An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Saige.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 65. You change? Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)

Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a pamphlet on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Saige' scribed in dark blue ink.

Author:  Saige
Date    Wed May  1 15:55:51 2002



SubjectA vision received, and a quest that unfolds....



*This story will be a rather short interpretation of the real
thing. If you
would like a whole copy, (which is several pages long in
microsoft word
format), note me and I'll be more than happy to email it to you
upon
completion.*

Looking down from his citadel, onto the city of Neraka situated
far below him,
Saige watched in satisfaction as his troops drilled for a mock
combat. Priding
himself in the ability of his men, he made sure they were trained
several days
a week, a and prepared for anything. Turning he went up to the
upper room,
where the private Altar to Takhisis was, to begin his evening
prayers.

After several hours of silent meditation, Saige began to feel a
bit chilled,
and he slowly, yet gently, slumped over. Awaking, he found
himself standing
before two great cities.

A voice arose, and spoke of the chaos that now rained upon those
cities. It
spoke of the devestation, but then spoke of the order that needed
to be
brought back. It spoke of the power of one man, who could bring
this city back
to its former glory 3 silohettes then appeared, standing in front
of three
massive volcanoes. The voice spoke out once more, saying that
these were the
Lords of Doom. Three men chosen, as the mightiest in the nation.

One of the silohettes stepped forth, and materialized. Saige then
realized he
was looking at the mirror image of himself. The figure then
returned, and a
blackness dropped over Saige.

The voice spoke out once more, fading as it did so. It spoke of
the artifacts
of old...possesed by the former armies of Takhisis. It also spoke
of ancient
items of the dragons.

Once these items were recovered, then the silohette would be
replaced by the
new Lord of the city.

Awaking to find himself slumped over the altar, Saige immediately
drew his
cloak and left.

*several long days pass, as Saige heads off on the back of a
large blue
dragon, accompanied by another green dragon to assist him in
recovering these
magical and sacred artifacts.*

Arriving at the ancient buriel grounds of Lord Ariakas, high in
the mountains
north of Neraka, the three settle upon a cliff that is only a
brisk walk from
the main grounds of the tomb. Upon arrival there, Saige entered
alone.

Not knowing what to expect, he quickly noted the large sealed
doors, bearing
the symbols of Takhisis. Knowing they must be warded, he
approached, but as he
did so, the doors began to glow a faint red, and then opened.

Walking in, cautiosly, he noted that the tomb of the Lord was
opened, and a
faint blue light was eminating from beneath.

As he carefully approached the tomb, the blue light flashed
brilliantly, and
the lid slid completely off. Startled by this, Saige took a few
steps back,
but remained firm and held his ground.

Looking in, he noted that there was nothing in the tomb...nothing
at all...had
he just been seeing things? He knew he had seen the light flash
from inside.

Walking closer, takign his time, he finally came to the tomb and
peered
closer. It seemed as though the tomb had been empty to begin
with, which left
him puzzled. But as he looked again, the symbol of Takhisis was
carved into
the bottom of the to tomb itself. Reaching down slowly, he placed
his hand
upon it. The same soft red color began to come from the
symbol...and the tomb
actually lifted from its position! Stepping back, awed by all
these strange
happenings, he saw that there was a space dug out of the raised
tomb, as a
shelf would be. Looking in, he saw the handle of some sorts
sticking out.

Reaching inside, he grabbed hold of it. As he did so, the handle
began to glow
softly, then intensified as he drew it out. It was a large mace,
it's handle
carved to reseble a standing dragon. The maw opened into the head
of the mace,
which was s set with wicked looking spikes. It flared out, as if
knowing that
a being of power wielded it once again. Immediately, Saige began
to recall
Ariakan's own mace, blessed by Takhisis herself. It was said to
never fail the
wielder in battle.



Author:  Saige
Date    Wed May  1 16:13:02 2002



Subject  A vision received, and a quest that unfolds... *Part II*



Gaping a bit by the power sealed within such an artifact, Saige
turned and set
his face back to its normal grim look. Striding out of the
temple, he stopped
as the dragon each looked down and nodded to him.

Turning and striding out of the temple, the dragons each bowed in
reverence to
the sacred item that Saige held. The green began to realate its
power and
properties to the young man wielding it.

Nodding in approval, Saige then reared back and shouted a praise
to Takhisis.
The dragons, each joined in with their powerful voices.
Remounting his blue
dragon, the three then headed off.

*As the story unfolds, the trio comes across a powerful red
dragon, who, upon
hearing of this mighty quest, feels the power of Takhisis flow
from the mace
that Saige wielded.

He then aided the companions by giving them an orb which glowed
with the fires
of a red dragon. It burned to the touch, but Saige quickly gained
control over
the magic, and thanked the magnificent creature for its gift.

On their journey back, they came across the den of a silver
dragon, whom did
not find the tresspassers welcome.

Upon site, the silver attacked, causing a good deal of damage to
the blue
dragon, forcing him to flee and land nearby. Yet, before the
silver could
finish the blue off, the mighty green swope in.

Dealing a great deal of damage to the silver, the green knocked
him to the
ground, where the blue pounced immediately thereafter. When the
battle was
over, the companions were set to leave, but were held back.

The mighty green felt a powerful magic flowing from within the
nearby den of
the silver. Upon further inspection, the dragon's treasury was
located, and
the source was then understood.

There, laying upon a mound of steel and sitting inside a crystal
casing, was a
pure and holy Dragonlance.

The fatal weapon caused the other dragons to shy away, yet Saige
leaped off
the blue, and went to investigate.

Noting that it sat inside a crystal casing, Saige laid forth a
hand, careful
not to touch it. Saying a few words of prayer, the whole case
flashed,
blinding the companions temporarily.

Looking back, Saige looked around, and found a deer skin of some
sorts, laying
nearby. bringing it over, he wrapped the casing up, being careful
not to touch
it.

Turning the dragon each moved back farther, not trusting the
deadly weapon.
Re-assuring them that Takhisis would know what to do with it, he
approached
them and mounted the blue once more.

Eager to return with his prizes, they left at once, turning back
and heading
for the the citadel.*

*Once more, this story is no where near indepth, but cince I
wasn't finished
with the original, I had to summarize this, so, I hope you guys
enjoyed.*

Saige, Lord of the Night



Author:  Saige
Date    Tue May  7 19:07:44 2002


Subject  Rebuilding the Temple...




Pacing back and forth within his chambers, Saige had practically
walked a
path into the old stone of the citadel, which flaoted high above
the city of
Neraka. Something ate at his mind, with a ferocity unknown to him
before.

He had awoke, only a few nights ago, after returning home from
his quest of
retrieving the lost artifacts of the dragonarmies, to a vivid
dream, in which
he was surrounded by the entire city of Neraka.

Standing there, in front of a multitude of citzens, he mad
promises to
rejuvinate the city, rebuild what had been lost, and redeem their
worthiness
to her Dark Majesty's cause.

Once he had awakened, he instantly knew this was another vision,
another
part of this ongoing quest of his. But, deep inside, he pondered
how it was he
could do all these things he had promised in his dream...

Upon his millionth trip across his room, his young squire
entered, holding a
pile of books and looking a bit confused at his Lord Knight's
strange
attitude.

Laying the books down, he glanced over at Saige, who had still
not noticed
his arrival, and simply smiled to himself and left, leaving Saige
to continue
ripping his mind apart in thought.

Coming out of his trance, Saige noticed his squire leaving and
glanced over
at the stack of books. He didn't quite remember ordering for
these books, but
as he went over, he noticed one in a dark blue jacket. Grabbing
it, he opened
it and read.

Almost as if the book pages had been guided by an invisible hand,
they
flipped open and laid flat upon 2 pages. As Saige glanced down at
these, he
marveled to see that the book held content on the lost city of
Istar, which
now sat at the bottom of the Blood Sea. As he looked at the
pictures, he
noticed a beautiful building, sitting amongst the rest of the
city. Instantly,
he remembered the tale of this building, the very temple to
Paladine that was
erected by the Kingpriest Himself.

