Greetings everyone. I have been writing quite a few short character bio stories lately and recently finished one for a "friend" that is leaving Stormhammer. I thought I would share it with you guys as well.
"Knights of Zek!" boomed an unnatural voice from outside the walls of Fatty's Inn, followed by several ground shaking thuds. The inn was a large structure used as a meeting hall by the band of adventures and had been quite rowdy up until the deafening roar. Now silence filled the air.
"Retribution has arrived!" the voice roared again. Dust fell from several of the rafters as the building shook, accented much more due to the silence. Suddenly the doors flew opened as Phaed strode steadily into the building, her dark-elven face two shades lighter than normal.
"Um..." she paused, scanning the room, her face showing the signs of her mind racing. "We might have a problem. It appears that Pha-."
Suddenly the entire roof of the building was gone, torn away in the blink of an eye. Sunlight flooded the room causing the patrons to squint even as weapons were unsheathed and spells prepared. Within seconds, a large shadow crept over a large portion of what remained of Fatty's Inn. Looming high above was the unmistakable silhouette of a dragon...the largest any of The Knights had ever seen.
The creature was enormous, even by dragon standards. Lean muscle writhed beneath it's glimmering black scales as it basked in the sunlight. Streams of smoke drifted from it's giant maw, adding to it's level of intimidation. An unusual and unmistakable purple hue streaked around it's skull and down it's snout.
"Phara Dar!" gasped Wudedorm, sending what could only be described as a wave of awe through the adventurers.
Phara Dar, dragon queen of Norrath grinned at the sound of her spoken name in human tongue and the effect it caused. Long ago she had lead her clan in The Great War against their Iksarian enemies, a war that had ended in a stalemate. Retreating into the monstrous caverns of Skyfire Mountains, the Ring of Scale lay dormant, amassing their armies over the passing centuries for the day when they would emerge to reclaim Norrath as their own. During that time, few of the dragons had ventured out under unique circumstances. This was certainly one of them.
In unison, the Knights of Zek launched into motion. Rangers notched arrows while the arcanists took their positions amongst the forming ranks. Fighters rushed to the front lines as rogues slipped silently into the shadows. Phara Dar had to admit she found the groups organization impressive, considering the prey. Much improved from their previous meeting.
"Wait!" came a womans voice, not spoken aloud, but in the minds of every Zek. Without question, the guild complied.
"Look closer friends. She is not alone." Zatalia continued psionically in an even tone. The guild leader stood at the the back of the hall, her emaculate purple robes accenting her dark-elven skin. Long white hair flowed over her shoulders, even as the dust and wind roared through the roofless building. She studied the situation intently, her face remaining emotionless.
As a whole, the group gasped aloud as another dragon appeared behind Phara Dar, joined by another...then another, until finally eighteen of the beasts surrounded the building and it's inhabitants.
"The Ring of Scale has arrived," said Azzah soflty. The seasoned gnome always seemed to have a way of understating the obvious. Such was the way with gnomes.
"Only a portion dear wizard," stated the dragon queen, speaking in a much lower tone than before. Her gaze drifted across the crowd, finally settling on Zatalia. "You...elf. Your scent is familiar to me. You are the one that escaped, no?"
"Yes." Zatalia responded defiantly. She stood, eyes locked with the dragon. Inside, every one of her senses screamed. Many years previous, Zatalia had spent a tenday enslaved by Phara Dar in the caverns of Veeshans Peak. Brief though the experience had been, there were no words in the many languages she knew that could describe the torture her captures had inflicted. She would have sooner died that day than to have lived through it. Luckily the Knights had joined with another guild to come to her rescue, subduing Phara Dar in the process, but not killing her.
What a pity...thought Zatalia.
"You were but a fledgling when I had you little one," the queen said with a fanged smile. "and now you are the leader of this....group." She accented the last word with a measure of disgust.
"This group put you down once lizard," interjected Roenick, stepping toward the dragon queen, fist raised. "What makes you think we won-"
With unbelievable speed and precision a sky blue claw stabbed forward from behind the crowd, it's talon striking through Roenick in mid-sentence. Blood erupted and the woodelf gasped for air, as the blue dragons claw withdrew from it's victim as fast as it had entered.
"Meet Druushk," said Phara Dar in a condescending tone. "When the call came to pay you a visit, he was in favor of simply killing the lot of you," Druushk let loose a low growl of agreement as she spoke. "I would not tempt him again."
