The Tale: Part II

THE CHRONICLES OF
THE CURSE OF THE HIDDEN DEAD

(7 may 04)
Chapter 4 – The Undying Legion

“Grandpa? You never did tell me about those ruins,” inquired Timmy.

“Alright my boy,” Grandpa started, “The Vampire Counts were the first of the reformed kingdoms to discover the hidden magic of the Nehekharan Empire. They raided one of the ruins that happened to be swarming with Orc scouts…”

“Grandpa, what were the Orcs doing there?”

“Well, the usual Orc stuff I guess; cultivating mad cap mushrooms in the dank rooms of the tomb.”

“Ok, continue on Grandpa. I want to hear more.”

“As I was saying,” continued Grandpa, “The hordes of skeletons lead by a crafty necromancer fought the Orcs in the ruins. The Orcs were no match for the bony bastards as the necromancer kept on raising more of them from the slain Orcs around him. Once the Orcs were driven away, the necromancer began to explore the ruins and discovered a hidden tomb chamber. The door to the chamber was covered in Nehekharan hieroglyphs. He examined the hieroglyphs while his skeleton minions began to wander around looking for loot to plunder.”

“What did the hieroglyphs say?” interrupted Timmy.

“I was just getting to that,” Grandpa said, a bit annoyed. “Some of the hieroglyphs showed the King standing with a map of the island in one hand and gold in the other.”

“What does that mean Grandpa?”

“Well, some scholars believed that the King valued provinces and cities (now ruins) more then accumulating wealth and treasure. You see Timmy, the Nehekharans were very territorial. They had been expanding and defending their borders in the Old World since time began. They still defended their territories even in death.”

“Were there any other hieroglyphs on the door to the chamber Grandpa?”

“Yes there were. Another set of hieroglyphs depicted Nehekharans depositing gold pieces to the alter. It then showed a Liche Priest reciting an incantation, that opened a portal to allow the citizen and armies of the Nehekharan Empire to move from city to city.”

“How much money was deposited to use the portal?” inquired Timmy.

“Well it seemed that groups of citizens would pay around 800 gold pieces to enter the portal.”

“Was traveling through the portals dangerous?”

“Well, Nehekharan magic was very powerful and it never seemed to fail… of course you had to be a Liche Priest to control that level of magic. Good thing you asked that question. I was just about to tell you what happened when the Necromancer decided to open the portal himself,” replied Grandpa. “After more studying of the hieroglyphs, the necromancer discovered the incantation the priests used to open the portals. ‘Klatu, Veheramm, Nehermmm’ mumbled the necromancer as he dried to decipher the ancient incantation.”

“Did anything happen?” asked Timmy.

“No, the necromancer failed to pronounce the incantation correctly so nothing happened. He deposited more gold and tried to recite the incantation again, ‘Klatu, Verata, Nekherumanann’ The portal opened but randomly flashed exits to other ruins. The necromancer decided to try one more time as he had a good feeling that he was able to decipher the last part of the incantation. He deposited the gold and chanted, ‘Klatu, Verata, Nektu!’ The portal opened up and remained stable. The necromancer smiled as he sent messengers back to his lord with the news of his discovery.”

“What happens next Grandpa! I want to know!”

“Tomorrow Timmy, tomorrow…”

(22 may 04)
Chapter 5 – Archers in the Mists

The last foray into the ruins had been thwarted by Lizardmen who had apparently stumbled through the portal. The Salamanders had made short work of the Marauders in a lopsided battle. Lizards were quickly becoming the bane of Nurgle even though their lands lay well to the south.

Bolstered by the shimmer portal portending the Lizardmen's departure the Chaos General PlagueFly lead his contingent into the province. Mists swirled but no fog formed. PlagueFly prayed to Nurgle for the comfort of fog or night as he knew his troops were vulnerable to missle fire from afar....

Alas there was no fog and he spied in the distance Hgh Elves - They must have used the portal for a foray too - raiding pansies - all had bows that he could tell. Well no time for nicities onward into the fray.

As quickly as possible his men advanced - Furies took the lead routing a unit of fast cavalry only to be cut down by archers and a Repeater Bolt Thrower but when the archers were shooting at the Furies they were not firing on the foot troops who ran to the attack.

PlagueFly split off from his unit and charged a small contingent of Spearmen who fled while his Men charged another unit. Horsemen galloped towards the Archers on the hill and the hounds held back waiting to capture the ruins at the last.

