The Face of Evil: MarTek

The night was peaceful, merchants were trading, the temple guards were offering yawns of boredom. One hearthguard was even helping a little old lady make it home safely from a visit to the temple of Althea. All that stops as a loud crack can be heard in the center of the temple square. Then a reverberating thud as rocks erupt leaving a massive hole in the ground. At the same time as the rumble half the city falls under a misty green haze. Civilians are wounded, but nobody dead thankfully. The guards are waking up and scrambling to get people to saftey. A red mist starts to make its way out of the hole and then the area is still and silent. A sense of dread fills that silence and then a howl echos throughout the square. Those who hear it fall to their knee's and cry in both sadness and dread. Panic breaks loose as screams of demons go out, and a cry for every able bodied adventure to come and prepare. Somehow demons have invaded Alexandria.

Svarshan tries to rub the grit from his eyes. He'd been out in the city with Durrankar and Sandy. They'd been headed towards the temple square, and he might have, might have had thoughts of harassing an old friend about exorcisms and...

"...I take that back," he says, slowly. "That wass not funny at all."

Kravar flies in from the direction of the great river just beyond the bridge. Screams and cries of demons - it's been a while for Kravar, but no true Alexandrian adventurer hesitates when such sounds in the city streets. Kravar's expression darkens when he realizes the disturbance is coming from the square itself.

       "Everyone gather 'round, quickly!", Elisabeth says to those who've come together to defend Alexandria. Once those who come are there, she begins uttering prayer after prayer, calling upon Daeus for aid in many different ways throughout the coming battle.

"...I know you, old friends." Svarshan draws a symbol of blessing in the air in front of them. Then, twice. A glimmering dragon settles on Durrankar, and Sandy's brows. That done, he takes a shuddering breath. "Doess anyone ssee anything?" he asks. And then Elisabeth calls out, and he makes a sound in the back of his throat. Oh good.

Demons. 

Sandy /had/ been enjoying a peaceful night on her lonesome -- Myrana has been shopping away all her money again -- when madness suddenly started in ALexandria. 

Again. 

She pinches the bridge of her nose, grabs her sword from its case, and wanders outside with it over her shoulder. 

A lot of curse words follow.

       As Elisabeth starts casting spells, Durrankar tamps his staff on the ground......giving everyone more mental fortitude.....

Fazahd is not, by any measure, down for nonsense of any kind. He is here to lay waste, and he has marched from the tower where the demon's son was rescued to come and slaughter the father. He has spent months debasing himself, listening to its horrible stories, geased by angels to research all means to save its monstrous soul. And here we are, all come down to this.

Fazahd marches through the streets, Mourner's black blade in one hand, radiating holy fury, and the complicated bulk of his dissolver cannon in the other. Either he or the hell-lord, one of them will be sent to another plane. So be it, forged in the Father's furnace till the unmaking of the world. The Enginebreaker comes to the field.

Rhar feel rumble, but is not Gurr belly. Rhar know difference: Gurr belly knock more keg from shelf and not spread green mist beyond room. Something wrong. Wrong need fix. So Rhar ready, Gurr ready, march out with sticks and shiny fur to fix!

       As she forms up the paltry two-man shield wall next to Fazahd, Elisabeth calls out her god's name. The face of her shield, the emblem of Daeus, glows brightly for a moment, the flaring of light seeming to flow off her shield and onto Fazahd's as well.

The first creature out of the pit is Mar'Tek himself. Flying his way out and landing on the edge of the pit, the red smoke coming from him. He has a wide grin on his face as he glances around. "Really? Oh I might walk away from this." Holding up his hand as sparks fly and four glowing red rocks form. Two of them are tossed at Svarshan, and another at fazhd where they explode. The last one is thrown at a group of guards who were coming to help and throwing them back and out of the fight. A glance above him and Mar'tek notices kravar, and with a flick of his wrist throws a fireball at him as well.

Something else crawls its way out of the pit, large claw marks scrapping the stones showing it is there. A dark uttering in abysal is heard and then suddenly a wall of stone forms around Svarshan and Sandy blocking them off without any way out other then going through the wall or over it.

Kravar widens his eyes as the demon emerges. Some mortals might be seized with fear at the sight, but Kravar has faced his share of demons, dragons, golems, and all manner of monstrosities...he knows how to channel the fear into a fighting sharpness. He spins mostly away from the fireball, and then straightens himself to drop down on the giant demon from above, swatting one blow away then slamming his shield down onto the top of the enemy's head.

