The Imbued

"Dearest Lloth hear my prayer,
I strive to serve thee. I have lived my life to thy teachings. Here I stand serving Raz Guz, our devotion to restoring the Mountain King failed. We now serve men of Draconia. But I know I am meant for a higher purpose. Direct me to that purpose."

An angel to Lloth heard this prayer. An angel tasked with defending the faithful of Lloth from the harm of rival deities. An angel that had failed when Serusha attacked the faithful in Jong Gou. Now Serusha was on the earth again -- Fallen. She could not strike Serusha directly -- it would fall to the faithful.

The angel manifested herself in vision to the praying drow. "Your divine calling has come. The heretic and blasphemy of a fallen angel approaches you. She has plagued our mistress and her faithful people. Go and destroy her." The image of Serusha as a mortal elf and long red hair filled the drows mind.

"How am I to fight a fallen angel?"

"Do not dare doubt your faith. I will grant you the power to do this. Your faith has made you powerful."

The drow felt power wash over her like being dipped in a cold pool. She shivered. Opening her eyes she beheld a suit of armor and cross bow. With these you will be powerful. The voice rung in her head. She stood quickly and dressed in her new gifts.

She left her small tent and gave orders to Bryz her lead orc, "We leave now to find Serusha hiding in the forest." He replied, "My mistress General Raz Guz is still forming the ranks we have just arrived. He plans on burning the forest before dispatching any troops."

"I will not be delayed, I am Sybal the Imbued and I will execute Lady Lloth's fury upon her."

Division, "it won't be long now"

"This seems wrong don't it" Utho said in a hushed tone to Ur. Ur just shrugged as scartched his bearded face. Ur didn't know much about right or wrong. He knew the clan chiefs were working together and they had marched west to fight in the greatest battles of history. Or that is what they said. In the end, he knew you did what the clan chief said or you and the clan died.

"Listen Ur. Those aren't men that united the clan chiefs. This isn't right."

Ur shrugged and wiped the sweat from his brow. "there are lots of things that aren't men that live to the west. Heard the shaman and bard stories since we were kids. I remember Nial talking of dragons and demons and the like to the western desert."

"But why are we fighting their fight?"

"I don't know. These people for far away came to invade their land and they asked for the chiefs help? I don't know. Its not my concern. They ask me to kill so I kill."

"I don't worry about the battles. It brings us honor. But the greatest sin that leads us. They say he answers to a half god creature that is the reason the desert is hear. That he destroyed the sea and took away the water. That he kills even his own men for pleasure. I think the clan chiefs have been tricked. I don't think any of us are going to survive this."

"To die in battle is honor." He spat onto the dry ground the water from his spit nearly vanishing before it hit the ground.

"I don't think we'll die in battle. This greatest sin will murder us when we are no longer useful. I have a woman and two sons in the hunting lands. I know you have a son and two daughters. If this greatest sin destroys our warriors our women will be easy prey for him and his horde of monsters."

"What are you saying?" He said with the slightest hint of interest.

"There is a large group of us that are leaving tonight. We are just going to go home. I want you to come with us Ur."

"I'll come friend this heart of darkness makes my stomache turn."

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Zui Sui, the Greatest sin, carrier of the forbidden, knelt before the great Chosen Ishmael. "The ranks are breaking many of the barbarians are fleeing. With no enemy in sight they are sneaking off to avoid their mandate to serve me. I will destroy them for their cowardace."

Zui Sui cautously observed the other messenger. He was finely dressed and human. A genevan from the look of him and his dress. Ussually, Ishmael should never be interupted but he thought this warranted the interuption. Ishmael's voice was calm with no surprise in it, "Let them go. They served their purpose." Ishmael was holding the bound volume in his hands. The same volume Zui Sui carried in his flesh from the arena of Dragon to the Heart of Darkness, and the same one Ishmael ripped from his body. He did not know what it was exactly but that it was powerful. And since that day Ishmael was always holding it. "With the weapons Persephone gave you, this smaller force should still hold off Raquel. And if not I can kill them all myself now that I have this." He lifted the volume. "It is only Galan that concerns me and he will be here soon. Do not waste resources keeping the barbarians. Keep the patrols looking for Galan. It is critical that he arrives, and equally critical I be prepared for it."