Alas the Horsemen were cut down but the Foot troops fared better - The Bolt Thrower failed to wound PlagueFly alone as he now was chasing the spearmen across the field. The Dogs held firm under the first volley of arrows from the hill but could not take two rounds of death and fled. As the Marauders defeated and routed their enemy PlagueFly shouted to them - "Remember the Ruins - the Dogs have fled!" The men wanted to pursue and chop down the High Elf archers but their Leader held firm to disipline and got them to hold.

Winning the day The champion was prized with the loot from the ruins a shiny new Shield shimmering with enchantments. PlagueFly couldn't hold it as Nurgle had blessed him with his magnificant mutations.

It was not the final battle of the day for PlagueFly and his men. Mists arose - magical mists - The High Elves returned to raid - PlagueFly called for reinforcements and beat them back thanks to the Mists covering his men as they advanced across the field.

After the High Elves were vanquished more strangers came in the form of Men of the Empire - They sported Pistollers and even a Mortar. PlagueFly dashed about hacking and slashing taking two grevious wounds but beat off the attacks only to find that a Raid did get through to his base camp and poison laid low a good percentage of his Army.

He would find those responsible and make them pay....

(30 June 2004)
Chapter 6 - The Dwarves Invade

The cold winds blew ill from the Northern Mountains. They reeked of death and decay, sweetness to the Great Lord Nurgle. The Bloated god whispered to his minions, "Dwarves are marching, beware!" The townsmen of Novgorod hastily built a city where once a lowly village stood. Actually they built a Fort and a Temple to their lord Nurgle, where there was none. From the Temple the priests and shaman intoned their prayers and Nurgle answered. Out of the warp stepped an Exhalted Daemon of Nurgle to lead the townsmen in defense of the City.

Daemons have no names which they give to mere mortals, lest they be controlled by them. Nurgle had blessed the daemon Pussluver with gifts to lead mortals into battle and though they knew not his name they knew who sent him and rallied to him as to a king.

Calling for support from Armies in the field Pussluver moved out to catch the invading dwarves before they could prepare a siege of Novgorod. Aided by Knights, Warriors and Men alike and summoning the minor daemonic Furies the Dwarves were caught before their full strength could be brought to bear.

The Dwarven general had massed his troops and seemed to be waiting for more. He was sure he had mustered more artillery. "Where are the Flamecannon and a Gyrocopter?" he was heard to bellow across the fields. There was no reply from his men and Pussluver ordered his attack before more of the dwarves appeared.

The Dwarves set up in a hasty circle around their cannon and stone thrower and took aim at the Knights and Marauders. The cannon appeared to misfire but with a shimmer of runes the blast shot forth killing two Warriors. The stone thrower misjudged in their haste and the shot fell awry.

Knights galloped forward - Furies flew to the fore and Pussluver moved forward to stalk the dwarves. The Warriors knowing they could not stand continual cannon fire moved around the forest to support the Nurgle line's center.

"What are those winged creatures?" called the dwarf general.

"We know not", came the reply. "We will shoot the knights - they attack our flank", the stone thrower crew reported, and they let fly a mighty stone. It knocked three of the heavy knights from their horses. They would be seeing no more of this battle. A loud dwarven cry rang out. The cannoneers were also deadly hitting the flank of the Marauders but Nurgle aided them and only two were wounded.

Hissing daemonic messages Pussluver ordered the Furies to attack the stone thrower while he flew to the flank to spew his Stream of Corruption on the Warriors there. The dwarves fought bravely but were outnumbered by more than 2 to 1 and fled. The Stream of Corruption killed two but the thought of a daemon on their flank was more than the dwarves could bear and they fled in terror. It turned out to not be such a poor outcome as it created an avenue for the cannon to target the daemon Pussluver to his chagrin.

"Shoot him!" the dwarves cried. The cannoneers targeted the daemon. Pussluver bellowed a shrieking taunt in response as the cannon ball flew. Pussluver must have known something as the ball hit him squarely in the chest and while his daemonic aura failed and the dwarves hit for the maximum three wounds the blessings of Nurgle saved him. He had one wound left, along with a cannonball sized hole in his chest.

Pussluver flew to the cannon - he positioned himself right next to the cannoneers with a full unit of warriors behind him, but facing the wrong way. He blasted the cannon crew with corruption but failed to wound. The Furies returned to harass the rear of the dwarves. The remaining Knight moved to flank while the Marauders and Warriors advanced in tandem.

The cannoneers were stumped. If they fired on the daemon they would hit their own troops with a certainty. All the troops rallied and passed whatever leadership tests were required but all these daemons in the rear were confusing the tightly formed blocks of dwarves. They kept turning to face new threats. The cannon fired at the Marauders as the daemon loomed but they overshot - packing too much powder in their haste to retarget. It would be their undoing....

