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Spad of the Nights Watch
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Date Posted: 17:35:27 05/11/02 Sat
The Soul of Britannia: The Battle on the Bridge
By Spad of the Nights Watch
Elrond shivers in chains. He is bound to a rough hewn bench in a room high atop West Haven Bridge. Seth has seen to it that escape would be impossible and his guards would like nothing more than for him to try. Plod leans over him, the smell of this undead fiend nauseates Elrond. Plod says, “ Please try and escape, just try it young elf . Give me the reason and I’ll eat your arm” Seth said that I must keep you alive, he did not tell me I had to keep you in one piece,… just alive for his return!” Elrond stares into the bone helmed face, the eyes behind the mask vacant of any human feelings. He puts his hands to his face and silently weeps, thinking “Will I ever see the forests of my home again, why have the Gods allowed this to happen?”
Deep within the Kindred Keep, Seth Darkmoor addresses the Kindred. “ One of our own has betrayed our plans. The Nights Watch knows the location of Elrond’s imprisonment and what I have in store for him. Our allies The Flesh Eaters of Darkmoor have joined with us to see that those Black Bastards do not succeed in taking Elrond from us. My plans for the domination of Britannia depend on Elrond and what he knows. The very soul of Britannia is within our grasp!”
Outside the Keep a lone wolf howls, Seth hearing this instructs that the animal be brought to him. He bends low to the wolf, the animal cowers and whimpers. Seth takes the animal’s head and peers deeply into its eyes. He straightens and looks to the gathering, patting the wolf , says “Our scout here has told me the Nights Watch are on the move. They have been joined by the Virtuous Knights of the Realm and the Praetorian Guard. We must move quickly to the bridge, lest they find it with only Elrond’s guards as defense.”
A blue gate opens, illuminating the darkness of the keep, and the headless bodies of robed figures heaped in the corner. The Kindred and allies pass through and into the place of Elrond’s imprisonment.
He goes directly to Elrond and grabs his head, looking into his eyes as if searching for something. “Why have you taken me? I know nothing! Where is my Order? What have you done with them? Dalbin save me!” Elrond screams. Seth grins wickedly and replies, “Your Order? Yoouurr Order? It is no more and as for Dalbin he is dead or might as well be. You know more that you think Elf and I mean to have what you know. I would have had it already had I not have to contend with the Nights Watch!” Seth grabs Elrond by the hair pulling him up. Elrond grimaces in pain as he struggles to his feet. “Let me show you something,” Seth says, pushing Elrond out the door and onto the balcony. Elrond realizes in his horror that there are heads stuck on the metal railing of the balcony. Twelve to be exact, the same number as his Order! As if to sense Elrond’s thoughts, Seth says, “No,…. these are not your Order, but another that sought to instruct me and my kind. They paid for that insult. Let introduce you to one of them.” Seth spins a head around on its post. “Meet Zargresh, once leader of the Brotherhood of Darkness. He had something I needed and well…..I took it!” Seth ponders the head, it seems the nose is missing. “Plod?…Have you been snacking again?” Seth laughs.
Off in the distance, Elrond sees the prow of a Dragon Ship coming from the north. He desperately hopes that it is his salvation, as he now knows that if it is not, he will go the way of Zargresh. Seth sees this as well. “Ethien come here and take Elrond inside, our guests will be here soon. Bind him well!”
Hours earlier, Moraith stood before his throne and looked out into the room at the faces of those he is about to lead into battle. Olorin and Fizz stand at his side. The others of the Nights Watch are chatting with members of VKR and P^E, allies of the NW in this upcoming battle. He clears his throat. ”Ahhmm, Gentlemen!” The room quiets down as the gathered Warriors and Mages look to the front of the room. Olorin and Fizz take seats.
Moraith begins, “As many of you are now aware, Seth and the Kindred acting for the Brotherhood of Darkness have slaughtered the Order of Virtues, save two. One, Dalbin lies dying in quarters below, the other, an Elven prince, Elrond, was captured. Seth discovered that Dalbin had placed in Elrond’s mind the location of a device, The Soul of Britannia. This crystalline device has within it the ability to stabilize the Shrines of Virtues. The Order of Virtues, up this point had kept the power of the Shrines in balance. With their demise, Dalbin has told me that the Shrines will become unaligned if action is not taken. The Soul of Britannia is the only power that can accomplish this task. Elrond is the key to discovering the location of the Soul. Seth and the Brotherhood seek the Soul for their own means. The Soul is neutral aligned and can be equally used for evil as good. Should Seth find the Soul, he can align the forces of the Shrines toward a darker purpose and through them rule Britannia. This must not happen.!” Moraith pounds his fist on his throne.
A voice is raised from the back of the room, “Why not just have Dalbin tell us the location and we’ll go get the Soul before the Kindred and save all the fuss with having to rescue that Elf…..what’s his name..?” Moraith replies, “A good question Griffiths, first his name is Elrond, second when Dalbin transferred the knowledge to Elrond Dalbin did not retain the knowledge of the location. It is such that only one mind may hold that secret. Dalbin has the words needed to release that knowledge and that is why we must go, free him and bring him here. Lastly it is not our way to leave one such as Elrond captive by the likes of Seth. Even if there was no secret to gain, we would have to try.”