Remembering the legend, the thoughts of how this temple was
turned into one
of evil after the cataclysm arose, struck him. He knew how it was
he could
bring a new faith to the people. In rebuilding the Great temple,
he could
resurect the faith that had been lost after years of war and
destruction.
Gathering his wits, he began to collect every bit of information
that could
be provided for him, of the ancient city of Istar, and its
formerly great
temple.

*Spending long hours each night, and researching normally until
early dawn,
Saige had soon found all the information he needed in order to
accomplish his
plans of ressurecting a part of the temple in Istar.*

Standing in front of a hill that was prepared in the midst of the
city,
Saige summoned all his troops before him, asking for their
assistance.

Leaflets and notes had been posted throughout the city. This was
to be a
glorious day indeed, for it would mark the beginning of a new
cause for the
city.

The citizens were asked to come, and show their support in full,
and help in
this new beginning. The crowd that had gathered was sparse, but
reassuring
none the less.

Saige knew now that he had support within the city, and it was
only a matter
of time until he had gained the trust of the rest of the
citizens.

Turning from the hill that was to be the new site for the
erecting of the
Temple to her Majesty, Saige raised a hand for silence. The ranks
immediately
quieted and the citizens all turned and waited to hear what was
to be said.

Clearing his throat, Saige began to relate his vision to the mass
of people.
He told them every part of what he has seen in his dream. Then,
he told them
of his plans.

With the power of the Dark Queen at his side, and the continueing
prayers of
those gathered, he would begin to summon the remains the
distorted temple amde
evil by the Queen herself.

The people all hushed, and silence fell. Saige pondered whether
they would
have enough faith in him, in his ability, and in the Queen, for
this miracle
to take place. For it was a miracle he was asking for.



Author:  Saige
Date    Tue May  7 19:41:19 2002


Subject  Rebuilding the Temple...Part II




Speaking again, he gave the order for the prayers to begin. Each
Knight took
to his knees, and began their solemn prayers of faith. The Skull
Knights
present, each took a lead role in lending their prayers and
leading the
civilians in prayer, a as everyone began to wait anxiously, to
see what
would happen. Gathering his strength, he turned from the people
and faced the
hill. This all seemed a bit crazy, for how could he possibly
imagine that he
could do such a feat...

But he realized that he was doubting not only himself, but her
Dark
Majessty, so banished the thought as soon as it came. Taking a
deep breath,
Saige began to recite the words of sacred prayer used when
communicating with
the Queen.

In a moments time, He felt his body strengthen, and felt the air
around him
become heated. Opening his eyes, he was no longer standing before
a hill, with
his army around him, but stood in the courtyard of a beautiful
temple.

Glancing about, it took only minutes to realize that before him
stood the
Temple of Paladine, greatest in all the lands, as it looked in
its past glory.
As time passed though, the temple began to bleed from the outside
walls.

It slowly became twisted, and distorted, in a fashion that was
evil and
ugly, yet in a manor that was fascinating, imposing, and
beautiful of its own
accord.

A faint voice then spoke out through his mind. He could hear his
Queen,
speaking to him in a proud voice...

'This temple belongs to me now, my loyal follower. It once held
the might
and beauty of all of Istar and the holyness of Paladine, but that
foolish god
has fallen from his followers eyes. This temple is now my symbol
of power.
Take it, and bring life back to my followers and their dying
faith. Bring
back the glory of their Dark Queen and rebuild my follower's
faith once
more...*

With that, the voice faded, and an incredible power surged
through Saige's
veins. Knowing full well that his Queen was blessing him with the
strength and
power to do as she promised, Saige released everything he had,
allowing the
power to flow through him. Within moments though, the power began
to fade, and
Saige began to become surrounded by an enveloping blackness.
Diving deep into
it, he held on with every last strand of strength until he was
consumed...

Waking from the blackness, Saige found himself in another
darkness, only
this was the darkness of night. Suddenly, a bright light flared
as a torch was
held nearby.

Saige opened his eyes to see all his troops, kneeling around him,
and the
citizens, staring wide-eyed in disbelief. Many were glancing from
him, and
back towards the hill, then returning to him. Pondering this
strange
occurance, since it was sunr Saige opened his eyes to see all his
troops,
kneeling around him, and the citizens, staring wide-eyed in
disbelief. Many
were glancing from him, and back towards the hill, then returning
to him.
Pondering this strange occurance, since it was

sunrise when the proecssion began, Saige stood. Shaking his head,
a bit
groggy and weak, he looked towards the hill. There, shining under
the pale red
moonlight of Lunitari, sat a block of stone, looking as if it had
been dipped
in the goddess' very own blood. Stumbling a bit, Saige clambored
up the
hill, his troops bowing their heads in silent reverence and the
citizens
watchign, still in shocked disbelief.

Upon reaching the slab of stone, Saige finds that it is not the
entire floor
of the temple, but is the exact size needed for the center of the
foundation.

Looking back, the crowd begins to cheer, slowly turning into an
uproar and
shouts of praises to the Queen. Smiling, more in disbelief, Saige
quietly
dismissed himself back to his Citadel.

Upon returning to his room, his squire began to clear the books
that had
been brought in days before, but Saige stopped him, looking at
the books with
a new interest.



Author:  Saige
Date    Tue May  7 19:45:20 2002


Subject  Rebuilding the Temple...Part III




Telling the squire to leave them, so he could continue studying,
Saige began
to pick up another book, but weariness soon took its toll, and he
collapsed in
his chair from the strain of the day.

Entering upon hearing the thud, the squire slowly dragged his
master over to
his bed. Making sure he would be comfotrable, the Squire then
turned to
leave.

As he left though, he noticed a strange bird perched upon the
window looking
down upon the new stone foundation of the temple.

The bird appeared to be a raven, yet it was the largest that the
squire had
ever seen. It began to sqawk loudly, then seemed almost to cackle
with glee
and took off, into the night sky.

Not understanding the strange occurence, the squire left, seeing
himself to
finishing his nights work before returning to sleep himself.

The story continues...but in what way will Saige's Quest be
changed in the
coming future?....



Author:  Saige
Date    Fri May 10 18:55:04 2002


Subject  In search of the Gem of Minds




*The new temple in Neraka was progressing quickly. After the
amazing feat of
power, with the help of his Queen in summoning the foundation
stone of the
temple in fallen Istar, the population had begun gathering to
assist, their
hopes resurected Saige watched from his study in the citadel, as
night began
to fall. Many of the citizens had begun to go home for diner, yet
many were
either staying or returning to work on. The night sky was ablaze
with torches
from down below.

Glancing back through a book, open upon his desk, Saige sighed.
He was
searchign for something. He knew that the temple could be built,
and used
readily soon, but it would not hold the power it needed if that
power was not
supplied first.

He was looking through a few books of ancient relics, for
something in
particular. The night before, his Queen had appeared once more,
and had shown
him the Gem of Minds. With this artifact, he could
restore the power unto the temple, making it greater than it had
been in its
original structure. Though, finding the gem was the problem.*

*A knock upon Saige's study caused him him to glance up from his
studies. It
was late, and he was about to go to his bed, but this knock was
persistant.*
Going back to his reading, Saige called for the guest to enter.
Throwing the
door open, Saige's squire ran in, a flurry of black as his cloak
whipped
about.

Looking up, a bit amused, Saige pondered his squire's actions. He
stood
there, trying to unravel his cloak, clutching a book, and
speaking words that
flew out of his mouth in nothing but a garble of
mispronounciations. He seemed
VERY excited.