The Furies rather then face a full contingent of massed warriors flew to attack the weakest unit from the rear supported by the lone Knight. Pussluver grinned down upon the cannoneers and charged. He made short work of them. The Furies killed only one Dwarf while the Knight killed two and none could hit in return. Out numbered the dwarves fled. Pussluver told the Furies to hold and left the Knight the glory of slaughtering the fleeing stunties.

The final moves on the battle were positioning and posturing. Corruption slew seven dwarves from one unit in the next two turns but Pussluver saw no gain from attacking the surrounded Dwarf general on the final turn - He knew he had won the day and only saw the potential for loss of his garrison troops should Nurgle abandon him in the final battle. He was not a stupid frenzied Khornite to charge in when the battle was already won.

Surrounded and without his artillery the dwarven general retired the field. Muttering to himself Pussluver thought he saw dwarven names as well as Chaos names being written in the book of grudges each general keeps. Someone had mislead the valiant dwarf. Thinking he would have the superior numbers and finding the opposite he felt lucky to survive with any of his command remaining. Chaos legions are not known for their close quarter kindness. Live to fight another day.....

Pussluver returned to Novgorod victorious but assured he had not seen the last of the dwarves. He knew next time he would not catch them unprepared or out of place.

Chapter 7 - Cleansing of the Monkey-kind

Itza-Kai could sense the tension among the host of Lord Chotec, brother of their Lord and protector Tlaloc. The war host, Radiant Might and Enforcer of the Will of Tlaloc, was now passing through the Western Forests of the Elven children. Seasons past, Tlaloc’s armies had been in these woods to aid their ally’s claim on these lands from the Monkey-children and their destructive ways. Now, they returned in vast splendor with but one intention: the conquest of the Capitol-heart of the Monkey kingdom itself.

The elven allies slipped silently through the forest to either side of the mighty war-host. Itza watched with awe as these gleaming figures glided effortlessly without more than a light rustle of the wind. Their hot blood smell made their presence unmistakable however, and in spite of his well founded respect for the oldest of the children races, he was quite pleased with his fortune to be born a skink.

Anticipating the task ahead did give him an unsettled fear however. The Monkeys could be very brutish, always fought in large numbers, and had many of the stinking thunder-weapons. His fears were stilled now as he felt a tug in his mind from the ever-present touch of the will of the Slann, Chotec, and he felt a little bit better.

The trees were thining now, and he found himself still in shade, walking beside the titanic steggadon as ahead he saw the walls of the Hu-mon capitol ahead. The army began spreading out as elven and skink scouts raced ahead to take forward positions. The primates were many, just as he feared, and their abominable thunder weapons menacing and bearing down on their host. Worse still, an image his mind found difficult to understand… nearly the size of the stegaddon bedside him, yet metal and wheels and bellowing smoke like a swamp geyser. The sight of it brought his fears back to him again.

Using the monkey-dwellings as cover as best as they could, the Radiant Might of Tlaloc and its allies the elven children prepared for their fateful attack. The elven archers were as accurate as their reputation yet, so many of the monkeys were present, he doubted their commanders would miss those who had fallen. The mass of primitives closed in, but most were so far to the northern end of the citadel they could do little more than try to close for the time being. In the mean time, the defenders at the southern end of the city began to fall and retreat. Itza-kai found a good place to hide beside a large building, lending his magic skill where he could and providing his eyes to his Lord Chotec.

Sotek must have blessed us this day, for few reptiles fell in battle. The elven children were honored by this blessing as well, as the riders of beasts charged across the field from south to north breaking their human beast-rider counterparts. From here they then charged into a large block of monkey warriors, delaying them from reaching the Defenders of Temple of the Sun. The salamanders gushed forth a torrent of flames upon the ranks of approaching warriors- the very same who protected the Monkey-general. Itza flinched and had to turn his eyes away from the scene of burning warriors- hair aflame and skin blackening.

His gaze was soon drawn back and frozen in horror as the giant metal beast bore down on the center of their battle line. Barely scratched after a futile day-long attempt at shooting the monstrosity, the beast crashed into a line of elven archers who valiantly tried to block it from hitting the Defenders of the Temple of the Sun. The brave vassals died of course, but died defending their masters, and so would be remembered with honor.

