


A massive arachnid that had managed to burrow into the ground and was covered in burns, burst forth. The badly burnt creature was a grotesque sight, but managed to knock down a few Angelii. Vaena rolled to the side quickly to avoid being crushed beneath its weight, using telekinesis to pull a battle sister out of the beast's grasp. Her sarix, the hereditary weapon of her order for millennia, glowed with emerald fire as it cut through one of the beast's legs.


The beast cried out and she rolled again, slashing at the beast while she batted appendages aside or dodged them and rammed her shield into the beast's mouth to give it an electrically charged shock. The creature charged at her like an enraged ox and Askari was knocked down and crashed into rocks, but suddenly it slowed down when a boulder impacted on it and Kaida flooded its limbs with water, making them grow heavy and slow to respond. Using her chance while Kaida worked her magic, Askari dashed forward with an Eldarai battle cry, aiming to ram her blade into the beast's soft underbelly after summoning blazing light to blind it.


But though blinded the beast was not helpless yet and suddenly sprayed a web at her. She found herself trapped inside the sticky threads. The beast tried to grab her, but icy chains wrapped around its legs, encasing them and preventing movement. Ice spread across the beast's body, turning it into an arachnid-sized popsicle. Reacting quickly, Askari called forth a discarded javelin, amplifying the metal's temperature until it glowed red-hot and and sent it searing into the creature's head to slice into its brain. Finally, with it down she was able to break herself free and stand up. Kaida quickly linked up with her. A look passed between the two battle sisters, then they rejoined the fight.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"], [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

After being oppressed for so long, the slaves were breaking their chains and getting their revenge. Qadiri, Vashyada, Xioquo - for one glorious, bloody moment all were united in one common cause. Most of the overseers were butchered and lynched. The less cruel and more benign were put in chains. The Liberator watched from the cliffs. Her stance was rigid, her expression dispassionate. She watched, but saw no reason to intervene. The slavers were getting what they deserved. You reaped what you sowed


Her wrist-worn comm beeped and she picked it up, knowing it was Tempest calling her. "Good. I'm dispatching medics to help. You and Aba secure the caves. I've given you two walkers. Task Force Alpha reports that the slaver ships have been secured." Unfortunately, the slavers had managed to blow one up, taking their 'merchandise' with them. It sickened her to the core.


Activating her jet pack, Siobhan flew down the cliffs and landed in the pens, which by now were littered with corpses. "Karishzar! Karishzar!" Soon she was surrounded by slaves, who chanted the title the Xioquo had given her. It meant Destroyer in the drow language...but the slaves did not feel fear.


No, to them the Destroyer was a Liberator. Perhaps even an icon. Siobhan looked a bit surprised, but then smiled and removed her helmet to let them look upon her viciously scarred face. Her hair was tousled and vaguely sweaty from being enclosed for so long. One badly bruised Xioquo slave girl shyly stretched out her hand to touch her, as if she were some sort of deity. Many other slaves did the same. Soon dozens of hands were touching her.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She had moved out with Tempest and Task Force Omega to secure the pens. They had arrived, but Tempest had held the troops back from engaging. Abaigeal stood watching alongside Tempest, the scene before them sickening to the stomach. The sense of fear and anger, revenge for so many years of supplication to master cruel, she knew this emotion well enough, this want for revenge and justice served with any means possible. Abaigeal still holds deep in her heart the same wanting for the death of her mother, and her own torture.

Yet, the emotions welling up from Tempest surprised her, Abaigeal has no knowledge of her life and as they stood there, it was clear to her that Tempest must have experienced this life and more. Not very Jedi-like for Abaigeal to not step in and stop this crowd allowed to kill and take their justice, but then why would she?

Sometimes, revenge is the only answer.

Eventually, the lull in the killing came, Tempest issued her orders and so Abaigeal would help the injured slaves as best she could. "On it", she replied and turned to walk away and as she did so, call the combat medical units once more and issued the co-ordinates to the location. Her armour felt stiff this morning, or was it her body? most likely, but soon the aches would go with physical work to drive it away, Abaigeal reached the field on which the injured lay pleading for help. The medical units soon arrived and set up small groups to attended to the most urgent and lift them off the field.

Abaigeal found a small child, laying in the dirty with a blank face. She kneed down next to the girl who looked up into her eyes, with eyes that had a little hope in them, only to be shrouded in a film of tears, yet she could not move. "Lay still, little one. I will help you and get you out of here". There was fear too, the girl would not take her gaze away from the woman leaning over her, not sure of what this treatment was, it felt odd to her that someone wanted help and make her feel better, she did not know such a thing existed in the world ... kindness.