Rhar, or rather Gurr, growls as he lopes up to stand shoulder to shoulder with pack. Rhar growl, too, then yell "PACK! GO! PACK ATTACK! GO THROAT! GO BELLY!" She points her pointy sharp stick at Mar'Tek and then Gurr takes off with a mighty lupine leap to land them both before the tiny little fiend.

Well, all it takes is a searing burst of flame to awaken righteous anger. I mean. You know. More of it. MORE of it. Flames, on the side of his face...breathing--heaving, heaving breaths...

Without a word, Fazahd activates machinery via a device on his gauntlet - and then, suddenly, Fazahd is...much larger than before. Damn near ten feet even. Cleaving time.

A pig faced demon with horns climbs out and trips as it takes a swing towards Elisabeth, but regains its composure very quickly and sneers at her.

Sandy takes a moment after being bludgeond by fiery hail.

"DAMMIT." 

And then her form. It's expanding. Expanding, growing, and turning itno a silver-scaled monstrosity all her own. 

The elf is now a frigging dragon. A FRIGGING DRAGON.

       Durrankar remains back from the fight.....and despite his allies being close to mar'tek...he wants the demon to stay where it is. Using his ability, and his staff.....vines reach out to grab onto Mar'tek, but the vines missed the demon...but they grab onto invisible devils that are coming out. But they also reach for Elisabeth and Rhar....

Out of the hole comes flying a creature that you would expect from the heavens. Angelic wings sprout of its back as it moves with perfect grace through the air. Then it takes off its hood, and you see a creature who's appearence is so horrific that it could curdle milk. It continues flying and swipes its scyth at Kravar in the air and continues up without effort. As Kravar swings back the blade goes through the angel and only partially hurts it. The angel lets out a growl, "I will be careful not to fly so close to you mortal, and truly make you pay for the what you have done to me!"

       When Rhar sounds the charge, Elisabeth answers the call, a wordless battlecry escaping her lips as she rushes forward alongside the wolf-riding lucht, coming right up to sword's reach of Mar'Tek himself! Along the way, with Gurr setting the example of 'jinking' as he lopes towards the demon, Elisabeth follows suit, sword raised!

       As Elisabeth gets into position, another demon crawls up out of the pit and she slaps its claws aside with her shield as she brings her sword to bear against Mar'tek himself; even as the smallish weeds and grasses growing between the cobblestones of the road are suddenly growing wild and wrapping about her legs, she slashes her blade three times at him... sadly, to very little, if any, effect at all!

Mar'Tek lets out a growl of frustration as he is entangled by the foilage, and struggles for a moment looking to break out. All that change as Svarshan comes in and smites him, a yell of rage as he turns around and claws and bites at Svarshan. The bite cutting down into the Sith-Maker hard and allowing the pit fiends tail to wrap around Svarshan and grabbing him tightly. "Your mine now." a sneer crossing the pit fiends face. "Ar'Tek, finish the rest."

"...ssss..." goes the sith-makar, when Sandy suddenly charges ahead. "SSANDY!" he roars, and follows her out of the stone tunnel...to see a field of blood and horror. "Light," he says grimly, "Never sstands alone!" He launches himself from the wall, straight towards Mar'Tek. And then Mar'Tek gives him a hug.

Rhar swing stick at FaceWreck. "Pack fight as one!" Gurr snaps bit Gurr teeth at FaceWreck.

Ga'Elian rises from his hidey spot and lets fly a volley of arrows. Two go astray, but two strike home, dropping the pit fiend. The demon-hunting ranger fist pumps for a thrilled moment.

The pit fiend goes down, his breathing heavy and the body starts to disolved into a red mist, which starts to mix with the green mist forming an ugly black swiling energy and the pit fiend starts to reform right behind Fazahd! A feeling of raw power and a sense of abomination starts to permuate the air. The one thing everybody knows is that Mar'Tek cannot be allow to finish drawing in all the ambient green energy.