And so the Monkey’s great metal beasts crashed into the Defenders of the Temple of the Sun and Itza feared the worst. But when he could manage to open his eyes again, there was but four who had fallen and he could see the great Karak, a mighty champion of Sotek, climb upon the hull of the beast. Karak bashed it repeatedly with his giant club, until he could wedge the weapon inside the hull and begin to tear back a section of its metal armor.

Sensing victory, the salamanders charged the guardians of the Monkey general and the ranks of saurus warriors charged the side of the metal monster. Captain of the saurus warriors, the mighty hero Tolak rose his great club above his head and began smashing the beast until it collapsed in a great gout of steam. Cries of victory range out across the field and Itza’s heart swelled. Meanwhile, the elven horse-riders and salamanders tore the life out of the human defenders- the few survivors and their general turned to flee, but were quickly run down.

A few small skirmishes continued for a time, but it was clear the day was ours. Itza breathed a heavy sigh of relief. There was no sign of the Monarch- he and his horse-riders had left for the capitol building, but it was soon surrounded and word of their surrender given.

It fell to Itza to meet with the Hu-mon monarch, as few of his kind could make the funny monkey-speech. Even still, he let the elven ambassador explain the benefits of servitude to the Empire of the Sun and Moon and to serve his Lord Tlaloc. The elves had a way with words, and more important still, a way with the lesser monkey-kind that would prove useful in subduing the animal-pride of these beings. It would be a shame to have to kill them all when there was so much work to be done in this city to make it habitable for his people. Still… once the temples were constructed it would be a pleasant place. The woods were dark and warm, and the mountains to the south make a beautiful horizon to backdrop the pyramids at sunset. And with the monkeys as servants, benefiting from wise-rule for once in their wretched lives, they could live in harmony and peace. Itza felt a calm pride wash over him as he knew that he could contribute to this bright future, even if it was in his own small, humble way.

(19 july 2004)
Chapter 8 – Elven Reunification

It was a dark and stormy night when the High Council of the Northern Elves gathered secretly in their Town Hall.

There were many whispers of "our Emperor is young and weak" and "he is anemic in battle, and just like the kin of Finubar" as the various captains, commanders, quartermasters, prominent soldiers, and craftsmen of the North were taking mead and llambas bread. Notably absent from the prestigious company was El-raigh, Blademaster and Captain of the Swordmasters of Hoeth that were assigned to the Northern Host.

"Its no surprise El-raigh did not heed the summons" one Captain said, while another replied, a bit too loudly "yes, it would appear he is more comfortable running away from conflict than to it!" which drew a dark and restrained laughter into the thick air of the hall. Then, at the far corner of the Hall, the crowd shuffled to one side.

Cor-Annon, newphew of the Emperor and his royal exchequer, announced in a strong and steady voice: "Attention honored guests. I present to you his majesty Emperor Albacor of Alteria, Protector of the North and duly entrusted by our most Gracious Everqueen to be our Sovereign and Master in accordance with 3000 years of loyalty, purity of heart and tradition!"

"Who invited HIM?" a number of stunned captains blurted out, as the Emperor of the North glided into the center aisle of the Hall. He was resplendent in his formal attire, adorned with Phoenix feathers, while his ilithmar armor shined whitely and illuminated the gathering, which formed a circle around Him to better hear His words.

"My friends, family, and loyal subjects," he began, as some of the more experienced in attendance steeled themselves - they heard these words often enough preceding news that was always bad.

"I have received dire news from the South. Our Alliance with the heavy-handed men of the Empire is concluded."

"What!?" Yvressar, Captain of the Northern Spear, spoke up in shock and dismay. "How can it be? What would turn the cannons of our friends bound by the Pact of Nvidia against us?"

"Alas," said the Emperor, "our friends cannons have been silenced forever. The Empire of Men in Briternia has fallen to Reptillian treachery!"

Again Yvressar, now his voice shaking in shock and dismay, said "How can it be? I myself have paid visits to the Empire Capitol. Their defenses which included cannons and a mighty engine of destruction powered by steam! How could it be that they have fallen?"

"Tis a grave situation. The reptiles were aided by our troublesome cousins to the South."

"This is a most distressing turn of events," Yvressar said as he composed himself and adjusted his armor and swordbelt, "as we are now surrounded by enemies with vastly greater resources and larger armies! What are we to do?"

Again the Emperor spoke, this time his voice was leveling into his usual slow and thoughtful tone, as he often spoke when dealing with the political realities of running a nation of an elder race. "I have thought long on the matter, and I have sent an envoy to the Emperor _______ to negotiate a union of our two nations."

These last words stunned the assembly into utter silence. How could it be? How can our independence and way of life now be subject to the whim of our warmongering rivals?

