[center] [h1][b][u]The Battle of Ketrefa[/u][/b][/h1] [b]Part One[/b] [/center] [hr] Upon his arrival at Ketrefa, Carn had wasted no time. He threw his camp up quickly, and sent a messenger to the city gates, demanding a parley with whoever was in charge. To his surprise, it had been accepted. And now, the time had come. The Lord-Captain of Ketrefa and the Warleader of Cadien would finally meet face to face. [hr] The gates swung open, and Brundt stepped out with his retinue - Grandmaster Varsilis, Lord Milos Karras, loyal Gelos, and half a dozen guards. Lord Carnelian, the man that Ketrefans had spent so many months fearing and despising, was already approaching from his own camp, with an escort of his own. As they neared each other, Brundt was immediately struck by the enemy’s white leader and purple eyes. He had not seen such a thing since… “My name is Carn,” the man introduced himself rather bluntly, and in that moment recognition struck. As Brundt stood in stunned silence, Carn narrowed his eyes and continued speaking. “Ketrefa’s reign of tyranny and bloodshed has gone on for far too long. I give you a choice. Surrender. Open your gates, lay down your weapons, and free your slaves. Do so, and your people will be spared. Resist, and every man, woman, or child who owns a slave will be put to the spear.” “Carn…” Brundt said slowly, not quite believing it. “Yes, that is my name,” Carn rolled his eyes in a vaguely familiar fashion. “Do you not have ears? Surrender or death - what will it be?” “My name is Brundt.” At first, Carn stared at Brundt as if the Lord-Captain had gone insane. But then, as he looked into Brundt’s eyes, recognition finally struck, and now it was his turn to be thrown off-balance. “No…” he whispered. “No.” “It has been a long time, brother,” Brundt said. It was all he could say; he could not hug Ketrefa’s greatest enemy in front of his men. Nor could they see their Lord-Captain break down into tears. For the longest time he had believed his family was dead. “I… I didn’t know you were…” “I thought you were a slave!” Carn snapped, suddenly angry. “But now you’re [i]one of them?[/i]” “I did not choose to be here,” Brundt protested. “It was Cadien’s will.” “Cadien?” Carn asked in disbelief. Then realization dawned, and his anger only seemed to increase. “Damn him!” he cursed, his companions wincing as he uttered the words. “Hold your tongue,” Grandmaster Varsilis interrupted, stepping forward. “You will not speak of our Creator in such a manner.” “It was Cadien who sent me here, you fool,” Carn spat. But Varsilis only glared at him. “Cadien chose Ketrefa. He chose Brundt. I heard his voice with my own ears. Whatever being you claim to have heard, that was not Cadien. Some malicious god masquerading as him, maybe, attempting to lure you to your doom. To fight your own brother. But it is not too late to change course. Stand down.” Carn returned the glare with a venomous look in his eye. “I’ve been betrayed by the gods, so you would have me betray my own men?” “Tell them to stand down too.” Carn snorted derisively. “They won’t accept that. Nothing will get them to accept that,” he looked down at his cloak for a moment. One thing he had noticed was that the loyalty it projected only seemed to go up to a certain point. “They have been promised freedom and vengeance. And now, after they have come all this way, you would have me deny it?” “You’re outnumbered two to one,” a new man - Milos - cut in. “You will find neither freedom nor vengeance here. Only death.” “I have advantages that make up for my numbers,” Carn said, fixing his gaze on Brundt. “If I tell my men to stand down, they won’t listen. Nor should they. It is you who must yield to me. We need not fight. The people of this city - they can be spared. It is the leaders I have come for. The Lord-Captain.” “I am the Lord-Captain,” Brundt said, his voice surprisingly even. Carn blinked. “They made you their leader?” Brundt nodded grimly. “And I cannot yield. I cannot betray the people who put their trust in me.” “You would fight your own brother for this?” Carn seemed genuinely shocked. “For these slavers and tyrants?” “I could say the same to you,” Brundt countered. “Your own conduct has hardly been honourable. If I open these gates to you, how can I guarantee your own men will honour your promise of mercy? You said it yourself, they came for vengeance, and they won’t listen to you if you deny them it.” He shook his head. “The city is flawed, it’s true. Decadent, tyrannical. But I was chosen to fix that. And I will.” Then his expression softened. “Please, brother. Stand down. Try.” “I