He could leap in, sword drawn. He's enormous, after all. For a long moment, Fazahd looks at the black sword in his hand, made equally enormous, and then...sheathes it. Draws off his helmet. He stares at the monstrosity that he almost called a friend - almost - and waved that black sword at in defense of it against /three/ different devas of heaven. Devas that made him study every day with a geas, which now he believe is because they knew the truth: that this was an impossible task, that he was a fool for trying it. That he he lost so much just trying to help. To /help/. And this...thing...this....bastard...

"No." He says it again. "No." Once more. "NO." His voice carried with engorged vocal cords, all the more so as he begins to bellow syllables not uttered for thousands of years, by a long-dead people in an ancient tomb. A ritual to send off the dead, to purify their souls. Mar'Tek has no soul to purify - but all that energy around him, corrupted power that he now attempts to draw into his body, needs a serious scrubbing.

And so he utters the words. Denies the beast its due...and picks up his sword once more. Ozone and glittering green smoke pours from the exhausts of his armor, and he seems to expand a little more. The force of righteous fury that exudes from him, mingling from the force of his spell, ripples forth like a stone dropped on the water.

"NO. I DENY YOU. AND NOW, MAR'TEK, YOU DIE."

The energies that were Mar'Tek forming into an abomination of something lets out a piercing scream of pain. Then Mar'Tek reforms fully as a pit fiend, grasping at his wounds as he falls to the ground his body starting to fade from this realm. He offers a faint smile, "Well done mortal..." pushing up and staggering towards Fazahd, "Let me... tell you one truth." gasping for breath as he falls in front of Fazahd, "THere is a part of me... that wishes it was real. That redemption for my kind was possible." a new look passing the fiends face, one of earnest hope. Then it passes and the evil within him surges forward as he swips up his claw attempting to take out Fazahds face, only to have the claw fade from view. Mar'Tek offering some last words, "Maybe we will meet again..." and is gone.

TASTE THE RAINBOW.

Sandy is a dragon. Dragon's don't exactly have great manual dexterity but they can still cast magic. Sandy opens her mouth and SPITS RAINBOWs of violent and indigo colors primarily up into the general area where the invisible creature must've gone. It's at best a guess, but she's never going to live down spitting rainbow.

The chort is visible shaken, seeing their great plan suddenly ruined by some unknown magics they could not have predicted. It lets out a oink and then slashes at Elisabeth, missing her because of Rhar's intervention.

Rhar shield is quick to swing up in the way! "No." And again! "Hurt." She growls. "Pack!"

       When Mar'tek goes down, Durrankar's attantion goes towards the hole in the ground. hearing new sounds, he puts a wall of stone thick enough to keep the devil down where they belong.

The shadow angel in the sky looks at Mar'Tek fade away. Then to the rest of the heros, "you... you will all die! Feel my sorrow!" Then lets out a howl, a primal howl of dread, and sadness. Sadness the cuts deep into the soul and can bring the most stalwart of adventurers to their knees.

       With Mar'tek down, Elisabeth struggles in the grasp of the overgrown weeds and grass to turn to face the pig-faced demon that swiped at her, previously, doing her best to bring shield and sword around to face that opponent; somehow, she manages to catch one set of claws on her shield to turn away, while her sword is not there in time to catch and turn away the other set... but Rhar's shield is there to keep her from harm, when her own sword was too slow.

TThen the flying 'angel' shrieks, her eyes turn up to the source of the sound and her sword and shield waver... and she seems to lose her resolve, leaning back away from the pig-faced demon as far as she can, the dread and sorrow carried on the Shadow Angel's voice rendering her helpless to continue to fight.

Kravar drops his sword and shield and puts his hands over his hears at the shriek. His wings stop moving and he tumbles to the ground to land in a heap with a clatter of metal.

"Not. Letting you live that down," Svarshan says of his old friend, when she starts tooting rainbows. He jogs past Durrankar before taking to the sky. The Dragonfather's light burns brilliantly, slicing into the shadow angel's ethereal form. "Get the otherss!"

Ga'Elian, invigorated by his results against Mar'Tek, Ga'Elian turns his bow toward the Shadow Angel and looses another volley. Five arrows strike true, one more keenly than the rest, and the demon is pin-cushioned out of Ea. Ga'Elian says, "That's RIGHT!"

With Mar'Tek gone, Fazahd's hand draws Mourner once again; the enormous black sword glitters in the dim light of evening as he turns upon the pig-faced monstrosity. He says nothing, simply striding forth and swinging the great blach cleaver, and does his best to make a doorway in its body through which to step. He is only partially successful, but first blood is drawn in a spurting river.