Saige raised a hand, and the squire ceases speaking immediately,
yet not
without a silent plea to go on. Shaking his head in silence,
shaken from the
lack of sleep and the recent disturbance, Saige told his squire
to speak, but
slower this time Nodding his head, his squire began to talk once
more in the
fast, excited voice, but a sharp look from Saige caused him to
slow his
tongue.

"M'Lord, I have found it, I have found it! I was jsut looking
through some
books that I had found in your library and..." said the squire
before Saige
cut him off.

"You have found what?" Spoke Saige.

"I found the Gem M'lord," said his squire, watching Saige's eyes
light up.
"I was glancing through some books in the library that had just
been
transfered up from the city."

"Let me see this book," said Saige as the squire handed it to
him.

Opening it to where it was marked, Siage sat down, a bit in shock
and
disbelief. Here in front of him sat a world of information on the
Gem of
Minds, which he had been researching for the past few days.

Reading through it, he absorbed every last word, and then took
the book
under one arm and told his Squire to go prepare his dragon. He
was to be ready
within the hour.



Author:  Saige
Date    Fri May 10 19:42:45 2002


Subject  In search of the Gem of Minds Part II




*With the knowledge held in the book of the Gem, Saige actually
gathered
enough information to determine the whereabout of Galen Dracos
keep. With that
in mind, he checked a few older maps and some better resources,
and came up
with a much more exact location, though, he was told that it was
dated back
a very lonf time, and was doubtful if it even remained there.
Never the less,
he would find out. Mounted upon his blue Dragon, he set out to
the lands of
solamnia.

Arriving several days later, after travelling almost non-stop,
Saige came
across the keep, after hearing some rumors in a few local towns.
He found it
in a state of ruin, and his hoped dwelled almost
instantaneously.*

"Damn it all to the Abyss....there could be NOTHING left in this
wreck. All
that remains is burnt stone. Even the foundation was destroyed,"
muttered
Saige in anger, seeing his hope blown out.

"Perhaps there is more here, just in places that we cannot see,"
whispered
his mount, testing an area of ground and watching as it gave way
a bit.

"Bah, the Queen has led me to everything, I shown my faith every
time, why
should this time be any...." said Saige before he dissappeared in
a loud
rumble and cloud of dirt.

Coughing loudly Saige began to curse out loud, but stopped
suddenly, looking
about. He realized that up above him, a good 20 feet, stood his
mount, and
around him seemed to be some kind of room, STILL INTACT!

Uttering a few words of praise to the Queen and asking
forgiveness for his
unfaithfulness, he began to take in his surroundings. The dragon,
chuckling to
himself, simply sat above and watched silently.

Saige stood in the confines of some underground room. The tunnel
to the west
was blocked off by the cave-in, but several doors still led in
other
durections.

Glancing up and seeing the dragon sprawl out, waiting patiently,
Saige
turned his attention back to the doors and began opening and
closing them,
taking in everything.

At the last door, he realized it led into another long corridor,
made of
crude, yet sturdy stone. Whispering to himself a few words of
disbelief, he
walked the corridor, long since forgotten.

After coming across several more empty and uninteresting rooms,
he came to a
door different form the rest. This was made of a strange metal,
and was very
warm to the touch.

Placing a hand above it, he whispered soft words of prayer and
watched as
the door glowed a brilliant blue, then faded. Nodding in
satisfaction, Saige
gently pushed one of the doors open.

In front of him lay a vast pit of lava, bubbling up from unknown
depths. The
room was aglow with light from the pure heat of the lava, casting
irredescent
shadows upon the walls.

Sitting in the middle of the pit was another platform, and upon
it, set a
large stone case. Glancing about, there seemed to be no way of
getting across
to the platform.

Muttering to himself, he began to turn back, to gain assistance
from his
mount, but stopped. Turning back, he realized that this was a
task he must
accomplish of his own accord and faith. Whispering a few soft
words in
prayer, Saige began to concentrate fiercly on the task at hand.
Uttering the
words over and over and in a louder voice each time, Saige began
to feel and
energy pulsate from within. Glancing up, he realized that h
Whispering a few
soft words in prayer, Saige began to concentrate fiercly on the
task at hand.
Uttering the words over and over and in a louder voice each time,
Saige began
to feel and energy pulsate from within. Glancing up, he realized
that he
was aloft in the air. Taking advantage of his Queen's blessing,
he moved
towards the stone. The heat from the lava caused him to begin
sweating
profusely, and upon making it half way, his armor was heated with
so much
force that he could feel his skin starting to burn.



Author:  Saige
Date    Fri May 10 19:54:13 2002


Subject  In search of the Gem of Minds Part III




Closing his eyes, he let out a scream, which echoed off the
surrounding
walls, but stopped when his feet touch solid ground. Looking
about, he
realized he stood on the center platform. Quickly removing his
breastplate, he looked down to find his chest slightly scared
from the heat.
Muttering, he decided to leave it, as a personal symbol

Walking over to the stone, he looked down, to find ancient arcane
symbold
sritting upon it. Raising his hand, he began to whisper another
prayer when he
stopped. Looking down, the words began to meld into themselves.

Stepping back, he watched in fascination as the stone began to
glow a bright
red, and then faded. Then, out of nowhere, a voice spoke.

"The gem knows the true master of its powers. It has felt your
presence
Saige, and your Queens. It is ready to be taken, and brought into
this world
for use once more."

With that, the voice dissappeared. Taken back a bit, Saige
pondered whether
he had really heard the voice, or imagined it. His attention was
drawn back to
the stone though.

The top had opened while the voice had spoke, and a pulsating red
color
eminated form within. Stepping over, Saige looked down to find a
gem, clasped
with a golden chain.

It was faceted with more faces than one could count, and seemed
to flare out
of its own accord.

Grasping it, Saige turned, ready to return to the city. Wishing
he did not
have to recross the lave though, he was amazed when he noticed a
bridge across
where there had been none.

Almost dropping the gem itself from the shock, he grabbed at it,
placing it
around his own neck for safer keeping. Walking the bridge, he
quickly left,
hearing a crumbling behind as he fled down the corridors.

Turning back, he watched as the last room collpased upon itself.
the first
room had collapsed too, yet now the opening was much larger.

Steppping down carefully, Saige's dragon made his way to his
master, where
Saige prompty lept up into his saddle.

Saige had retrieved what it was he searched for. It was now time
to return
home, victorious once more, in the name of the Dark Queen. The
people would
once more know true victory in faith, as the temple would soon be
completed.



Author:  Saige
Date    Thu May 23 21:19:57 2002


Subject  The Sacrifice to our 



*Several days have passed since the trip to recover the Gem of
Minds was
completed. The building of the temple was progressing at a rapid
pace. The
city of Neraka, for once in a long time, was beginning to
re-unite under the
Dark Queen's banner However, one night, while standing out ontop
the
ramparts to his citadel, Saige was enjoying the site below him,
as he watched
the lights flaring from the temples construction site.

As he turned to go back to his studies, he noticed another group
of torches,
flaring out down in the southern section of the city, away from
the temple.

A small group was convened together, and as far as he could see,
there was a
man in extraordinary white robes standing atop something, as if
he were
speaking to them

Turning, he hurried to his study, and upon arriving, found his
squire
waiting patiently by his desk*

'What is it Kaylis?' asked Saige as he began strapping his armour
on.

'Sire, I have some news to report. Several guards have returned
from patrol
and have taken notice to our preaching friend," replied Kaylis.

'So that would be who that is, causing the commotion in the
southern portion
of the city," Saige said as he finished buckling his armour and
strapped on
his sword.

*As Saige hurried from his room, he motioned to several of his
honour guards
to follow him. He tried to place his thoughts back in order as he
walked the
flights of stairs...

Upon arriving from his recent journey, in search of the Mind Gem,
he
returned and was briefed on what news he missed during hsi
absence. Within
that news was notice of a cleric, preaching in the squre.