"Reunification," he continued, "is the only path to survival and the continuance of our ancient heritage in these lands. Though we have reviled our brothers politics and aggressive expansionism, we share the same blood. Reunification will be our salvation from the mistakes of our forefathers who first came to these lands."

Yvressar again spoke "Yes, I know this, my liege, as I was one of the first settlers here. I was there, two thousand eight hundred and some fifty years ago, when our proud Hawk Ships first patrolled the Northern Shores, and Dragons and Great Eagles flew our points and helped secure these wild lands for our first colonies. I was there when the treachery of the ________ clan was made manifest, and I saw the bloodletting that reminded us all of the Sundering! How can we now submit to the will of the sons of ______ who are yet willing to do battle with the line of Albacor, and draw blood against their own kin, and thus tempt us to compare them with the hated Dark Elves!"

"Silence!" bellowed the Emperor. He stood taller now, and his eyes blazed with a rarely seen determination. He continued "It is already done. I have secured our position in the new Nation. Our soldiers and commanders will continue their duties in the field. Our craftsmen will continue to craft and our mages will continue to, well, whatever it is that mages do."

"Consider now that together we stand as one of the great powers of Briternia, and our Southern kin are busy organizing and strengthening our defenses, setting up supply lines, repairing our war machinery, and building palisades. His warmongering ways will be useful against the Disease that threatens us from the East."

Suddenly, the far door crashed open and all turned to face the haggard figure that burst through the door as the wind howled about and lighting flashed outside. "I beg thee pardon!" yelled Caranthir Vinúviel, Champion of the Northern Silverhelm, well known as the stoutest cavalry unit in all the Northlands. His armor was damaged from many battles, and he looked like he had been in combat after combat for weeks. Many small injuries were evident on his arms and face, and his clothing was well stained in blood, washed somewhat through by rain and mud. "I bare ill news! We were following order to explore the Ruins at El-Arathir, but we were set upon by the vicious elf-kin of the Wood!"

"Settle yourself now", said Yvressar, as he helped him to a chair, "and tell us what befell your forces."

A chamberlain offered mead and llambas bread, and the weary soldier partook of both before he spoke again. "I could sense that some magic lay before us. Perhaps something useful to our cause. As always, we assumed the place would be well guarded. The nearness to Nurgle-diseased lands - we expected pustulated northmen and perhaps our old enemy Plaguefly. Our archers stood ready, and the funds I saved from not having to pay a battlemage into our service allowed our ranks to be large enough to safely execute this operation. But it was not to be! We were set upon by our wild cousins of the Wood. They had us out-scouted from the beginning, and managed to engage us on an exposed flank."

He drank deeply from his flagon of mead and continued "All our archers were dead in moments, broken and cut down in the Wood, were our cousins thrive." He slammed his flagon down on the table. "Curses! With such a small force, we had no way to regroup and recover from this attack. I made the necessary maneuvers to preserve our cavalry, and the our noble Shadow Warriors sacrificed themselves so we could escape and fight on to protect our lands another day."

"All the archers were killed?" A voice, as musical and beautiful as it was sad, cut through the air like a blade, and all silenced themselves to listen. It was Elbereth Calaflax, assistant chamberlain of the Exchequer of Albacor, who spoke. "Are sure? Were there no archers that escaped?"

"Well, I cannot be fully sure milady. It is possible some made it into hiding and perhaps into a nearby town. We cannot be sure until we can muster our forces and regroup for defensive deployment on Tuesday evening. I know your son, Alarthiel. He is an excellent archer and skilled in the ways of our people. If any survived, I am sure he is leading them to safety." Tears were streaming down her face as she said "Thank you for your words of hope milord. We can pray to our goddess for the safety of any survivors."

Again the Emperor spoke "These are dark times, but our people have survived the darkest times imaginable, and more than once. I call upon all of you to go about your duties with due determination. With our combined forces, old man Nurgle will wish he had stayed with rotting the fish in the Eastern marshes!"

The assembly dispersed, but Yvressar walked slowly out with Elbereth, comforting her against the tempest they were about to pass into. "Our Emperor means well, but he has not managed our Nation well. I fear the reptilian allies of our reunitied kin, a wild force and difficult to control. And what of the lands to the far south? I hear fell news of an entire nation of undead, and that they have cast a spell over the noble Bretonians. I fear the darkest times have yet to befall us, but if your son Alarthiel answers the Call to Arms, I will take as a good omen for us. For now, we can only stand fast and be brave, for Alarthiel and ourselves."

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