have a bad feeling about this,” Yarwick whispered, though Carn wasn’t sure if the man was referring to Brundt’s request, or the war itself. “It’s a trick,” Ingrid said. “You can’t trust a Ketrefan. How do you know if this man really is your brother?” “I know he is,” Carn said, looking into Brundt’s eyes. They were violet. As far as he knew, the children of Cadien were the only people in the Highlands who had such features. “Even if he is, he’s one of them now.” That… that was true. Brundt wore Ketrefan armour, stood under a Ketrefan banner, and had even adopted a trace of the Ketrefan nobility’s accent. But did that mean his brother was lost to him forever? He thought about it. Brundt was… eight, when Thyma was attacked. That was nearly thirteen years ago. Brundt had spent more time in Ketrefa than he had with Carn, and his time in Ketrefa was far more recent. Looking at Brundt now, Carn saw very little of the small boy he had remembered, and he suspected that Brundt found him equally unfamiliar. Once more, Carn looked his brother in the eye. “I refuse,” he said, and then turned away. [hr] Carn felt numb as he returned to the camp. “Find the other commanders, and meet me outside my tent,” he said to Yarwick and Ingrid, his voice empty. As they nodded and went off to go search, Carn scanned his surroundings, and set his sights on Aurielle. He began walking toward her. The sorceress stood cross armed. Watching the great city’s walls. Mages, druids and other magical folks were standing or sitting not too far from her. Preparing for the now inevitable attack. Esiré and several of the Cult had managed to learn enough magic so Auriëlle could force them under her command. Though the girl watched with solemn eyes as some of her brethren had been moved away to fight under different commanders. “Don’t die.” She told them all one last time before they had left. The rest of them were huddled around bowls of water. Ready to summon their demons should they be attacked up close. Others were carving some distinctly Ketrefian runes in wood. “The walls will be too thick.” One mage was pleading. “We don’t have the magical force. We must devise something different. Perhaps a ritual to draw out the stone bit by bit.” He was old and his voice was hoarse. “Or perhaps we should probe their magical defenses first. Doubtlessly they have carved runes on the other side of their wall to protect it. I implore you, commander. Let’s not be overly quick about these things.” Auriëlle hated the old man for being right. But she hated that wall more, that much was evident from her peering gaze. She hated what it represented: an obstacle she couldn’t break down. A monument towards her powerlessness. Not that she really was powerless. Still, it represented something she couldn’t do. At least not yet. And yet while the old man and several other mages had spoken truth, she didn’t really want to admit it. She wanted to step forth and try. After all she was Auriëlle. She razed Teperia. Had Bul-Gadin burned to the ground. She killed Olwar the Leon Rider. And now she wanted to sunder Ketrefa’s walls. “Aurielle,” Carn nodded to her as he approached. It was clear that a lot weighed on him - more so than usual. He looked to her companions, then back to her. “May I speak with you alone?” It wasn’t the words that pulled her from her own vainglorious thoughts. It was the way he said them. She turned to face him as a frown of worry appeared on her brow. Something was wrong. Not like the usual wrong. Something was gnawing at him. She quickly looked at the people around her and said: “Leave us.” Before turning back to face Carn. The rest of her retinue did as commanded, standing up and walking away. Leaving the two alone. “What is it?” She immediately asked. “It seems Cadien has a sense of humour…” he said, though there was no levity in his voice. He looked around to make sure nobody else was in earshot. Even then, it still took a few more moments to get the words out. “The Lord-Captain of Ketrefa is my brother.” The expression on her face shifted to disbelief, then anger and then no small measure of confusion. “This is cruel.” She whispered, making sure the others didn’t hear them. She cast them a quick side glance. Esiré and her people kept their eyes on the two of them. The others were still preparing their magic. Off in the distance most were preparing what they assumed would be their last meal. Rabbit stew. Venison. Boar. “You know you can’t stop this now, right?” It didn’t look like it, but momentum was too high. The raids, the counter attacks on their patrols, now sitting here within sight of