He was about to skip over it, when his attention was caught by
the fact that
this cleric was of some reknown. He had actually managed to hold
the
population in thrall by his teachings.

Troubled with this, Saige had ordered his guards to throw the man
out of the
city, and neglect him of his rights, but somehow, he managed to
worm his way
back in, and now he was REALLY drawing attention

As he reached the end of the stairs, he looked into the caves
that stretched
out before him. Seeing the large blue scaled creature laying in a
den, Saige
approached with long strides.

As he approached, his aides hurried to wake the dragon in order
to fix the
saddle upon it, but Saige threw a hand and cursed at them,
telling them he did
not need a saddle for such a short trip. Jumping upon the dragon
with the ease
of a skilled rider, the dragon reared back and took off. Banking
over the low
clouds, the Dragon swooped in low over the city. Gliding over
those working at
the Temple site, it roared in glee as it felt the fear sweep
through the mass
of people.

Motioning with his hand, Saige and his mount turn and sweep over
the low
buildings in the market place. Pointing a finger to a group of
lights, the
dragon nods and curls its wings in, allowing it to gain speed.

Coming down upon the people, the dragon gathers its wings and in
a fury of
wind, comes to a halt in midair above the procession. Fear begins
to sink
through all those present, and even the mighty preaching cleric
began to
tremble

But that was not to last, quickly, he regained his posture,
holding a
medallion and speaking a few words, a light flared out that
seemed to emminate
from his body and he spoke in loud words...*

'You, EVIL, are the very essence that is corrupting and killing
the innocent
world as we speak. You, who worships that harbringer of death,
that evil
seductress who has enthralled this people with her delusions of
greatness.
Your days are running thin, and will soon end!

*Grinning, from atop his dragon, Saige, ordered the great beast
to land. As
it came to the ground, he gracefully slid off and approached the
cleric, the
crowd parting for him as he walked.*

'You, Harbringer of false hope, follower of weakling gods,
pathetic
proclaimer of the so called truth, are the one who's days are
running
thin..." replied Saige.



Author:  Saige
Date    Thu May 23 22:12:37 2002


Subject  The sacrifice to our Queen...




"I was told of your insulence within this city, and even gave you
a chance,
by sparing your life, but you did not heed it. You are bearing
false beliefs
to these people, and the penalty for that, is death."

"The power of my god will protect me, as will it protect us all!"
proclaimed the cleric, looking around, hoping to gain affirmation
from the
crowds, but the crowd remained silent, as if transfixed by the
moment.

*Smiling to himself, Saige unsheaths his sword, and pronounces
aloud
saying...

"People of Neraka, look upon this cleric...this poor pathetic
creature
serving the gods who ahve damned him. Look upon him, for you now
look upon the
face of one who's life of service, has become his bondage. 

"He will soon become what was truly meant for him. The Queen will
see to it
that he is properly used as according to her will!" echoed
Saige's coice as
it carried over the crowd.

*Motioning his honour guards forward, who had jsut arrived, they
captured
the cleric, subduing him only after he attempted to escape by
shouting a
prayer. The feeble attempt only enraged Saige, who called upon
the power of
Takhisis to silence the cleric. Once taken in, the crowd followed
behind, as
the gathering made its way back towards the temple.

Upon arriving, the workers made way for the prisoner, who was
taken to the
foundation stone that was brought from the depths of the Blood
Sea. Here, he
was tied and bound.

Arriving with the crowd, Saige raised a hand to speak, and a
silence swept
across the people...

'People of Neraka. I bring before you this very night, one who
has denounced
the name of our Great Queen. He has scathed her with vile names,
and has
cursed all of us who worship unto her.

The punishment for this crime of sacrilidge, is punishable only
by death.
Therefore, it is by Takhisis' will, that he be used as the first
sacrifice
made upon temple grounds. His body and blood will act as the
beginning of our
Queen's reign.

*With that said, Saige raised his hands, and fell to his knees.
Shouting a
prayer to reach the heavens, he asked for Takhisis to bless this
sacrifice
with her supreme powers

Within seconds of his prayer, a flash of light streaked from the
heavens,
and a bolt of black lightning struck the cleric square in the
chest. His eyes
flashed open and his body convulses as the power surged through
him.

The medallion on his chest flared out, but slowly began to dim,
as the power
we sucked straight out of it. After several seconds, the bolt
dispersed,
leaving behind nothing but a blackened foundation where the body
had once
been.

'People of Neraka. I give you the power of her Majesty!' shouted
Saige as
he took to a knee in reverence.

*The people all hushed, and each in turn said a prayer to her
Queen. Pleased
with this unexpected, but helpful turn of events, Saige stood and
motioned for
his guards.

REturning to the citadel, Saige began to unbuckle his sword and
armour as
Kaylis entered...* 'So, I see you settled that matter rather well
m'Lord' saige Kaylis.

'Yes, I was rather pleased, and so was our Queen,' replied Saige,
smiling
to himself.



Author:  Saige
Date    Fri May 31 20:28:38 2002


Subject  The Final Blessings...




*Reaching up to the altar standing before him, Saige carefully
drew forth a
magnificient goblet, carved of pure platinum that had been
darkened to a smoke
grey, and etched in the finest gold.

Placing a hand over the goblet, he stood slowly, and took a
glance around.
All was in place. The altar standing before him was a masterful
work of art,
donated by a group of local dark dwarves who had pledged
themselves to her
majesty.

They claimed it was fashioned into the methods of the original
altar in teh
temple of Neraka, before it had been destroyed prior to the war.
None the
less, this was truly a gift fit for her Majesty.

Holding the cup out over the altar, Saige began to pour out its
contents
onto the floor, which jsut so happened to be the very stone that
made the
foundation, which had been drug from the depths of the Blood Sea
itself.

The contents poured out onto the ground, a rich and thick
composite of
blood, gathered from a sacrifice that was made to her majesty
upon the
morning's opening ceremony.

It was now dusk, and time for the final blessings to be made.
Leaving the
room behind, he swept up his cloak and slowly walked out, a
procession of
clerics following once he came outside the main chamber.

Coming to the entrance, he came to a halt. Looking out among the
courtyard
was a mass of people. The entire population of Neraka stood here,
the luckier
ones in the front, the crowd strung all the way out the gates and
backed into
streets.

Smiling to himself, he knew that the Queen must be pleased. Her
people had
slaved day and night to complete this masterful work of mystery
and dark
beauty. Truly, this was a piece of craftsmanship.

Fashioned and instructed by the dark dwarves themselves, the
people had
created the temple in a mere matter of weeks. The mammoth of a
temple was
constructed into three parts. An outer tower, with and outer
sanctum and an
inner sanctum. This provided a place for the people to worship,
and a
holier place for the true clerics of Takhisis to come. 

The outside was crafted out of a heavy black stone, found along
the Lords of
Doom themselves. Several palces had been constructed of obsidian,
to give the
temple a sheen to it that was hideous, yet beautiful all at the
same time.

Saige truly marveled at the creation, and began to walk forward
into the
open night air. Immediately, a hush fell across the crowds.

It was strange yet also added to the affect of the words which
would soon
come from Saige's mouth. Standing quiet a few moments longer to
add to the
affect, he slowly drew out the empty goblet from beneath his
robes, and tipped
it in midair.

The crowd immediately cheered enthuisiastically, knowing that the
empty
goblet meant that the initial sacrifice had gone well, and that
it was now
time for the final blessings.

Holding up a hand for silence once more, Siage then spoke...*

The time had come, citizens of Neraka, to welcome the Queen's
presence back
into our city. Poverty and chaos is gone. You have provided my
Knights and I a
hospitable home, and for that, we have eradicated all forces who
oppose our
Queen, and have freed this city once more from its enemies," said
Saige,
while gesturing broudly with his gauntleted fist.