She began her healing, her hands placed only an inch above the girl and the force would work through her body, little by little but there are injuries Abaigeal will not be able to mend, but she could stablise her for a journey to the ships. Abaigeal smiled at the girl while she worked, sending a stream of calm aura to sooth her.

​

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Tempest"] | [member="Elincia Alanis"]​

 

[Elincia Alanis]

The heat of the battle continued to increase as the spiders got more vicious. She saw the Host Leader, doing a inspirational speech yet again, at the front as she joined the battle with her pyromancer team! As she joined the battle, the spiders got cornered and started to get slayed more and more, yet their numbers seemed like they were multiplying more and more. Just how many more that could be in a cage, really? But of course, between the big ones, there woud be many more little spiders, that's why they looked like they never ended.. And as the big ones continued to die, the smaller ones went more and more berserk as they started to suicide jump on the Angelii, aiming for the neck. Then Elincia heard ice lady's voice giving orders, while Elincia continued to give the spiders the ice treatment. Combine attacks, they sounded so cool! So, with her fellow cryomancer sisters she pushed on, filling everywhere with ice and aiming to slow down the spiders. Then the Host Leader's team took the scene and melted away all the ice, creating a steamy environment and with the sudden change of temperature it hurt the spiders even more, which would create a chance for them to counter.

So that they did, the Angelii went for the kill, their sarix and blasters are ready to unleash hell, the remaining spiders died one by one. Elincia used her Sciia to unleash her ice spears, as one of the big spiders suddenly jumped towards her and caught her by surprise from her behind. It hurt like hell as she struggled to free herself from its grasp. The others were as well very occupied with several spiders attacking so it was only her that could save herself right now. Her chest was aching very much, she was slowly losing her ability to breathe. "You... ugly.... son of a ...." She said, then closed her eyes and imagined the rain. She was about to do something crazy, but she did it once, and she could do that again, right? So, as she continued to imagine the rain, she felt the weather got worse and worse, after that little rain drops started to descend to the ground. Then she focused on the drops, slowly freezing them up. Then, after a minute or two as voices started to come from her bones, it started to rain sharp ice pieces. The last time she did this, she couldn't control it. So it happened again. Still, she sometimes forgot that she was pretty new with those powers.

Luckily, the random pieces hit the one that was holding her as well, with the speed they pierced it and after a couple of them hitting too, the grip loosened and she could save herself from the beast's grasp, she coughed as oxygen once more entered her body, also her chest hurt a lot from the pressure. And of course, there was one more thing. The ice rain. She shouted. "So... whoops...uhh... Ice LADY!?!" Ice lady was a cryomancer, she would know how to stop the rain, right? Yeah, that would probably hurt her sisters as they hurt the spiders as well. But the rain continued to kill some of the spiders too, so that was a big plus.


[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Tempest"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"], [member="Qual'Zyanya"]


Imagine the largest cavern imaginable, with a river flowing right through it. Mighty cliffs surrounded the corrupted river. The rich and powerful had built their villas in the cliffs, for they lived upon the peak of society and desired to look down on the plebs. Like gods and not being whose very being was permeated by fear.


Shanties were dotted across the middle of space. Here the poor and the wretched lived and eked out a pathetic existence, always living in fear of being claimed as slaves, for as said as their lot was, it was still better than being a slave. Light wooden bridges were built across the water. In the middle of it all, one could find stone buildings here and there, namely gallows and storage areas.


For thousands of years Tlalixque had remained unmolested. The only threat to the Xioquo capital had come from within. Much blood had been spilt in endless power plays between the matriarchs or in putting down slave revolts. But never had foreign soldiers crossed those bridges as conquerors and planted their standards upon the cliffs. No, they had only walked across these streets as prisoners exposed to the jeering of a frenzied crowd before being enslaved or ritually sacrificed.


The conquering armies had not yet reached the city, but they were close. The thunder of artillery was distant, but getting closer by the minute. Panic was spreading throughout the city. It was time for a certain former Inquisitor to make her getaway. The Taal villa had been cleared out. It was only a matter of time before the drows discovered something was amiss. Alas, the path to the tunnel she wanted to use was blocked.