Ishmael dismissed Zui Sui. He was a good servant and had the potential to be one of the Forsaken someday. Someday soon maybe, as their would be vacancies soon. But, that was not Ishmael's concern. He turned to the messenger, "My apologies for the interuption. Continue."

The man spoke in an equally even tone. "The Antilife equation works by replacing the will of one with the will of another. It essentially convinces the will their is no point in its struggles and has it surrender to the last variable in the equation. It is mediated by Hope. The more the subject will has hope the more their faith can drive them to action. We are very close to unravelling how to remove hope in a predictable systematic way. But your targets in the underworld should have no such problems. Shades are by their nature devoid of hope."

"You and your master have done well. And will be rewarded. Soon the great lord Abbadon will be released and a new world built for just us faithful. Your master's timeline is acceptable but I urge him to caution. Do not move too fast, it must be perfect."

"Yes my Lord." He said and with a nod he vanished.

Ishmael breathed a sigh, It won't be long now. It will all be over.

Cut off.

The distinguished and honorable lord Beckett executive to command of the 501st legion, commander of rear crusade operations, presents the following report to the light of the seven kingdoms, the defender of the faith, the glorified daughter of the goddess, the empress of the mightiest nation- the crystal empire, may she live forever.
May my words please her.
It is with shame I report most of our fleet and forces lost.  Despite my accurate assement and prediction of defeat that caused me to reccomend a full withdraw the commanders chose to press forward the crusade and are responsible for the loss of great amounts of the empress's may she live forever resources.

Lord Raquel Al-Shatel returned from the front defeated with haggerred men.  His appeals convinced Lord Shisimaru Landstarr to depopulate our rear camp of all but magic users and charge back into the unwinnable contest.  Their leaving required we redirect our firepower and effort from the former stalemate we had established.  This allowed us to provide a path for the charging army to get past the golems and into the dead magic zone.  It also caused us to take heavy losses on all sides.  Eventually we fought back our ground and restablished the stalemate but only with extreme effort. 

Two days after this our camp was hit with waves of attacks of unmatched magnitude.  Golems of all different makes including those capable of flight and ranged energy attacks swarmed us.  Down manpower and already sustaining heavy damage we were quickly overran and consumed.  I held the post as ordered until the last possible moment and then evacuated all I could. 

Even with my timely evacuation the loss to us, the world, and generations to come can not be overstated.  The best and greatest of all the world in terms of equipment, magic items, and genius of mages had answered the Keeper's call manning that post.  With many of them down not only is the cost in incalculatable gold but the genius lost means we can not simply rebuild them.  It may set us back two or three generations of magic research.  With out mages to maintain the current extravagent use of magic in our societies they may degrade.  The long term impacts could mean a fundamental change to our society. 

This is compounded by the fact that only the nations that serve the light with full conviction had sent their resources.  Nations such as Dragon maintained their strength and may now outpace our great Empire in accomplishments.

I lay the blame and responsibility for this tradgedy squarely and entirely on the shoulders of Lord Captain Commander Shisimmaru Landstar, and Vanquisher of Shadow Raquel Al-Shatel.  Their lack of wisdom and inability to head council lead them to give impossible orders at great cost.  I would reccomend fully stripping them of all position and title though I believe their death will be assured shortly as they now march on the Heart of Darkness in vain.

As a closing note, the forces of the forsaken presented a wide variety of resources and power of those resources in their final attack.  Creatures and power we had not encounterred before.  I must either deduce that they only recently gains such force, or if they had it from the begining we were only able to maintain that position for as long as they wanted us to.  If that is true, it means Ishmael let us have that camp there because it served a purpose to him -- and that it no longer serves his purpose.  IT can only mean that he wanted Raquel to lead the group of men he did on ward at this moment in the conflict and he only now wants them cut off and alone.  I can not believe this is a good thing for their chances.

I am as always your faithful servant and solider, my loyalty with the Empress, may she live forever.

Captain Commander Becket of the 501st.