Dark Age I
Once upon a time during the Second Dark Age...
It was a dark and stormy night, the capitol of Iumar was under siege.
Horrible war horns blared and screams echoed in response, knights scrambled to defend the city gates as elven wyverns swooped down from the skies and great sin-beasts reared their ugly heads over the walls.
Somewhere in the center of the city stood a great cathedral dedicated to the gods of humanity.
Tainted moonlight shone through the stained glass windows, casting a gloom onto many people huddled close together. Cries of fear were heard when the second alarm bell sounded, signaling that the invading forces had breached the walls; in response incense was lit and five robed men began a whispered prayer.
Lightning flashed and thunder shook the walls, a wyvern’s shriek echoed, a woman fainted.
Between the human civilians was an elven girl, her face obscured by her cloak, her hands wrapped in bandages to obscure the cursed burns all elves must bear. While not an infiltrator or spy of the demonic priesthood she made certain to keep quiet, an elf between humans in times like this would certainly attract unwanted attention and attention was something neither she nor her companion desired right now.
Outside the sounds of battle grew louder as the knights were forced deeper into the city, inside more and more people joined in the chant lead by the five priests. The shadows of horrible things appeared on the church’s windows as lightning struck again, none dared to speak it out loud, but all knew that the knights had failed and that Iumar was about to fall.
The elf clutched a silver amulet holding a sickly green emerald engraved with strange signs as demons surrounded the cathedral.
‘These your family?’ she whispered into the gemstone while a faint scratching was heard from the great wooden doors. The stone seemed to glow, perhaps a response, perhaps but a trick of the light, the elf nodded; ‘So that’s it? They’ve got us?’
All around the church an ominous chanting echoed, elven fire mages attempting to break the hallowed seal placed on the sacred building so that the demonic horde may enter. The prayers of the humans turned into a terrified rumor of cries and screams when the glow of a great fire hungrily struck at the stained glass.
The girl began to unwrap her bandages, ‘We’ll make a stand, at least go down fighting.’
Once again her amulet responded with a faint light.
‘C’mon we have more of a chance with these things than with-’
An ear-piercing ring accompanied a bright flash of silver light, windows shattered, the chanting dropped dead, nothing was heard scratching at the door.
‘Oh fuck me,it has found us.’
Something approached the cathedral as people whispered of divine intervention or a saving angel, the truth was far from it.
-⛤-
A shadow stepped over the still twitching body of an elven fire mage, extended its scaled hand and with a whisper of magic forced open the gate of the hallowed place before it. Blue reptilian eyes behind a silver dragon-like mask looked over a mass of huddled together humans, they were not its target. It produced a wavy dagger from within its robes when it spotted a young woman with short brown hair and badly hidden pointed ears.
The elf and the prince, those were its targets. The masked shadow hummed mystic tones as it prepared a silver flash, its right hand signing ancient gestures, its left hand steadying its dagger for hand-to-hand combat. Clearly frightened the elf blurted ‘Y-you can’t do that! There are innocents here!’.
The being titled its head, it too had a conscience and did not desire unnecessary death, it ceased its humming and instead decided to approach the elf at a steady pace. In reaction to this the girl sighed, ‘Still want to do this huh?’ she threw aside her bandages and removed her cowl drawing gasps from the crowd around her when her elvish burn scars were revealed. ‘Alright… time to come out…’ she mumbled. The scaled humanoid stopped in its tracks when the girl’s amulet began to glow with a sickly green light, it made a strange sign and whispered a short chant of protection while it patiently waited for what happened next.
The elf’s already green eyes began to glow an even brighter color as green haze surrounded her, people screamed and ran for the doors when her silhouette contorted into that of a tall horned man. As the miasma faded the gray-skinned man casually flicked a strand of long black hair behind his ears, his other hand reached into the air in front of him, manifesting an iron rapier with a golden guard resembling thorny vines.
A pointed tail lashed behind him as he spoke in a confident voice, ‘Let’s do this, eh?’
-⛤-
Wyverns circled the church where the two beings clashed, their elven riders watched with great interest, yet none dared to approach, for they all knew and feared that silver light.
So fixated were the riders that the humans who previously were the target of their fury remained undetected as they fled through the streets of the fallen city. Among the fleeing humans was perhaps the last living member of the city guard, clad in leather armor, his head protected by a steel helmet with a blue plume. He trembled and hid in an alleyway as a pack of large rat-like creatures ran past him, luckily for the guardsman they were hunting something or someone else. The unfortunate man, still trying to process what had happened in the church, failed to notice a pair of red eyes glaring at him out of the darkness.
Something growled and lunged at the guard, sharp claws reaching for his back...
The stuff to come.
I am trying something here.
Not sure what yet.
Don't worry it will all make sense soon.
I hope.
May the powers guide thy way to enlightenment,
~Sigil