"We cannot sneak around them. Even if we were quiet, my people see well in the dark," the janissary who'd switched sides and seemed to have an authority position among the defected guards and slaves surmised, for they'd hidden behind some rocks. She made some hand signals to her battle sisters, then readied her knife. "I am very quiet."


However, Sumiko immediately took ahold of the blade and put it away. "Spare that for later. Too much risk of making noise. I shall handle this."


The Xioquo looked sceptical. "I doubt you can slay them quietly all on your own, Sky Woman." That seemed to be one of the words for foreigner here. The other was demon, especially used for Force-users.


"No," Sumiko conceded. "I don't intend to." She smiled enigmatically as she pulled at the tangled web of power that was the Force. Her mind was focused on envisaging the features of the Taal matriarch, just before the fight that had claimed her life. She imagined her smooth black skin, her long, milky-white hair that cascaded about her shoulders and framed her face like a crown, and her piercing, golden orbs.


The haughty stare was quite easy to imitate because Sumiko had a superiority complex, too. That done, she imagined the woman's attire. She would be wearing armour for a situation like this. One of the Xioquo with her gasped and instinctively raised her gun, for as far as she was concerned they were facing the spitting image of their tormentor instead of the strange outsider. It was not shapeshifting, just a manipulation of the perception of others.


The janissary commander gripped the gun and pulled it down. "Outsider magicks. You are cunning. They'd expect an honour guard." Some drows looked unnerved, but fell in line. It was probably a better option than risking a larger fight. There was a superior smirk on Sumiko's face, though it was soon replaced by a look of stony superiority when she got up and approached the patrol.


She could only maintain the illusion for a short while and it was already taxing her. A couple dead bodies lay strewn across the ground. All of the dead were Xioquo. They had been shot in the back of the head or hewn down with blades. Upon seeing the newcomers approach, the officer in command straightened and saluted the woman she believed to be her mistress.


"Lady Mistress Taal'Burinna! It is good to see you. We had heard there was fighting at your villa. Allow me to express my condolences for the fate of your sister. The heretical Quals will be exterminated down to the last child," the officer declared. Such a good drone.


That was new information for Sumiko, but her mask did not slip. "May they all be consumed by the Queen. My sister was a great woman and died for the cause. The situation is under control. A few slaves got mutinous. I cut out their tongues and fed them to the warg. I have new orders for you. You must go to the Pearl Gate. The Invaders move closer. I am gathering my forces."


The officer looked a bit sceptical and somewhat torn. "I would never think of disobeying an Exalted One, but we received our orders from a commissar of Mistress Vul'Ivlin." That was the head of the Xioquo's secret police, the Watchers.


An expression of anger crossed 'Taal'Burinna's features. "And you will know that I stand above her in the hierarchy, for I am a Scion of Taal. Will you dare disobey a direct order from one of the Queen's chosen?!" she snapped harshly.


Abruptly the officer would begin to feel a massive pressure building up inside her chest, as if an invisible force was compressing her lungs. This was not the work of Sumiko, for her energies were focused on the illusion, but that of the jannissary. "Disobedience is death," she snarled.


The officer struggled to breathe and dropped down to one knee. "O-of cc-ourse not...Mistress. I am...loyal," she stammered. Sumiko let the pressure build up for a few moments more, then released her telekinetic grip.


"Good, slave. Remember that cowards and traitors are everywhere. Only faith in Her can save us. Now be gone," she made a dismissive gesture with her hand. The intimidated group of soldiers quickly dispersed, letting the faux drow matriarch and her escort pass. Once they had vanished inside the tunnel the illusion dissipated and Sumiko staggered, feeling exhausted.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

Tempest

Tempest watched as the emancipated slaves crowded around her saviour.
“Well, that’s it, we’ll never get her head shrunk again,” she said to herself with a grin.

When the show was over, the slaves were taken aside to have their collars removed. Food was brought up swiftly, and the former captives were housed as comfortably as possible in their old homes. It was necessary until the campaign was over.

But here at least, the battle was over. Scouts were sent forward to warn of any trouble, but there was literally no resistance at the moment on this front.

Aeda

The spiders were, at the last, overmastered. Those not slain were driven off into the darkness. Possibly one of them would become Shelob sized eventually! A terrible prospect!

Here in the beast pens some more slaves, soon to be meals, were found and freed. The beastmasters had already been taken out driving forward the monsters.

“Siobhan, this is Aeda, the beast pens are secure. We sensed a powerful disturbance of the Sciia before. Do you know what caused it?” she commed over to her friend.