the city. “They’re not going to stop even if you tell them to.” He nodded grimly. “I know,” he whispered. She then turned sideways to face the great walls again. Though she remained quiet for a long while. Trying to work through the news. “Will he die?” She asked him. He could give the command. ‘Spare any with white hair’. But that wasn’t what she was asking. What she was asking for was permission. “I don’t know,” Carn replied. “He won’t surrender.” Auriëlle’s eyes looked up at the clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day. Yet inside she was consumed with anger. “You can stop bloodshed today.” She whispered, perhaps just loud enough for Carn to hear but she wasn’t the one she intended to hear. “It probably takes you just one sentence, maybe just a word and hundreds of people will live.” Yet she didn’t plead the words. Instead they were filled with malice and resentment. Carn had no words for that. He looked at her blankly. “I’ve called for a meeting outside my tent. Come as quickly as you can.” And with those words he turned away. [hr] Once all the warband commanders were gathered in a circle, Carn addressed them. “I met with their leader,” Carn told them. “And he won’t surrender. Which means we’ll have to take this city the hard way. I want ditches dug around the camp, and barricades built. Double the sentries, too. It’ll be awfully embarrassing if they attack us before we attack them.” Despite the quip, his voice was still almost monotone. “We need to get through the wall.” His gaze shifted to Aurielle. “Do you have enough mages?” “The wall will break.” There was no doubt in her voice as she stood in the circle with her arms crossed again. Her eyes passed those of Carn to look at the others. Daring them to speak up against her. She had heard it a thousand times before. ‘Nobody has ever broken those walls’. Indeed, nobody has. She would be the first. “How long will that take?” “A few hours at most.” That was hubris. Even she had to admit it. But right now she couldn’t let Carn down. He nodded. “We start tomorrow, then. At dawn. As soon as the walls are down, we launch our assault. Any questions?” There were none. [hr] When dawn came, Carn roused himself. He donned his armour, a mix of bronze and iron, and brushed his hair into a presentable state. Just before he left the tent, however, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and he turned to Aurielle. “Hold out your hand,” he requested. Auriëlle didn’t really know why. She had been preparing herself for battle just as Carn. Dressed in robes and leather straps to keep herself maneuverable, she had been busy putting silver pins she had looted from one of the farmsteads in her hair. Holding it up as an intricate weave of strands and braids. Back home girls would put up their hair like this when they would marry. Right now she was marching for war. Still, when Carn asked her to hold out her hand, she did. Carn placed his hand over hers, and dropped something into her palm. When he pulled his hand away, she saw that she was now holding the ruby amulet he had given to her so long ago. Auriëlle pressed her lips together when she saw the red gem. A blush came over her. For a second she was at a loss of words, but then she remembered her own words. With a teasing hint of a grin on her lips she looked up at Carn. She knew what it meant. “Thank you.” She whispered, as she clutched it in her hand and gave him a deep kiss. After which she put the amulet on. It wasn’t nearly as grand-looking as the thorns and heart shaped periapt given to her not that long ago. But as she let it dangle from the piece of string around her neck, she realized she loved it vastly more. Again she looked up from her amulets to Carn, her gaze grew more playful now. “We shouldn’t let fate wait for us.” It was meant as a bad joke to spur on her love. Today Ketrefa would fall. That much was certain. But for the first time she realized that she could die here. The idea of her dying had never entered her mind since the last siege she and Carn were in. Yet now, it somehow felt like a very real possibility and yet that did not make her despair. No, it gave her new life. A second breath. “Let’s go!” With one final nod to her, Carn stepped outside. [hr] “We cannot do it!” The old man was joined by many others. Almost all of her mages in fact. Only the handful of her followers were still trying. Yet every rune or spell they hurled towards the massive wall bounced off. Harmlessly. Neutralized. Auriëlle had worked tirelessly for the last two hours to unwind some of the protective enchantments carved into the wall. To