The chort clearly doesn't have its heart in the attack anymore, the creature is clearly shaken and knows a lost fight. Still it fights on swinging at the massive and large Fazahd trying to get some degree of revenge.

"Freedom for the servant of the Gods is a good thing, eh?" says Sandy as she waves her hand over Elisabeth's head.

She then stares into the sky and t hen turns towards FAzahd. Seems she's gearing up to help him out n4ext, confident that the DUMB LIZARD PALADIN (Svarshan) will be able to handle himself. 

For the moment.

       Elisabeth, caught by the ever-grasphing weeds and grasses that the poor temple acolytes are going to have such trouble cutting back, now that they've been magically caused to become a densly-overgrown mess in the temple square, can do nothing but lean back against them, struck helpless, paralyzed by the sorrow carries in the Shadow Angel's screech... then the Rainbow Dragon casts a spell and she shakes her head to gather her wits back to herself, and finds herself able to focus, once more, on the battle at hand. She lashes her sword out at the pig-faced thing, the first slash falling short. She leans forward into the next to slashes, and both connect, drawing blood with the first of the last two slashes... and cleaving off its head with the last, sending the hellspawn back to its plane of origin.

The devils are banished, at least the ones here. Fightning can be heard elsewhere in the city, and scratching be heard coming from the stone that Durrankar put up. The big ones were clearly here, and they are delt with, so the rest are smaller and many of the newer adventurers are cleaning up and saving lives. Laying on the ground next to where the pit was is a brilliant blue marble the size of a gnomish fist.

       The battle done, and magicks dispelled by their casters, Elisabeth is finally free and able to move about. She's breathing a bit heavily, but doesn't look too terribly 'winded'; her stamina's up to par with the action she just saw. "Seems they left something behind", she comments, pointing her sword at the blue gem-like sphere nearby... without touching the thing.

The work is done. Fazahd's mailed body shrinks once more, and his sword finds its scabbard only once he is certain there is nothing else. "Get the priests," Fazahd commands, still rippling with the inward flames of divine rage and judgement. "The Tear remains. We just see that it is purified and still viable."

       "Tear?", questions Elisabeth.

Ga'Elian comes out and walks over to the crack in the ground, checking it out. He then looks around at his comrades in the fight and says, "That was fun! I'll buy drinks at the Fernwood, if you'd like."

The flapping of wings can be heard, and three deva's descend down and land among the group in the temple square. They offer no words as they look among the devestation and damage. One of the moving over to offer some healing some injured guards. Another one glances up as another winged being flies down, a being with three pairs of white wings and wielding a holy flaming great sword. The Solar lands between two of the Deva's and glances around himself. Moving over he picks up the tear of the moon and looks over before starting to speak, "Mortals." his azure eyes looking up. "Well faught." closing his fist over the tear as he considers.

Ga'Elian is now utterly gobsmacked at the appearance of his goddess's angels. He bows in elven reverence.

       Durrankar stays back near Svarshan as the Angels fly down. "Peace on your nests." he says to them.

"Sshaman." Svarshan goes towards Durrankar. He is glad, damned glad to see his shaman there. He's also bloody, and bruised, and it's exactly how he likes things, warrior-caste that he is. He's dedicated his professional life to the hunting, and eradication of demons and devils on Ea. Which well, requires a few things. Pain endurance is one of them. Insanity may be another. So he's a little unfocused as he takes his place near the other sith-makar.

"Ssa." And then, there are DEVAS! He sways, and whether that's after-battle contentment, or a fanboy swoon, remains to be seen. "Peasse and honor to you, and the Moondragon!" Eluna fought off Taara single-handedly, after all. Tooth and nail. And Taara fucking cheats.

Fazahd knows those. This time he keeps the sword sheathed, and his helmet hung at his side as the winged avatar of heaven descends upon them. Indeed, he frowns - and, without ceremony, approaches the chief deva holding the pearl. He stops not far from thebeing, and then...sighs.

"I am sorry," he says to the towering being, his armor gleaming red and clean and free of blood in the light of its substance. "I was not able to redeem him. In the end...it was still there, the desire for redemption, but he did not believe strongly enough. I have failed you all."