Sahal

Word eventually came, albeit by runner, that the barracks an parade grounds had been taken by the Qadiri. It had been a difficult fight, but once they’d broken the gates the Xioquo had been massacred to an elf by the vengeful Qadiri.

XXX

It was time to plan the next and final stage; the advance on the Xioquo city. Already the drones had been sent ahead and found almost no defences.
Tegaea knew though that just a few Xioquo fighting from the buildings and forcing a methodical campaign could be highly damaging and severe in collateral damage.

The plan would be to identify enemy forces using the droids then use small groups to move in quickly and neutralise the enemy and shepherd the civilians out of the fight.

XXX

Meanwhile the Xioquo leaders and warriors, those who had survived, were finding that perhaps there were downsides to having their God-Queen reborn.

Vul’Quan, one of the most senior leaders left because she was not a Force user, was finding this first hand. Though she had always been committed to the attack, she was finding it hard going.
“Yes, your Majesty, but the invaders have flying machines they use which can spy on us. They are machines with metal minds which can take pictures and send them through the air back to their leaders.”
“A droid,” Mystra said calmly. “My children, you have fallen far from the technology I knew. Tell me you have stronger and more potent weapons than mere blades and projectiles.”
“We have used all our warriors, all our weapons, and they have not stopped. I have received word that the slave mines and beast pens have fallen. There is nothing stopping them from reaching the city.”
“We must try and evacuate some of the population away from the attack and form a last stand there,” Gae’Vaux, a rising star now so many leaders had fallen, said.
“No. Leave them there. These invaders hesitate to slay the pitiful. They will stay, and I will go forth and destroy them.”
“But…your Majesty…should we not seek to evacuate the people away from the battlefield? When you smite them many of ours may fall too,” Gae’Vaux said slowly.
The blazing eyes of Mystra settled on the Lady, unblinking. “Their deaths will sustain me. Send in all of your warriors. I will sweep the invaders back alone. Those of my children who live will have proven themselves worthy. I will guide you to enlightenment and domination…when the weak have been purged.”
And with that the Goddess began to move, hovering over the ground and into the air as she neared the city.
The Ladies shared a look. Even Vul’Quan had standards…though most likely because it was her retinue, property and assets which might be ruined!

XXX

The hunt had finished. The Xioquo had other concerns, and so now Qual’Zyanya was alone and forsaken. She had fled far, now ending in a smaller tunnel off from the city.
Her formerly elegant robes were in tatters, she was not unscathed from the battle, and her heart was black with fury. They would pay for what they had done.

And so, cautiously, she crept out and headed for an old passage which would lead her into an area far away from the fighting, where she could recover some hidden assets and make good her escape….

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Elincia Alanis"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


It's raining ice spears! Ice spears everywhere! Internally Kaida suppressed a sigh. She liked her Angelii less...undisciplined. Using her powers she redirected the hailstorm of icicles so that it did not hit her battle sisters and then dissolved the ice into water. "You will address me as Seraph," she said frostily.


The Angelii made their way into the pens. The spiders had been driven off and the overseers killed. The only things that remained were chained up slaves who'd been left behind as meals for the creatures. Many of them looked sickly and emaciated. Kaida used her lightsabre to cut their chains. Many were made of a strange metal resistant, but not impervious to, the energy blades.


"Tell Eileithya to get the healers over here. Give them food and water," she ordered a soldier. Contrary to popular belief, Kaida did care about other people, though she seldom showed it on the job when feelings got in the way. Some slaves were so weak they had to be carried out by soldiers.


She watched the procession of misery when the Angelii led slaves out. Some of the freed hugged their liberators. Others could not believe their good fortune and thought they were hallucinating or that they were being taken out to be eaten by beasts. "Poor souls. What barbarians these Xioquo are," Askari said, having accompanied Kaida. "You feel it as well, don't you? A disturbance in the Sciia. A demon has arisen."


We'd be just as barbaric if your cousin sat on the throne, Kaida thought cynically. The day Tarissa ever got even in reach of the crown was the day she put a bullet in the woman's head. "I felt it. Prepare the Company to move into the city if the Grand Seraph commands it," she said flatly. Demons, right. If only you knew the truth.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]


The battle was over, the slave pens had been liberated. Abaigeal and the medics were tending to slaves in need of medical care. For the time being, the slaves would have to be housed in their old quarters, though without being abused like in the past.


