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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sepulchrave II" data-source="post: 4785519" data-attributes="member: 4303">EadricThe Goddess inhaled sharply; her head span in an ecstasy. Her communion became perfect, and her form blazed as the Viridity flowed through her. Nwm had invoked her again as the conduit for a spell of staggering power.Trees nearby erupted briefly into spontaneous sapience.  Teppu capered madly. "Excellent," he clapped his hands.Nehael's consciousness was immediately drawn to focus on Eadric and the thousand or so most stalwart knights in the Wyrish encampment; those whose tents were in proximity to those of the Ahma. Thence it extended to settle upon every griffon, every horse, every dog, every bird, every ant. Nehael shook her head. "It will not be enough. Nwm must try harder. I hope he knows this."**Eadric's head hummed, as though he had imbibed some heady green wine which evoked an urge to pure enjoyment. Around his core, a warmth which nourished and sustained him. The Eye of Palamabron revealed the Aethers thick with archons and devas; myriads dispatched by Enitharmon to intercept the Chthonic threat and prevent further bleed into the World of Men.Here and now, the twilight tasted fresh and new. Eadric's skin tingled. He mounted the griffon Hauhuts and took to the skies. Below him the camp stretched, many fires were burning: casting his eyes around, he noticed that three main fronts had opened, all to the east of the Interdiction, which – thankfully – still held. Northernmost, a cluster of gates through which Prahar's undead cavalry poured, swiftly and repeatedly dispersing and reforming in cadres. Their movements seemed in execution of a long-prepared plan, although maybe the phenomenon was spontaneous; formations rippled like schools of black fish beyond the protective walls of the spell. They were followed by blood fiends, abyssal ghouls, and other things which ate flesh. In the centre, Yeshe, Pazuzu, and the violet banners of the Ushabam held by their giant bodyguards; their leaders were burning dozens of candles of invocation, and balors were appearing in the skies above them. Others were conjuring lesser demons, as their ability permitted. Still more demons were simply manifesting.To the south, in an arc, the chthonic menace. Narake, evoked last of all, was easternmost.Irel had determined his reaction quickly: more than half of the Dark Choir – under the archon Hemah – remained in the fight with Yeshe and her minions, and were attempting to eliminate the spellcasters.  Shokad, Oraios and Irel himself – with a smaller number of former celestial stalwarts – moved to intercept the chthonics. Knights and Templars under the effects of the Benediction were already materializing within the ranks of the enemy, immolating with green fire and quickly routing the half-giants, whilst enduring a barrage of blasphemies from the Ushabam themselves. In response, demons were being invoked even more rapidly; the balors were being flung against them.From above, Eadric's vision rested on a heaving mass of nullity shaped like a demon, which emanated a destroying fire. All other creatures shunned it.Narake, Nwm confirmed.Bathed in green radiance, Eadric grunted and urged his steed to a dive; his plummet brushed aside a flight of chthonic succubi which strove to block his path, burning many from the sky. His task was simple: he should strive to slay as many as he could. He smote Narake a great blow as he wheeled past, only to have Hauhuts plucked in turn from the sky by a fiery tendril. Griffon and rider were flung to the ground; the earth shook as he struck it.Visuit thundered past, slaying Hauhuts with a single blow which continued on to Eadric, striking Lukarn and causing the blade to shiver powerfully along its length.A death spell spoken by Narake slid over him, dissipating harmlessly. In a trice, the demon – dwarfing the Ahma – leapt upon him, striking him with an object shaped like a mace and forged out of malice. In the vicinity of the chthonic, matter was beginning to smoke and evaporate.Eadric fended the blow easily with his shield, and the sledge carved a hole in the earth next to him. Four more strikes he turned or withstood; black fire engulfed him, but nothing adhered.By instinct, he moved his form subtly; or maybe the World shifted around him, reordering itself in response to some impulse of Uedii which he could not articulate. He followed invisible green tracheids, emerging instantly from the grass on the other side of the demon. He launched a powerful assault.Lukarn opened huge, gaping wounds; Light poured into naked Void. Narake vanished from sight; whether destroyed or fled, Eadric could not tell: and perhaps it made no difference. Before he could even draw breath, Visuit sped past again upon Narh and struck a great blow upon his shield, shearing the celestial metal from edge to edge, cleaving it cleanly in two. Her curved sword – if such it was – continued through the rerebrace on his shield-arm into sinew. Visions of carnage passed through his mind, and voices called to him from unnamed hells. He felt warm blood flow over his elbow and