“Elrond is held captive atop the a bridge west of Haven, we will have to storm that structure to free Elrond. This will not be easy, but it must be done!” Moraith briefs the forces on the plan of battle and explains that they will have to go in by water as any attempt to “gate” in will alert the mages in the Kindred and any hope of surprise will be lost. He says further, “I will put ashore the scouts so that they may use stealth to discover exactly the location of Elrond in that structure and get that information back. You scouts must be careful and keep up wind, for the Kindred can smell a human even if they can not see one. If discovered you will not stand a chance.”
As the Dragon Ship carrying the Forces of Light clears the point, Moraith looks through a spy glass at the tower bridge. He can see the foul forces of the Kindred and its allies waiting. He had hoped for a shore fog to slip into and hide his approach. There usually is one this time of year. He thinks, “This does not bode well, without the fog we are already seen and have lost the element of surprise. Lets hope the scouts have better luck that we, here.”
He orders the ship put ashore, outside direct sight of the bridge. He senses a shimmer and Lunaris uncloaks near him. “M’Lord, Elrond is in the north corner of the tower room, he is bound in chains. He has been beaten about the head but looks to be conscious. The remainder of the scouts are hidden at the base of the bridge awaiting your arrival.”
“Well done Lunaris rejoin your party, we will arrive shortly.” Moraith replies. If as in a wink of the eye Lunaris simply disappears, leaving Moraith to marvel at the skill possessed by those he leads.
“Mount up, we ride for the Realm and its people! Let no one say that this day the Nights Watch and its Allies did not fight with honor! Some of us may not return. Others will be wounded. Let that fact not deter us from what needs to be done! Onward! FOR THE REALM!”. Moriath reigns his mount, it rises and spins in place, his arm and mace held high.
The reach the bridge to find Seth Darkmoor waiting mid span. Seth yells a taunt. “ I smelt you coming Moraith, old friend! What brings you here, as if I could not guess.”
The Kindred are all gathered on the tower balcony to watch the exchange. Elrond sits alone barely conscious. It is just as Moraith had hoped. The Kindred are distracted, so much is their pride. They could not help but watch as their leader attempts to get the better of a mere human. Moraith thinks. “If I can keep him distracted long enough, the scouts may be able to snatch Elrond from under their noses.”
He yells to Seth, “WE have come for your captive, you and your foul kind have no right to hold him. He is an innocent lad from another land. He was only here to study with an Order that you have destroyed. For what I do not understand.”
“Spare me, Moraith, you know damn well why we have Elrond and what secret he holds. Do you not think that we have spies as well. I knew you were coming before you yourself did. You think me a fool? You best think better. You and your kind, Huuumans! Bah! Always acting as if everything is your right! You will soon find out what is like to be ruled by the rightful owners of this land. Us!” Seth spits out his words with the arrogance of one who believes his own fantasy and is made insane by it. “If you want him, come and get him! But you’ll have to get through me to do it!” Seth pulls his weapon.
Moraith takes up his mace, others pull swords, knock arrows to strings. Mages check their reagents and spells. There is no going back. Suddenly a shout is heard form the tower. “Seth, the enemy is here with us!” The scouts have been discovered! Seth turns and rides up the bridge with the NW and allies in pursuit. The battle is joined.
At first things go well for the allies of light as the battle ranges across the bridge and up the stairs leading to the tower. The Kindred are forced to fight on two fronts. The scouts to the North and the NW and company from the south. The foul ocher of the undead mixes with the blood of man, staining the once pristine stones of the bridge and its tower. The cries of men and animals echo around them as the battle degenerates into one on one action. Magical energies fly through the air. Men and the Undead stagger as poison assails their systems. The scouts are beaten back. Bodies fall into the water and fluids make the footing difficult. The tide begins to turn against Moraith and his forces as one by one his Warriors fall or are so wounded they must retire. He gathers his remaining force to him. “ We have only enough for one more charge, Olorin and the mages must try and weaken the remaining Kindred so that we can snatch Elrond. Ronin you take Raven with the remaining members of the VKR and try for Elrond by the North route, we will attempt the southern stairs. Press hard and by the gods we will have him.”
The final assault begins and one by one the Kindred begin to fall. Moraith from the south and Ronin from the north. Moraith is first to enter the tower only to see Seth open a blue gate. He stands there holding Elrond. “ I should have done this earlier, it would have avoided the loss of so many of my kin. But it was a pleasure to have been a part of sending so many of your beloved guild members to hell. So…I guess it was worth it. Small matter, now watch as your future leaves with me. Say good bye to the nice Warrior, Elrond!”
With that Seth Darkmoor walks thorough the gate and pulls Elrond through. Moraith’s last image is of Elrond’s face toward him, mouthing the words…….”Help me” and he is gone. He stands there, the battle over and surveys the carnage around him. Ronin approaches Moraith.. He clasps him on the shoulder. “We fought a good fight. I doubt any could have done what we did against that scum. You did your best of that I’m sure.”
