Part 17: The Direst Of Portents

Chapter 10: The Direst Of Portents



This was a pressing time, so it required some pretty desperate measures. One such measure was summoning fire elementals. Volatile, angry, made from molten rock and plasma, these were horrible, aliens creatures. Not as alien as Dremer, since quite a few people lost relatives who got too near potential temple grounds or portals.

Also, the summoning ritual would infuse one’s robe with strong, hard to clean smell of smoke, and that was horrible.



And Emrah was discovering new truths and powers in her soul. Being a priestess of life, she was anemic to death. And as she grew in strength, so grew her immunity to it, to a point where death magic spells would bounce off her most tenderly.



Almost as sidenote in King Lich’s research, Holy Word was discovered. Written on a torn piece of paper from a lost holy book (likely of Dauros), it did one thing and one thing only: it hurt the undead.
That was a lesson the lich wouldn’t soon forget, as reading the Word made his teeth burst out and clatter away like pebbles. Half a day was lost looking for them in his study.



"Some say that these tree spirits have existed in Ardania long before the men. Others believe that demonwoods are the creation of Andrevus the Dark Mage. But the one point upon which all are agreed: demonwoods, no matter their history, harbor ferocious hatred towards all other creatures."

- From "The Overall Description of Everything" by Master Alfus Bumblegate

“Some people even think that Demonwood is created when an evil spirit comes to our world to possess a living creature, but is too weak to do so and possesses a tree. This is, of course, very, very, stupid”





"Recent converts often underestimate vampires, believing them to be something like intelligent predators. Allow me to warn you against this misconception: better by far to avoid vampires as if they were the bubonic plague. Vampires are not only merely intelligent, but highly-educated, shrewd, and more than capable of controlling their lust for blood. On top of this, vampires are often superior to necromancers in regard to the powers of darkness."

- From "Necarium Tomeus" by Necromaster Barbaross the Deceased.

“Avgustus, I have had vampire subjects before.”
“Really, m’lord?”
“Yes, they are quite good for a necromancer. Sentient, for one, a thing that’s quite rare, and they’re technically dead, so they’re also good on that front. On the other hand, they’re really dramatic, brooding, whiny, and they write the most horrible poetry!”
“How horrible, m’lord?”
“Well, I have started wars to keep them occupied and away from writing. At any rate, we’ll crush them and then I’ll find that little Krypta worshiping dweeb and choke the life out of him”.



“Oh”
“Oh no”
A bloody cloud in the shape of a multi headed dragon was hanging in the sky.
“I think it’s conclusive that he was not defeated by our ‘peers’. Melchior, search everything you kind. Find an explanation on what happens when Dremer defeat a great mage”.
“I… I will m’lord”



Almost like divine intervention, Dauros’ Total Protection scroll appeared in King Liche’s tower. It provided, well, total protection against any and all curses and harm. Unfortunately, Dauros was a kind of forceful diety and his protection would hit the protected somewhat hard, stunning them.



He did try to fly away, in the end. Well, levitate. Unfortunatelly, he was just a son of a cooper who painted his face and clothes with soot and ashes and accidentally learned some magic, felt a divine connection… King Lich, however, was a practiced mage who had already died a few times and that didn’t even bother him.

So naturally, the kid was swatted out of the sky and crashed on a grave.

And before he managed to get his bearings, a skeletal hand closed over his throat and lifted him up. He struggled, he really tried. But it was a lich, someone entirely out of his league. So his face blued, his eyes bulged out and, before long, he was dead.

King Lich threw his body away and motioned to the werewolves surrounding the cemetery.

And as they descended on the graves to clear out the unsanctioned dead, Lucius beckoned his girl to get into the damsel carrying sack.



And while life was extinguished in the far north, a new life begun in far a away desert surrounded by lands corrupted and blasted by the Dremers.
“Why is our city named Damnedpost?”

“Because it’s a post for the damned. Now go dig for gold”.







“Lucius” the Lich said one evening, when they were sitting in his study, Lucius sipping wine and Lich sipping nothing because he’s undead “Even with this new alliance, I don’t think we’re going to win.”

The werewolf swirled the wine around in his mug.

“Sol managed to capture a city”

“Yes, but they’re burning them even faster. Lucius, I don’t think Ardania can be saved, even by us”

That made the were visibly uncomfortable.

“So, no other plans? This is it?”



“Oh, I have at least one idea left. But let us try to destroy that blasted anchor first, shall we?



The plan was so very sorely needed. For while Damnedpost seemed to be relatively safe, there was no way to make inroads to the east. Corruption and Dremer were everywhere.
And soon, Ladis wasn’t.



Unfortunately, not all of Dauros’ spells were very useful. Dremer didn’t curse. They killed.



A line of goblins stretching back to the horizon were carrying barrels of mana.

“And he only asked some gold for it, m’lord?”



“He seems to be getting desperate lately. Cities burn all day and night. Three in one week. Desperation”



“Miralbus, stop. I never helped you against any other mage and I won’t help now. Not with the Dremer running around”



“If you won’t help, I’ll defeat him myself! I will get all the ingredients myself and save Ardania no matter what you do! Blargh!”



Ad the ogre was doing a little better. Pulled away from the Anchor patrol, he was tasked with taking out a new Dremer gate. Sure, getting blasted with Dremer magic and cut by their boney blades was unpleasant. But he was building immunity to it.

Just like drinking pure spirits or milk straight out of the cow. Sometimes at the same time. Adr was going to celebrate just like that after he crushed the Dremer gate.



“Miralbus, haven’t we already talked about this? Wasn’t our alliance already broken? I will not fight Sol”

“You’re a traitor and a coward! I’ll deal with you after I deal with the Dremer and the flat angles falling on me!”



“So, Miralbus is going crazy and Sol can’t even appreciate that I’m saving him. This war is going horrible”

“Quite…. Quite so, sire!”



Ardania itself was also under considerable strain of Dremer assault. All the corruption and devastation was taking its toll on the land, and the land could take no more. It burst and ruptured, spouting flaming rocks and lava, destroying buildings, cooking goblins and turning farms into ash. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, nor a pleasant experience.



Faced with such hardships and challenges, King Lich had to something more about it. He was at the edge of his capacity as a spell caster, but that wasn’t enough. He needed more and he needed spellabolic steroids…





"The Shy Ships of Arethi are more than mere war machines; they are a symbol of the magical superiority of the elves, and a manifestation of the High Truth."
- From the "Servants of truth" by High Keeper Teyaran the Rigorous

The first sky caraveil, Manifest Duck, rose from the Chamber of Flight, it’s black hull blotting out the sun, the fell emanations of its engine causing mutations in goblin populations that fell under its shadow.

“The engine seems to be made from impossible angles and colors out of space”

“Well, these days, we really have no choice, now do we?”



"No, no we don't"