"Ranger down!" came a call from the group. Even as the dragon queen spoke, the healers of Zek moved into action, surrounding their fallen comrade and tending to his wounds.
Zatalia fixed Phara Dar with a gaze and said, "State your business or be on with killing us, leader of the scale."
Phara Dar had little doubt from the womans tone that she was serious. This group would die for any of the others. An interesting concept and not entirely unpleasant, she thought, but The Rings motives were something entirely different today.
"Very well my pet," the dragon queen smiled again sending a chill down Zatalia's spine. "We are here to stop your guilds current advances."
"Quite simply, we are here for your soul." Phara Dar pointed directly at the enchantress. "The fact that a small measure of revenge is involved is just an ironic bonus."
The effect on her guild was expected, each taking a defensive stance in response to suggested harm to their leader. Fear began to well inside Zatalia.
"It will be ours," continued Phara Dar. "The question is whether or not we will be collecting one soul today...or fifty." Her clawed hand gestured over the crowd below.
It was everything Zatalia could do to control herself. The nightmare unfolding in front of her was almost too much. Taking control of her emotions, she chided herself for not looking at the grand picture. No matter what terrible plans Phara Dar had in store for her, the thought of even one of her friends losing their life to save her was more than she could bare.
She had reluctantly take the position of leader. Even now, the formality of the position seemed silly to her. She thought of each of them as a dear friend. She had watched them all grow together, from a disorganized band of adventurers barely able to drop a giant to the near unstoppable force they were today, felling gods on their own planes. She was proud of her guild. More importantly, she was proud of her friends.
She would truly miss them....
"I am yours." Zatalia said mentally to the dragon, then turned her attention to the Zeks in front of her.
"Friends...dear friends," she paused gathering her thoughts. "This is not a battle we can win today. I fear this fight is larger than any of us can imagine. We must fight it on our terms." Tears began to trickle down her face as she scanned the group, looking each member in their eyes.
"Know that being part of this family has been the most rewarding thing I have experienced in my many years. You have all blessed me with your friendship. Please know that I choose this path before me only because it is what has to be done. I will not miss the position of leader, but rather the laughter of kindred spirits in adventure. It has truly been MY honor to have served you."
"I am ready," she said softly, raising her chin to accept whatever fate the dragon queen had in store for her.
Phara Dar produced a small emerald in her black claw. Speaking in an unknown tongue, the unmistakable energy of magic filled the air. The Knights of Zek watched helplessly as their leaders skin began to harden. Slowly, dark-elven skin gave way to stone as Zatalia's very essence left her body and entered the now pulsing emerald until nothing but a stone image remained at the back of the great hall where she had stood moments earlier.
With that, the dragons each took to the skies above, one by one until only Phara Dar and Druushk remained. Phara Dar turned to address the gathering.
"Knights of Zek, stop your advances into places you have no business. This is the only warning you will receive. Next time, your demise will come before you realize it is upon you." Then they were gone, leaving The Knights to weep amongst themselves.
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Irritated, Fennin Ro peered into his looking glass, his senses calling him to investigate a mild disturbance in the lands of Norrath. What could it possibly be down there? He thought to himself as he scanned the world itself. With the recent insurgence of the lesser races to The Planes, nothing in Norrath had been of primary importance any more.
Everything seemed in place as he scanned the world below for several moments. Suddenly he came upon the cause of his alarm. As he scanned the realms of Skyfire Mountains, the looking glass revealed the dead and dying corpses of it's inhabitants. Not a few of them....but ALL of them. Everywhere he scryed were fallen statues and corpses of drakes, wyverns, and wurms. Even the great dragon Zordakalicus Ragefire lie dead, slain in a most brutal manner.
Quickly he guided his scan across the lava filled landscape, following the carnage until his gaze came upon the great halls leading to Veeshans Peak. It was then that his essence felt something strange. A feeling that had become foreign to him in the past centuries. So foreign in fact that he could not decipher whether it was anticipation or fear.
For in front of the gates of Veeshans Peak stood the army of the Knights of Zek. Hundreds of warriors, mages, and thieves marching together. Each with a look of defiance. Each with a purpose. Yet each acting together as one.
Fennin Ro, smiled inwardly. He decided it was indeed fear.
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But probably no one will read this anyway!