"Welcome to yoru new temple Neraka. Greet the presence of our
Queen in this
city with your daily visitations and prayers. Ask only unto her
for what you
need, and it shall be provided. With that, it is time the final
sacrifice be
made," added Saige as he turned and faced the temple itself.



Author:  Saige
Date    Fri May 31 20:56:54 2002


Subject  The Final Blessing...II




*Motioning with a gauntleted fist, a group of gaurds walked up
the steps,
escorting what seemed to be a prisoner. Garbed in pure white
robes, the
prisoner kept his head bowed as he walked, as if knowing the doom
that awaited
him.

Reaching forward, Saige grabbed the man's hood and pulled it off
with a
respectful gentleness. Now, Saige looked upon the face of an elf,
aged a bit,
but young by elven standards.

A medal flashed out from under his robes. It was crafted of a
polished
platinum and contained the emblem of Paladine in his Dragon form.

Saige has been the one to greet the man, who just happened to be
the head
cleric of his order who was in a nearby city when he heard
another of his
clerics who had been preaching in Neraka had ben sacraficed in
front of the
people.

Unbelieving that his god could allow such a thing, he demanded he
be allowed
to see for himself. In his anger and astonishment, he had lashed
out at Saige,
who had been the one to escort him to the spot on the temple that
marked the
past cleric Calling upon his Queen, Saige instantly dispeled the
holy
cleric, and called down her Majesty's wrath upon him. Standing
before the
Queen, the cleric was of no match, even as he called upon his god
with his
passing breath,

Saige had managed to save his life, only so it could be used as a
sacrifice
this day.

Saige had pondered this moment though, as time had passed, and he
contemplated whether this sacrifice could truly be made.
Ultimately, if this
elf were to be made sacrifice unto her Queen, his position under
his god's
power would be enough

to save his soul perhaps, making the sacrifice useless to her
majesty.
Pondering this, Saige had not been able to come to a decision
upon what must
be done to keep this from occuring and henceforth saving the
sacrifice.

As Saige stood before the temple now though, holding the elf by
the arm, he
realized what must be done in order to complete the sacrifice and
take this
soul to her majesty.

Saige would ahve to accompany this soul himself, through death
and before
the gates of the Abyss, in order to make certain that the soul
was guarded
from being taken during the trip.

This was not a deed easily accomplished, and Saige knew very well
that by
making this sacrifice, he was possibly sacrificing his life also,
and if the
Queen did not deem the sacrifice worthy, she may not offer him a
chance to
return to his body but it was a sacrifice that had to be made.

Standing there with the elf, he slowly drew him inside the
temple. The
honour guard detachment waited outside the inner sanctum, and
watched as their
lord took the enemy by the arm and walked willingly into the arms
of death.

Each knight saluted as Saige walked by, knowing full well what he
intended
to do, and knowing it may be the last that they see of their lord
knight.

Upon entering the sanctum, the elf fell to his knees before the
spilt blood
that lay on the floor. He began to weep, and Saige allowed him a
few moments
of this out of respect only, then slowly dragged him from the
ground and up to
the altar.

Speaking aloud, his voice echoed through not only the sanctum,
but out
through the doors and into the ears of a listening crowd...*

"My Queen Takhisis, it is I, Siage, humble cleric of your
powerful deeds. I
come before you my Queen, to make the final sacrifice in
blessings of thhis
newly constructed temple unto you.

You know what lies in my heart my Queen. You know wha tit is I
intend to do,
and what it is I intend to accomplish here and now. I pray to you
my Queen,
that you will look upon this sacrifice as being honoring to you.

Accept this gift, my Queen, brought to you by your people. Accept
this elf
of goodness into your gates, that you may do with him as you
please. But my
Queen, accept the sacrifice that I make now.



Author:  Saige
Date    Fri May 31 21:04:36 2002


Subject  The Final Sacrifice...III




I pray that my deeds to you have been faithful and loyal enough,
that you
shall accept this and do with me as you wish..." Saige said, as
he begun to
utter the powerful prayers of sacrifice known only to the High
Priests of a
god.

*Shouting the words with a passion and fury that raged form in
his heart, a
black fire began to arise from the ground. The flames swallowed
Saige and the
elf whole.

The elf began to scream out in pain, and began to scream a prayer
to his
god. Saige could feel the flames tearing his soul away form hs
body, and began
to feel the elf's soul being drawn away as he shouted to his god.

Grasping for every ounce of faith and strength he had, Saige held
firm onto
the soul of the elf, as the walked the fires of death and came to
the gates of
the abyss.

Holding firmly to the soul, he felt the pull grow even stronger,
and he felt
as if he would lose the soul of the elf, but then the gate
opened, and a
soothing voice spoke, giving Saige a power he had never felt
before.

Grabbing ont the elf, Saige made one last attempt, and ripped the
elf into
the gates of his Queen. The gates slammed shut, and the screams
of the elf
echoed throughout the bleakness. The darkness began to set in,

and the soothing voice arrived once more, speaking hideous
sweetness into
Saige's ear. A darkness began to flash over Saige, and he was
soon lost in
oblivion as everything began to fade away....*

*I leave my fate up to you, my Queen, and pray that my deeds and
sacrifice
have caught your attention and perhaps something good may yet
come of my
sacrifice, so, as I said, my fate lies in your hands.

Do with my soul as you see fit, for it is now yours my Queen.*


Author:            Saige
Date    Thu Jul 13 17:37:54 2006
Subject   The Return of Saige, I

 
Darkness, blacker than night, was all that existed. There was no 
light, no color, no sound; only darkness. Normal living breathing
men would have been driven mad by such a circumstance. However,
Saige was not a normal man. Nor was he living or breathing any
longer. Rising up to the call of his Queen, he had forfeited his
life in defense of his citadel. The forces of Good had prevailed
over him. Those damned dragons of Light had caught him and his
troops off guard while preparing for a counter-attack on the city
of Palanthas. The citadel had been residing just north of Neraka
taking on troops and supplies for what would be a glorious
victory. Saige and his men, so caught up in their visions of
glory, never even saw the first wave hit.
 
Those were but faint memories now; pictures, thoughts and dreams
that were as thin as dust. Saiges conscience could do nothing but
consider these wispy memories as his soul resided peacefully 
within the darkness. Here, within the folds of Takhisis own
protection, his soul laid waiting.
 
This was all due to a promise made by Her. A promised actually 
kept. On a day long ago, during Saiges middle years when he had
successfully helped rebuild the Queens dark temple in Neraka, she
had made him the promise. During the official blessings, Saige
had
brought forth a priest of Light; an elf. It was that elfs soul 
that won the Queens promise. As soon as Saige had slit his
offerings throat and allowed the blood to flow freely over the
altar, Takhisis granted Saige the promise.
 
"You will not have a need to fear death, my Priest. For when that
day comes, I will be waiting to take your soul for safe keeping.
With me you will rest until called upon once more to walk the
land
and at that time I will give you back your youth and strength for
a continuation of service in my name. So shall it be."
 
It was at the very top of his citadel, in the altar room that the
forces of Light had cornered Saige, High Priest and Commander of
the Skull Forces. It was there that they watched as his body
died.
However, unbeknownst to them, the soul of Saige was not to be
sent
to the river of dead amongst those belonging to Chemosh. Takhisis
herself intervened, fulfilling her promise and taking his soul
with her. Now, trapped within the darkness, there was little for
Saige to do. Time lost all meaning and soon he had forgotten how
long he had been here, resting, waiting... Days, months, years...

There was no way to keep track. All that kept his soul at peace
was the fleeting memories that came and went in his deathly
slumber; memories of power, glory and victory.
 