little effect. She lowered her arms, letting go of the next enchantment which she had barely cracked. “So is this it!?” She yelled over them. “We lost!? Because you cannot bring about the strength to rip through that wall!?” Why wouldn’t the stupid thing just break!? “We have done everything. Everything!” The old man yelled back. Exhaustion was carved into his face. Many of the sorcerers were actually out of breath, while most of the wizards looked tired. Each had rune after rune carved in front of them in the dirt. “We must starve them out.” It would’ve been a valid tactic if the besiegers wouldn’t be starving much, much sooner than Ketrefa would. Besides, Auriëlle had never backed down from taking something with force. “Fine!” She yelled back. Shooing everyone away. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Again she reached out with her hand. Forcing magic to do her bidding. And her bidding was to break the wall. Yet every assault she launched fluttered once it hit the stone. It was as if her power just blended into the wall itself. Again and again and again she launched her attack. Even as her breathing turned ragged she tried to tear through the wall. And she felt, for a split second, success. A tiny crack in the wall. Appearing after an hour of ceaseless demands of ruination. Yet as quickly as she had her fingertips into the invisible, magical barrier that protected the stone, she realized her own hubris. The stone beyond was massive . They weren’t bricks. It was as solid as a mountain. She couldn’t break that! The second she felt it, she knew that. Defeated, she released her hold and dropped to her knees. The barrier restored itself immediately as a trickle of blood ran from her nose. “I’m not.. strong enough.” She muttered, looking down at her own still shaking fingers. As she tried to admit her own defeat, the old man appeared from behind her again. Yet this time his rainbow colored eyes weren’t just tranquil. They were glowing. Slowly he approached her. “It’s okay my dear.” He whispered, but with the sound of a hundred voices. Auriëlle looked up. The hair on the back of her neck rose up instantly. Yet she didn’t dare to turn around. Her entire body locked up as she felt his footsteps come closer. And finally, he put his hand on her shoulder. In an instant, her half-formed demonic image exploded into her full shape. Great, majestic horns spilled from between her hair as the skin around her arms turned to scales instantly. A cloak of shadows poured from her shoulders as her eyes lit up red to all who could see it. Her entire body coursed with a power she had never felt before. It was primal, elemental, fundamental. In her chest her heart raged. The illusion of the periapt exploded again. Wings of flowing, iridescent light burst from her back. The scales from her arms fell off and turned to dust. None of them hit the ground. Her eyes turned from red to bright shining purple. Her cloak of flowing shadows vanished in the bright light that shone from her and was instead replaced by a dress of coruscating crystals. Finally the horns protruding from between her hair crumbled away as well. In it stead appeared a crown of seemingly woven white gold with shimmering pearls inlaid. Around her, the only wilted and pale grass instantly collapsed under its own weight. Small waves of reddish energy pulsed from where Auriëlle stood. Each pulse flattened and then blackened more of the green around the sorceress. As the transformation completed, Auriëlle was stripped of her fear. She only felt power. Pure, total power. It brought her pure joy, but then her attention turned towards the unyielding obstacle. Yet now, in her eyes, everything that fought her just a moment ago felt like withering candleflames. So easy to snuff out. While the stone itself felt like nothing but wet clay before her. Slowly she extended her arm, pointing her index and middle finger towards the stone. A thin beam of light shot from her fingers, seemingly harmlessly hitting the wall. Yet when it hit the wall it cracked the stone already. Violent blue winds erupted from the wall where the thin beam hit as the wall around it turned red hot. Then, from Auriëlle appeared a bead of light which flowered across the thin beam. A blinding flash. A terrible roar. Dust exploded from where the beam hit the wall. Burning rock was hurled through the air as a shockwave raged across the field. With a satisfied smile, Auriëlle lowered her arm again. The wings of color vanished together with the dress and crown. Her illusionary form reverted back to demonic looking as the dust slowly began to