       Elisabeth sheathes her sword, after at first reacting defensively at the appearance of more flying beings; she's clearly recognized them as being of the good ilk. She nods her heads in acknowledgement and thanks when the Solar speaks, but... says nothing. Anyone even halfway decent at reading body language can tell she's a bit in shock... demons... and now 'angels', too. What a day!

Kravar goes about collecting his shield and sword, which he puts away after one last suspicious look at the pit. He moves with exaggerated care, so as not to strain himself. "Redemption? Bah! These demons have brought nothing but chaos and suffering to the city." He tilts his head to one side, listening for sounds of fighting in the distance. "Too late for redemption!"

"We are honored Ga'Elian, your bow strikes true." the solar's eyes glancing around, and then to the Sith'Makers, "Peace upon your nests." the solar offers a smile to Elisabeth, "well faught champion of the Knight." then his eyes turn towards Fazahd, watching him with those piercing Azure eyes for a long moment. "Ours is not the place to tell mortals how to act, who to trust, and what to do, but only to offers our help when asked and give gudiance. My sisters saw your heart, and saw the truth of your intent." his eyes never blinking, "We to once long ago saught to bring hope and light back to those who were created from the fallen and evils of mortal souls. We never found away, and do not believe there to be one. Yet, perhaps someday with the inginuity of mortal preservence a way could be found where once we found none. Yet, that task must be tempered by truth and pain. Here you have learned both, the truth of what they really are. A lesson mortals often must learn again every generation. As well as the pain it is to be betrayed. Do not give up on your quest, but know the truths of what you seek to do. This is not a task worth giving up, but understand that while you may never succeed, do not let evil triump in the wake of your quest, but allow good to florish from the struggles you bring forth." Eyes looking around still never blinking, "A lesson for all of you. That is why we do not interfer, for this was all choices made by mortals, of which will not interfer without just cause."

Except there's blood, and death. The Hells had come to Alexandria, through this. "Sshaman, we have work to do. ...thiss is your realm," he says, taking in a shaking breath. Returning to sanity by force of will, a shaking set of claws, climbing up one after the other. He sheathes the blade. "Tell me what to do," to Durrankar.

Sandy does not like angels, dang it! Of course she wouldn't. They're all /pure/ and /light/. UGH.

The solar offers his flaming greatsword to Svarshan, "Go and slay a few for me, borrow this." there is a gleam in the solar's eyes, an unspoken bond between two that really really enjoy smiting evil.

"As you say." Fazahd bows to the towering deva, chastened by its wordd. "I shall serve light and order as the Father has reforged me. Thank you for your words." And with this does he turn and stride deeper into the city, for those lesser monsters that still require purging. He seems...oddly cold as he goes. Perhaps it is simply will. Durrankar thumps his tail. "Accept the sword. Know that you are a champion, Brightscale."

Svarshan stares at it with longing. Blessed Dragonfather. The sith-makar are territorial creatures, an instinct held in check by caste and law. The blade sings to it, unashamed. Its golden whispers sing of the Hunt, of driving Evil from Ea's shores. Of claiming the territory for what is good, and just.

Angels are Heaven's crack dealers. "Ssa," he says, voice tight. "I-I will hunt. Ssunguard," he says to Elisabeth and Ga'elian, as he takes the blade. "Will you go with me, or tend with the sshaman of my kind?" He's shaking, as he stands there.

The solar nods to Svarshan, "The blade will return to me within one hour." then looks back to Fazahd, "Indeed, find your way mortal. For now we shall take our leave, there is work to be done." Looking at the blue tear of Elune he has in his free hand thoughtfully, "Much work to be done." The solar turns to start taking his leave. Offering a nod to Kravar, "If you feel redemption is beyond them, then follow your heart. Each must walk their own path." and lastly a glance towards Sandy offering a warm smile, "Peace to you, lady dragon of the rainbow." did the solar just make a joke? All four of the winged creatures take to the air and fade from view returning to their home realm.

Kravar has an expression of mild distaste. His wings have changed back into a cape, which hangs weakly down his back. Instead of flying, Kravar stumbles a few steps through the remains of the vegetation and then lifts a horn to his lips. It blares weakly but after a moment a flying ship descends to the square. Kravar stumbles and shudders his on board, barely able to get himself up the ramp, and then it lifts off, carrying the Aesir off.