The visions had become more and more constant though. For what
seemed an eternity, it was all Saige could do to conjure his
memories. Now though, they burned within his soul. The feeling
was
strange at first, as feeling is an improbable thought for only a
soul. But soon the memories became stronger, those of his past
victories and triumphs. From the slaying of his former master
within the very walls of a temple of light to his consecration
and
dedication of mind and body to Takhisis. From his achievements in

gaining her favor as her High Priest to the ranks and titles 
within the Knighthood including his most cherished... Lord of
Doom,
Dark Lord of Neraka. All of these sent an immense surge of power
through him and just when it seemed as if the memories would burn
hot enough to destroy his very soul...
 
Saige opened his eyes.
 
*To be continued*


Author:            Saige
Date    Thu Jul 13 17:44:31 2006
Subject   The Return of Saige, II

 
It was an odd sensation. One that seemed impossible, but there 
above him were the three moons of Krynn shining down upon him;
the
third being masked however its presence felt none the less. Saige
laid there a moment staring up at the stars in the sky before
managing to right himself. Sitting upright, he looked down to
find
his body garbed in his old armour and a black robe signifying his
clerical rank. Was this simply another memory? Perhaps it had
become so real that he had finally driven his soul to conceive...
But no, no this WAS REAL! Saige looked around, his eyes quickly
adjusting to the darkness. His body had been laying on a stone 
structure; a funeral stone perhaps? It didnt matter though, as
Saige laughed out loud, the sound of his own voice, his younger
voice, bringing back his strength.
 
"Dead men do not have such feelings, therefore I must surely be
alive?" he asked the darkness around him.
 
Suddenly, the air became deathly cold. The chill was enough to
send shivers down Saiges spine but a smile touched his lips for
he knew that he was now in the presence of the one he loved. The
one he served. His Queen, Takhisis.
 
"My promise has been kept, my loyal Priest. Your soul has been
returned to the mortal world. Now, it is your turn to uphold the
bargain. Go once more to my Knighthood and bring to them your
strength; for it is my will that you serve me once more."
 
Swinging his feet off the stone, Saige touched them down upon the
ground. Solid rock greetings he boots. How wonderful it felt to
have that sensation once more. Saige looked around, realizing his
Queen was still present, watching him.
 
"I will fulfill my end of the bargain, my Queen," he said as he
stood fully, flexing his muscles and tendons. "I will return to
the Knighthood but what will I find?"
 
A cold wind gusted around him suddenly, leaving his lips blue and
his facial hair frosted.
 
"You will find new faces and familiar ones alike. Your soul has
slumbered but it has not been absent from this world too long.
Return as I said and resume your duties to me, Lord Saige, for I
will not be granting you promises any longer."
 
With that, the presence of Takhisis vanished leaving Saige to
shudder slightly. Wrapping the black cloak around him, Saige set
off into the woods beyond. Judging by the location moons he could

at least know the direction in which he traveled. As soon as he 
found some sigh of civilization he would know best how to make
his
way to the Knighthood. For now though, Saige simply trudged off
in
silence; something he had became keenly accustomed to during his
stay with his Queen...


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Wed Oct 25 00:10:57 2006
Subject  Preparations

Darkness had finally cast its shadow upon the plains just shy of
the Knight's Southern borders.  The mountains of Blode to the
southwest were haunting figures looming in the distance.  Saige
sat quietly in his tent. He had given his officers their orders
for the next few days and had instructed his new guards not to
allow ANYONE entrance.  He was greatly disturbed by the actions
of the Bundesphar the day before.  He knew that while they were
accomplished scouts, if they could cause this much havoc then so
could an enemy.  He could trust no one other than his own
personal guard from Neraka so he had sent for them specifically. 
He couldn't allow his departure to be noticed by others.  His
goal was secretive and in order to preserve that, he had
maintained that he wished to spend several days fasting and
praying to the Queen for empowerment over his troops.  In
reality, Saige had received a vision...  One that he had been
eagerly waiting for...  One that showed him the location of his
fallen citadel.  So, as the hours wore on and the encampment
settled in for the night, Saige prepared for his journey.  


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Thu Mar 22 22:24:57 2007
Subject  Saige scouts his old citadel, and finds more than he
bargained for.

* Saige opens his eyes and glances at his immediate surroundings,
taking note that his location appears to be directly on the edge
of a
sheer cliff. *

Saige says 'Well, I see you still enjoy toying with your servant,
my
Queen...'

* Saige says through clenched teeth as he manages to stand and
lean
away from the ledge, his transportation taking him to a position
a bit
off from where he asked. *

* Saige checks his gear then taps on the edge of the cliff with
his
boot to test its strength and nods. Looking out from his vantage
point, he can just barely see the fires of the army encampment
far to
the northeast. *

* Saige thinks of his duties but then shrugs off the notion. *

Saige says 'You've much more important matters at hand, forget
the
rest.'

* Saige says to himself and begins working his way through the
mountainous terrain. *

* Saige continues his trek through the mountains of Blode with
little
more than some cuts and bruises. Cursing the heavens at various
stages, he continues talking himself through his vision... *

Saige says 'Through the darkness and the haze, along the
mountains it
lays... How in the name of the gods will that help me now? A man
could
lose himself in these mountains and die of starvation or
encounter a
tribe of Ogres without finding what he seeks...'

* Saige growls and utters a curse under his breath as his right
leather gloves rips on the sharp edge of a rock. *

Saige says 'Perhaps taking the Bundesphar wouldn't have been such
a
bad idea... this could take...'

* Saige stops in midsentence as he reaches the summit of a ridge.
Looking down into the mists of the valley below, a stone
structure
becomes faintly visible as the wind moves the insubstantial mass.
*

* Saige looks up into the heavens seeking the constellation that
marks
his Queen. With a grunt of appreciation, he begins to descend
into the
thickening mists and towards the structure. *

* Saige reaches the bottom of the valley after experiencing 20
minutes
of more bone crunching pain. It's no wonder every creature in the
area
wasn't aware of his presence by this point. *

Saige says 'I swear on my soul Takhisis, that I better find what
I'm
looking for here...'

* Takhisis's voice echoes in Saige's head in an agonizing yet
sultry
manner. 'Do not think to make demands of me mortal, favored
cleric
though you are.' *

* Saige instantly feels an unseen hand press onto his shoulders
and
force him to his knees. Growling but maintaining himself, he
forcefully accepts his Queen's ire and utters an appology through
clenched teeth. *

Saige says 'My most, "sincere" appologies my Queen... I should be
more
"grateful" that you've given me the liberty of locating my
citadel...'

* Takhisis titters like a ditzy maiden, while the sound and
feeling of
nails drawn across a chalkboard spreads through Saige's mind. In
moments, it fades to nothing and seems to disappear on unseen
winds. *

* Saige cringes as the sound rings through his mind as much as
his
ears, but as suddenly as it came it vanishes along with the force
pressing him into the ground. *

* Saige staggers and stands, feeling momentarily drained from
experiencing his Queen's wrath. Brushing the dirt off of his
robes, he
resituates his armor and continues forward. *

* Saige continues his journey for another quarter of a mile
before
reaching an area covered with broken flagstone, several small
turrets
and holes in the ground which appear to be from larger stones
that
plummeted from the heavens. *

* a dessicated silver dragon stalks silently along the broken
parapets
of the keep, watching with hooded eyes. *

* Saige looks upon each piece carefully, recognizing each of the
larger masses as the very stones that once were part of his
creation.
After entering into the graveyard of stones, he looks up as the
mists
part just enough for the outline of a single decrepit t *

* Saige (cont) tower to be seen. *

Saige says 'So... the vision was true...'