settle and everyone could see the miracle she had performed. Ketrefa’s wall was breached. Carn’s warriors, their attentions roused by the sudden display of magical prowess, stared in astonishment. It was Carn himself who snapped them out of it. “Form up!” he shouted. [hr] Brundt had slept very little, during the previous night. How could he? He was going to fight his brother. His brother, who he had thought was dead, but was in fact alive. His brother, who had refused to see reason, and was now [i]going[/i] to die - perhaps even by Brundt’s own hand. He wished it wouldn’t come to that. He had considered giving some sort of order, to spare Carn’s life. But he knew that such an order was unlikely to be obeyed, and would only make him look weak. So all he could hope that his brother would not lead from the front, and would flee when the tide of battle inevitably turned against him. Assuming Carn didn’t have some sort of trick up his sleeve… At least he could take some solace in the fact that the battle would not be for another few weeks, at least. There was little fear that Carn’s mages would break down the wall. Brundt’s mages outnumbered theirs, and actually had some form of standardized training. Whatever damage the enemy inflicted on the walls or gates, they would repair. Which meant Carn would have to take the city the natural way; with ladders and battering rams, which would take time to assemble. When morning came, Brundt had partially mobilized his forces. The enemy mages seemed to be concentrating their efforts on a single point, so it was a simple enough matter to send Ketrefa’s own mages there to magically reinforce it, along with some archers to stand atop the wall and deter their foes from getting too close. And lastly, some soldiers who would be ready to hold the line should the wall by some miracle fall, though Brundt knew that wasn’t going to happen. He had even toured the wall when the magical assault began, and saw with his own eyes how little progress the enemy was making. Satisfied, he had returned to his headquarters, where he began going through reports. Then there was a massive crash, the sound of thunder and shattering stone, on an unimaginable scale. In that moment, Brundt realized he had underestimated his foes. Stepping around his desk he crossed the room and flung the door open, already shouting for a messenger. The battle had begun. [hr] Carn’s men wasted no time, assembling in the formation they had agreed upon with an impressive speed. His most elite soldiers were at the front, the fodder behind them, and the archers at the very rear. The mages were on the flanks. “This is it!” He shouted. “All of our lives have led up to this moment! Everything we have marched for, trained for, and fought for has come to this! Today, we take our revenge. Every comrade slain and every family member stolen shall be avenged tenfold. Every chain shall be broken, and every slaver strangled by the shackles they would place upon us!” He drew his sword, the silvered blade shining in the morning sun. “Now, come with me! For freedom and glory! CHARGE!” And with those words, he turned and began running toward the city. His men wasted no time in following. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] The post opens up with a parley between Brundt and Carn. They recognize each other and both plead with each other to surrender. Brundt can’t betray the city he grew up in, while Carn doesn’t believe he can make his men stand down and he won’t betray them either. The negotiations go nowhere, with both men eventually realizing that it’s been over a decade since they last met, and at this point they’re basically strangers to each other. They realize they have to fight. Carn tells Aurielle about this and she seems sympathetic but clearly thinks he should fight anyway. Carn then calls a meeting and announces his intention to attack. The next morning Aurielle tries to use magic to destroy the wall but can’t. It’s too sturdy and the Ketrefan mages are using magic to either reinforce the stone or dispel the attempts to break it. Then Qael’Naath intervenes and empowers Aurielle so she can tear it down. After that, Carn orders the attack. [/hider] [hider=MP & DP] [b]Qael’Naath Start:[/b] 5MP/3DP -2 MP >> Give Auriëlle temporary divine power to destroy the walls of Ketrefa [b]Qael’Naath End:[/b] 3MP/3DP [/hider] [hider=Prestige] [u]Carn[/u] [b]Beginning:[/b] 50 +5 for 10k+ characters. [b]Ending:[/b] 55 [u]Brundt[/u] [b]Beginning:[/b] 21 +5 [b]Ending:[/b] 26 [b]Auriëlle start:[/b] 45 +5 Prestige >> Post Length 10K+ Characters [b]Auriëlle end:[/b] 50 [/hider]