Since having a bunch of corpses lying around was rather unhygienic, the bodies of the overseers were carried out and dumped in mass graves. Personally, Siobhan felt like feeding them to her pet Yazgid.


The Countess had enjoyed her brief moment of exaltation, now it was back to business. She fished out a flask filed with water and took a deep gulp. Putting it away, she walked towards her adoptive daughter. Siobhan was a bit relieved that Aba was dealing with all the bloodshed so well. Then again, perhaps she should not since Aba had known a life outside of the confines of the Jedi Order.


Her wrist-worn comm beeped and she activated it, seeing that the caller was Aeda. "I believe it's Mystra - their god-queen. Tylania said they'd awaken in their darkest hour, though I doubt she's a caring goddess. I will battle her." To the death!

 

[Elincia Alanis]

"I don't think that would work well... Seraph is not that cold, ice lady suits you better. Oh and a thank you would be great since I killed a lot of spiders with that move..." If only she could say it, but nope, none of these escaped the thinking zone. In the heat of the battle she didn't want to get her angry more than she was, that tone was ready to freeze people up already. So, she just shrugged and rolled her eyes, meaning 'Whatever.". Anyway, the ice lady got the spear rain under control before it would hurt more than it helped, even though Elincia thought it helped mostly since she was the one that did it. The battle, it seemed, has finished for now, as the remaining spiders died or ran away, and the snipers were dealt with. Another moment of silence hit them afterwards, as the Angelii saved the chained slaves that were meant to be spider food. Now, killing them would be more merciful than letting them live. Not only for the physical reasons but well, she would want to die after seeing those ugly creatures eat a piece from her. Elincia was all comedy but of course she had her dark thoughts.

Then the silence left its place to a disturbing whisper, and her chest ached. She felt something, but not knowing why, she just assumed that it was an effect of the adrenaline, also she still felt the pain of the pressure that the ugly spider did to her, that would be the reason why her chest was aching. Because she only saw her powers as "powers", and Sciia couldn't be a living thing that would warn them about stuff, right? Anyway, they had a little moment to prepare before they would push on, so that's what she did. "From a calm, relaxing and not life threatening farm life to this.... You are going places, Elincia. Karking stupid." She said sarcastically as she continued to control her equipment, everything seemed fine. Making the ice lady angry with each sentence she said was included in going places part as well, not sarcastically! She laughed at her own thoughts. It was her method of "cooling down". Whoops, she did it again, didn't she? The girl's mind was full of puns and jokes, so that was normal for her.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Tempest"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Perhaps it was the will of the Force. Or chance, casuality. Either way, Qual'Zyanya would not be alone for long. It was her good fortune that she would not run afoul of the fanatical loyalists of the Queen, for they were preparing for the last stand. No, she would run into a certain dark witch accompanied by a few rebellious janissaries. Sumiko sensed the darkness emanating from the drow's black heart before she laid eyes upon her. The woman's aura was a miasma of the dark side. A desire for vengeance enveloped her like a dark cloak.


"The passageway is close...stop! She's one of the matriarchs!" one of the janissaries hissed hatefully and immediately raised her rifle, pointing the barrel at the former noblewoman. Her trigger finger seemed to be itching. The shackles forced upon her by the mistresses had bred resentment.


"Qual'Zyanya. I know her. The Council declared her a traitor. How the mighty have fallen." This was Ilalaz'Merlara, the janissary who seemed to be acting as the leader of the group of rebellious slave-warriors. She had ended the life of the Taal mistress.


"Be silent before you awaken more loyalists. Stay your hand till I order otherwise." The human's voice was calm, she did not even raise her voice once, but there was commanding something about it that gave the drows pause. Perhaps they feared her sorcery. They were like predators on a leash, but could just as easily turn on you and bite the hand that tried to control them. An invisible hand lowered the gun pointing at Zyanya's throat.


Her black eyes scrutinised the woman, taking in her injuries and tattered, soiled robes. The drow looked broken, her aura leaked defiance, anger and guilt. This was an explosive combination, but she had untapped Force potential. Perhaps she could be of use. Is your ambition growing at last? I was wondering when we could finally move on to something more goal-orientated than tomb raiding and mercenary work. Naturally Souldrinker had to say its two cents. The sword kind of had a point.


Sumiko's tone was soft when she spoke, but with an undercurrent of menace."She is clearly not with the loyalists, or she wouldn't be on the run. Speak, girl. You are Qual'Zyanya, yes? I imagine you want to escape the cataclysm as well."