* a dessicated silver dragon sniffs the air, recognizing the
scent of
the man who imprisoned him decades ago, and leached his magical
essences as fuel for the blasted citadel. *

* Saige says as he looks upon the remains of his once great
flying
creation. *

* Saige takes a few steps forward, feeling a strange sensation
wash
over him but shrugging it off as his past returns to haunt his
mind. *

* Saige becomes momentarily lost from his surroundings. For a
brief
instant, he can feel the wind tearing at his cloak as he looked
off
the balcony to see several flights of Metallic dragons closing in
on
his creation. *

* a dessicated silver dragon deftly hops along the crumbling
stone
that has been his 'home' for the past decades, dodging behind
chunks
of rubble and clouds of mist until he has put himself behind the
blasted human. *

* Saige watches the past run through his mind, as the singly
flight of
dragons he had travelling with him fell before the power of the
cursed
Solamnics and their beasts of Paladine. *

* a dessicated silver dragon glances down, he grimaces at the
twisted
hole that he made in his escape from the chamber that held him
and
hisses softly in barely controlled fury. *

* Saige hears something nearby in the distance, but can't help
but to
remain trapped in his remniscence... He watches as the solamnics
land
in the courtyard, slaughtering his troops and storm the Tower
itself,
finally to confront Saige in his own quarters. *

* Saige reaches down and places a hand overtop his thigh, the
first
place where a Solamnic blade drew blood. Clenching his fists, he
grins
slightly as he recalls the spell that he used to literally suck
the
soul straight out of the Knight, watching as he withe *

* Saige (cont) withered away in front of his comrades. *

* a dessicated silver dragon grins cruelly as his bony claw wraps
around a large block of ruined stone. Quietly he hefts it, his
degenerating muscles straining with the weight of the stone
block. *

* Saige looks up to see another Solamnic scream their cursed oath
before plunging his blade deep into Saige's gut. He could almost
feel
the pain, as if death was ready to take him once more. Darkness
begins
to flood his vision as he remembers his own death... *

* a dessicated silver dragon hisses, like steam escaping from a
gnomish contraption as he hurls the boulder sized block at Saige.
*

* Saige hears the strange sound of steam from somewhere nearby
and
instantly snaps out of his vision from the past. A whirling in
the air
causes him to turn but not in time as the rock crushes his right
shoulder. The sound of splintering bone clearly audible. *

* a dessicated silver dragon sprints on all fours after the rock
as
soon as he throws it, his membraneless wings looking more like
deadly
scythes than tools of flight. *

* Saige staggers from the blow and the pain, falling to a knee
and
glancing up in the direction of the projectile. A terrifying site
reaches his vision and his eyes instantly grow wide in fear, felt
for
the firs ttime in a long time. *

* Saige raises his left hand in a halting gesture and calls out
to
Takhisis to raise the very earth from the ground underneath his
attacker. *

* a dessicated silver dragon howls in pain as the rocks clip his
underbelly, and rolls to the side somewhat less than gracefully.
*

* a dessicated silver dragon struggles to speak, as if trying to
remember something long denied to him. *

a dessicated silver dragon IC in Common 'You...will pay. Foolish
pawn
of Takhisis!'

* Saige takes advantage of the delay and staggers to his feet,
making
an effort to reach a nearby turret that sits crooked in the
ground
where it had fallen. *

* a dessicated silver dragon whirls, the bony remnants of his
wings
hissing through the air as he turns toward the bit of broken
masonry
conceiling the wicked cleric. *

* Saige curses under the pain, his breathing heavy. Closing his
eyes,
he calls again upon Takhisis and is satisfied as he feels his
breath
coming easier. *

Saige says 'What in the names of the gods is it I face...'

* Saige utters through his clenched jaw. *

* a dessicated silver dragon moves faster at the sound of prayer,
vaulting to the top of the turret and kicking down the unstable
bricks
and mortar above the fool cleric. *

* Saige covers his head with his good arm, shielding what debris
he
can as he lunges out of the way, rolling and cursing loudly as he
rolls over his splintered shoulder. *

* a dessicated silver dragon skitters down the ruined tower like
a
spider intent on its prey. *

* Saige looks up to take a good look at his attacker for the
first
time and gasps, nearly coughing in the dust that raises like a
cloud.
*

Saige says 'Yo... Yo... You! There is no possible... no possible
way....'

* Saige stammers as he staggers to his feet again and lunges out
of
the path of the dragon. *

a dessicated silver dragon IC in Common 'Oh yes there is little
knight. It takes more than you think to stop the children of a
god.'

* a dessicated silver dragon snatches at Saige as he lunges away.
*

* Saige becomes snagged by the dragon's talon, tearing through
the
platemail on his leg and catching flesh. The open wound allows
blood
to begin flowing freely onto the ground. *

* a dessicated silver dragon hefts the knight up by his impaled
leg,
dangling the cleric before him and snorting with contempt. *

* Saige screams out in agony as the dragon lifts him into the
air.
Though through the pain, he forces his eyes to remain open,
staring
straight into his enemy's eyes. *

a dessicated silver dragon IC in Common 'You will not die quick.
This
is going to be slower and nastier than what you did to me. When I
am
through, you will beg for Takhisis to take you to whatever
personal
hell she has planned for you!'

Saige says 'I don't know how in the name of the Abyss you
survived
after all this time... But I swear on the gods themselves that I
won't
die by the likes of you... I... I have come too far!'

* a dessicated silver dragon punctuates the sentance with a small
spit
of quicksilver, coating Saige's wounded leg with the deadly
poison. *

* Saige howls in agony as the searing liquid sears his open wound
and
his leg becoming nothing but a lump of burned flesh. *

Saige says 'Takhisis!!!'

a dessicated silver dragon IC in Common 'Now what were you
saying? You
should know mortals never go anywhere, especially the she-bitch's
pets.'

* Saige he screams through his agony *

* Verdan ears twitch from his lair not far away as he begins to
stir.
*

* Saige raises his his good right hand from his upside down state
and
points his palm directly at the dragons face. With a cry of
praise, he
attempts to summon the power of takhisis to call the dark fires
of the
abyss onto his enemy. *

* a dessicated silver dragon grunts in pain as demonfire burns
over
his form, searing away some of his scales. He rolls and thrashes,
dropping Saige unceremoniously towards the ground. *

* Saige falls to the ground, quickly scrambling and clawing at
the
earth. Tears roll down his face as he grunts through the pain
from his
shoulder and leg. Using his good leg he manages to push himself
forward with it in order to get some distance between him *

* Saige (cont) and his foe. *

* a dessicated silver dragon roars in fury as the last of the
fire
dies out and he regains his footing. *

* a dessicated silver dragon bounds after the fleeing knight,
attempting to land directly overtop the wounded the man. *

* Saige hears the sound of the dragon behind him leaping into the
air
and instantly sees the dragons intentions. Rolling onto his back,
he
reaches for his spiked mace and pulls it free from its latch,
raising
it an a final attempt to thwart the beast. *

* a dessicated silver dragon knocks the mace out of Saige's hand
with
a casual gesture. Smiling, the dragon pokes a claw through
Saige's
breastplate as if it were tinfoil. *

a dessicated silver dragon IC in Common 'Since you left me here,
I've
wandered what it would be like to suck down one of your
intestines
like a noodle.'

* a dessicated silver dragon licks his lips with a dry cracked
tongue.
*

* Saige cries out in pain, once again screaming for Takhisis. *

* Verdan hears his goddess's call again. Grudgingly he scans the
forest below, hoping she doesnt want much. *

* Saige writhes in agony, with nothing left to do but suffer
under the
excrutiating pain. *

* Verdan's rider calls out 'Silver Dragon, 3 o'clock!', and
Verdan
wings down towards the ruined building, spotting a weak looking
silver
dragon and grinning at his fortune. *

* Verdan smiles as his rider chants the words of a spell, and a
lightning bolt catches the silver in the back. The tingle of
magic
seems to bring strength to Verdan as he prepares for the lethal
end of
his dive. *

* Saige opens his eyes, covered in dirt and blurred by tears of
pain,
he feels his soul tugging to leave his body, a feeling known and
experienced once before... *

* Saige hears his enemy cry out, but not in jubilation of its
kill.
Instead, a faint roar is heard in the sky above and the visage of
another creature is visible before darkness creeps in and he
falls
into blackness. *

* Verdan tears into the silver flanks, crushing the silver
underneath
him and bathing Saige in its blood. With a contemptious howl,
Verdan
tears the terrified silvers head off in one clean motion. *

* Verdan smiles and chants over the fallen dragon, hauling its
comparitively small form up and draining the little bit of magic
the
silver had left. *

* Verdan barely notices his rider dismounting, or retreiving the
fallen knight. *

Vedan IC in Common 'I don't see why we have to haul that bleeding
mess
of a soldier back to camp. He's not one of us.'