“Did I? Did we?” Moraith replies. “Look around Ronin, look, just look. So many lost, So many wounded and for what? Elrond is gone and to where I do not know. It took us two weeks to find him here. We do not have that kind of time now. Gather up the wounded and the dead. We have to get back to Castle Black.
Within the depths of Kindred Keep, Seth stands facing Elrond. The hoots of the undead sound around him as the demand their reward in flesh. Seth dismisses them with a wave of his hand. “Patience, my good friends. You will have your reward after I get what I need from his mind. When I am done, you may do as you wish with his shell. There will be nothing left of his mind.” Elrond stands and says defiantly, “I will be avenged, my father is a great Elven leader. If you mean to do me in, then get to it. I am weary of your words.” Seth replies, “I will not kill you Elrond, that is not to say that They will.” Seth gestures to the gathering group excited to witness what will come next. “I plan to do to you something worse than death. I plan to remove from you your very being and sift through it until I find the secret planted there.”
Elrond begins to quiver in fear, his chains rattling. All pretence at bravado gone at the prospect of what is to come. With that Seth takes Elrond’s head in his hands and locks his eyes on his. He begins to chant arcane words. In doing so Elrond’s eye widen and he gasps as all that is he flows into Seth’s mind. Images of his forest home, his parents, his travel to Britannia and his time with the Order all flow out of him. Images of Dalbin and the day of the attack on the Order. Memories, all of them flow into Seth. At last Seth sees the secret he seeks and it flows into him. Now he knows! He sees in Elrond an image like a map that is imprinted in the deepest part of his mind. It flows to Seth and is his. Elrond grows slack and falls to the floor. He has no more sense of self than a scarecrow in a field. Seth turns to his waiting throng. He is all yours, now. Do as you wish. With that Ethien draws his sword and swipes it across Elrond’s neck nearly severing the head of the elf. Elrond’s life flows onto the filthy tiles of the keep. The zombies run to the body and begin to feed.
Seth gestures Ethien over. “When they are finished, take whatever is left and leave it on Moraith’s doorstep. I must retire to my chambers and commit this image to parchment. Already it fades slightly. Dalbin was a clever one he saw to it that if anyone other than he was to gain the knowledge, it would fade quickly. Had I not absorbed some of Zargresh’s essence, It would be gone from my mind even now.” With that he leaves Ethien with the feeding zombies.
Moraith kneels beside his old friend Dalbin. He whisper, knowing that Dalbin can not really hear him. “ I have failed my friend. Elrond is out of our reach and I do not know where to find him. I fear that he may already be gone.”
Dalbin’s hand finds Moraith’s and grasps it. He opens his eyes and says weakly. “My time is at hand. I go to a new plane of existence, Elrond is waiting there for me, along with the rest of the Order. I can sense them around me. I do not know if we can influence future events from there, but if we can we will try and aid thee. You, Moraith and your allies attempted to free Elrond and for that we are in your debt. Seth may have the secret, but he does not have the Soul. There is still time for you to stop him. You see the Olde Ones considered that, someday, some would search for the Soul. They saw to it that it was buried deep in the earth. They cast spells of protection upon the spot. Any that seeks to disturb the soil under which the Soul is buried will be greeted by the Guardians of the Soul. Creatures of great strength, magic, and cunning. You must find out where that spot is. Let Seth and his kind greet the Guardians.” Dalbin smiles weakly and breathes his last. Moraith pulls the bedclothes over Dalbin’s face and leaves a darkness in his soul that he feels no light will ever illuminate.
Silvershade come to Moraith. “M’Lord, you better come see this.”
“ What now Silver, it’s been a long day and we have wounded to tend to and friends to bury.” Moraith replies.
“ I know that sire, verily I do, but you must come with me.” Insists Silver. Moraith complies and follows Silver to the doors of Castle Black. Spad and Turron have them thrown open. Torch light illuminates a misshapen lump thrown upon the steps. Spad turns to Moraith and says, “It is Elrond, or rather what is left of him! The fiends ate most of him.”
Gorge rises in Moraith’s throat as he peers down at what once was a prince of elves. “Bring him in and prepare him. We’ll place him with Dalbin and send them off together.”
Later that same night the members of the Nights Watch, VKR and P^E stand on the shore of the sea. The bodies of Dalbin and Elrond are in a small Dragon Ship and the sail is set. The rudder lashed to run the ship true east. With the rope cut, the ship quickly makes it’s way out into open waters. An archer on the shore lets loose one flaming arrow that lands in the ship igniting the funeral pyre. Cleansing flames quickly engulf the vessel as it heads off over the horizon. Moraith stands apart. His face like stone as he silently bid farewell to his old friend and one he never really knew. There is another fire burning, one that is in his heart. A flaming rage at Seth and his kind. He thinks, “I will avenge ye both, Dalbin and Elrond!”
He walks over to Silvershade and Spad. “When your Scouts are well enough to ride, take them out and capture some of Seth’s Clan. Bring them to me.” I want answers to what Seth knows. I want hostages. Seth may have won the first round, but that’s all he’ll win!”
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