down to his wrist.Sixty yards past Eadric, Visuit leapt from her saddle and – with surprising elegance – twisted in the air like a cat, landing firmly to face him. She smiled. Life withered.Casting off the remains of Melimpor's Shield, the Ahma gripped his weapon in both hands and materialized immediately in front of the goddess, hewing at her ferociously with every ounce of strength he could muster, and burning her with green flames which issued from him in sheets. Lukarn fulminated, illuminating the battlefield as he smote her. She struck back, and with terrible speed. Raining blows down hard upon him, hammering him through helm and armor and forcing him backwards. He bled profusely. Thus they exchanged buffets. Visuit had quickly gained the upper hand.The Ahma prudently withdrew. He followed a strand of Green and appeared instantly before Nwm. "I need more," he said simply."There is no more. Try harder," Nwm scowled as he healed him."Nwm…""My resources are not infinite!" Nwm snapped. "And a new front is about to open. And there will be others. Timing is critical. Do not be distracted. Now keep them at bay."The Ahma nodded, understanding.Moments later, the lich Choach – together with a large number of Anantam magi – arrived a league to the west, collapsing Nwm's Interdiction.Demons began teleporting: probing unlocked areas closer to the centre of the camp. Every plant whispered; green ripples moved across the ground, as hundreds of Templars rapidly transported themselves back from the now-vanished periphery.Two hundred yards from Eadric and Nwm, Narake reappeared.Nwm vomited as the demon invoked a spell, enveloping everything within a mile in a maelstrom of black fire. Thousands died. Though many – adequately warded – survived, all plant matter was turned to ash.Nwm coughed, regaining his composure. It has to be Now.[Tahl]: We are ready.[Mesikammi]: As are we.[Lai]: And we.[Brey]: And we.A silent green nova. Eadric knew it: he had felt it before in Afqithan. This was of more modest scope, but subtler. A frequency attuned to a specific vibration, married to a wave of banishment. Every demon, every chthonic vanished. Pazuzu and Visuit, vanished. Each expunged; shunted away to its proper place. Yeshe cursed. Gating Visuit again would not be possible until the prescribed length of time had elapsed. The thirty-or-so balors who had been interposed between the dark celestials and the Ushabam had disappeared; Hemah and his brethren were already in their midst, sweeping their fiery swords in great arcs, and hewing them down.Ablaze with her own magic, she emptied her reservoir and struck the former episeme with a pillar of blackness, slaying him. Wearily, the Binder opened yet another gate, and another; she drew now on a rod of ancient potency to fuel her magic. She staggered. Exhausted, she vanished with a word of recall. Those amongst the Ushabam who were able, followed her lead.**The earth was black in the gathering night: Narake's carnage was ugly. Outside of the wasted area, the Temple forces were assembling.Eadric stared at the body of Hemah; he had expected it to vaporize, or at least to smoulder. The great archon seemed serene in extinction. The devil's expression might have been one of mild perplexity. They were one and the same.Irel alighted silently next to the Ahma.Whither? Eadric wondered."To a lake of fire," the fallen deva replied."Or to an Ocean?""If you decree it.""Let it be so."Eadric heard a soft hoof-fall approaching; he turned to observe the stallion Narh pacing gently toward him. Somewhat behind, a lone figure wearing a worn studded jack and spattered with ichor. Ortwine gave a hint of a smile as she approached, and tossed Sibud's head to the ground at the Ahma's feet."One for me," she said.Eadric gaped."In order to write lays of one's exploits, it is necessary to first perform them," she explained. [Nwm]: It must wait.A magical wind was rising: the slightest breeze, invoked by Prahar, but tenacious: it rendered all flight impossible. Those who remained aloft across the battlefield found themselves without purchase, and plummeted. Ortwine gazed north and east. Night had now fallen fully, but the sky – through Mesikammi's arts – was clear as crystal and the stars were bright. A tremor pulsed through the ground. Ancient carynxes were sounding brazenly, as evil godlings ordered their undead ranks."Prahar is preparing to charge with his death knights," the sidhe observed drily. "By lucky happenstance, the greatest horse ever sired is your eager steed."The Ahma muttered an earnest prayer of thanks to Uedii."You may also thank me. You may not criticize me for my gnomes again," Ortwine smiled coldly."Thank-you," Eadric nodded. "And agreed. What will you do?"Ortwine reached into her vest and withdrew a talisman which reeked utterly of evil. "I plan to sow discord – which appears to be my forte."*Unfortunately for Eadric, Visuit resolves her melee attacks as touch attacks. DR 50/- helped a lot. DevCrits didn't work for either of them as they were both fortified. At this point, they were pretty evenly matched. Don't let her charge was the informed consensus.</blockquote>

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