* Verdan snorts with derision as his rider scolds him, 'You know
the
Queen called you here, no doubt to save this man's life. Hurry
Verdan,
we must get him to the healer!' *

Vedan IC in Common 'I continue to wonder why she puts her faith
in
these frail insects.'

* Verdan languidely lands, much to the chagrin of his rider as he
hauls the prisoner off to the healers. *

* Verdan murmers to himself as he looks over the faded green
uniforms
of the soldiers, 'They may be troublesome, but perhaps it was
worth
not eating them all...' *

* Verdan glances back at the hoard of treasure he has pillaged in
his
time with these men, the survivors. *

* Verdan settles down, closes his eyes, and ignores the hustle
and
bustle of the little bees that feed him. *

'-Fin-'


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Thu Mar 22 22:24:57 2007
Subject  Saige awakens from his injury, and Kailith begins
enlightening
           him about the Dragonarmy remnants.


Saige says 'Kai...lith?'

* Saige says through dry cracked lips. *

* Saige squints slightly as his eyes adjust to the change in the
light
and he finally has an opportunity to see the man before him. *

Saige says 'Whe...re... where are we?'

* Saige says through dry cracked lips. *

Kailith says 'At a camp of Dragonarmy Remnants, apparently they
rescued you.'

Kailith says 'Takhisis must have smiled on you.'

* Saige attempts to slide his wounded leg off of the makeshift
cot he
was on. His armour mostly stripped off and his wounds tended to,
he
glances around the tent looking for his clothes. *

Saige says 'Yes... th..e Queen has a wa..y of doing such
thi..ngs...'

* Kailith grins sardonicly. *

Kailith says 'I guess the old ways are better suited to rapid
responses.'

* Saige smirks and disregards the man momentarily as he spies a
bowl
of water sitting on a crude table nearby. Reaching over, he cups
the
water and brings it to his lips before repeating the action to
clean
his face. *

Kailith says 'If you don't mind me asking sir...why have we not
pressed our enemies? '

* Saige pats his face with his wet hands, noticing the roughness
and
estimating himself to have been here for several days. *

* Saige glances at the man. *

Saige says 'Our enemies?'

Kailith says 'Yes sir, the Solamnics, the elves, the dwarven
cowards.
'

Kailith says 'All the lesser races.'

* Saige pays a bit more attention to the man, eyeing him
suspiciously
before answering. *

* Kailith smiles congenially. *

Saige says 'We have our orders to maintain our ranks and our
fortifications until the Queen gives us our sign... But tell me
soldier, how is it you found me here? None should have known me
to
have even been missing.'

* Saige asks as he puts a small amount of weight on his wounded
leg,
testing its strength and feeling it hold slightly. *

* Kailith sheds his face like a bug shedding its shell, revealing
the
young angular face of Kailith. *

Kailith says 'To a cleric, many hidden things become known.'

* Saige growls slightly under his breath. *

Saige says 'You?'

* Saige asks almost skeptically. *

Kailith says 'I will tell you a great truth, if you promise to
listen
with open ears.'

* Saige grunts as he pulls his other leg off the cot and makes an
attempt to stand, nearly falling in the process before catching
himself and maintaining his balance on his good leg. *

Saige says 'Ay.....e. Go on with it, as it appears I'm not going
anywhere for a short while.'

Kailith says 'So be it. '

Kailith says 'All is not as it seems, I am not a fool cleric of
Takhisis.'

* Kailith pulls forth his medallion, flipping it and showing the
broken scales of Hiddukel. *

Kailith says 'I show you this in faith, for all I have to say
this
night is truth, for tonight truth serves my master better than
deception.'

* Saige hobbles over to a nearby chest where his affects lay
scattered. Throwing off the sheet, he pulls his breeches on with
a
curse of pain on his injured leg, mostly ignoring Kailith as the
anguish blocks out his words. Exhaling sharply, he turns. *

Saige says 'Now, what were you saying?'

* Kailith dangles the medallion of faith in plain view. *

Kailith says 'Got your attention?'

* Saige eyes the medallion, looking from it, the Kailith's face
and
back. *

* Saige growls deeply under his breath but shrugs, looking around
for
the rest of his equipment. *

Saige says 'So, you managed to dupe even the Queen... I'm
surprised
she hasn't struck you down dead yet.'

Kailith says 'I did not dupe her, I merely impersonated her
clergy.'

Saige says 'You'll have to explain to me sometime what the
difference
is.'

Kailith says 'But for now, my Lord's plans are of great benifit
to you
and her.'

* Saige gets to his leather underarmour and picks it up, studying
the
hole in the gut and feeling the bandage wrapped around his mid
section. *

Saige says 'Plans? '

* Saige scoffs, tossing the leather armour to the side. *

Saige says 'Tell me what plans you and your Lord of Lies could
possibly have that would help Her and I?'

Kailith says 'Please, if I was going to lie I would not have
shown you
my true face.'

Kailith says 'Or my true god.'

* Saige snorts and hobbles over to a quarterstaff leaning against
the
table with the water. Picking it up, he tests its strength before
uttering the words of a prayer for strength and snapping the
staff in
two. *

* Saige puts his weight on the stick, testing it as a temporary
crutch. He nods and appears satisfied. *

Kailith says 'I was sent to infiltrate your Knighthood, and aid
you,
to spread desperation to the forces of good.'

Kailith says 'Do you know what I found? An order more decadant
and
weak than the Solamnics.'

Saige says 'Fairly bold words coming from one as low and
conniving as
yourself, don't you think?'

* Saige asks as he makes his way over to his discarded
breastplate and
leans down to pick it up. *

Kailith says 'In case you forgot, I found you, and had the balls
to
come in here and find you before your elite soldiers.'

Kailith says 'But please, bear with me a moment longer.'

* Saige shrugs on the armour, feeling a slight discomfort as the
cold
steel presses into his bandaged midsection and shoulder. *

Saige says 'I'm listening still, aren't I?'

* Saige says as he tries his best to assemble his armour. *

Kailith says 'You know my words are true. Can't you feel
Takhisis's
displeasure as her force moulder, inactive within fortresses her
enemies have long forgotten'

*Arikaih continues on her pathway, watching the wolves work as
they
follow blood trail.

Kailith says 'Hell, thats why you lead this expedition isnt it?'

* Saige pauses a moment, allowing his mind to wander to the army
of
lazy disrespectful soldiers on the fields south of Taman Basuk. *

Kailith says 'To prove to yourself and her Dark Majesty that you
still
have a purpose, that you still have...POWER.'

Saige says 'I came for my own reasons, selfish as it may seem, I
had
my own goals to achieve.'

Saige says 'I did this for myself, not for Her.'

Kailith says 'Really? I'm sure they both played a part.'

* Saige says feeling his wounds burn slightly as his Queen surely
hears the remarks. *

* Saige snorts in derision. *

Kailith says 'Perhaps thats why she allowed you to do this?
Because
she is sick of waiting.'

* Arikaih sees something in the distance and whistles shrilly,
calling
all the wolves to her side. *

Saige says 'Take your twisted words elsewhere, they will be of
little
use to perverse my mind.'

Kailith says 'If you can tell me that I have lied to you, I will
leave.'

* Saige growls under his breath. *

Kailith says 'My god remembers the glory days. The Dragonarmies.'

Kailith says 'Takhisis must too, why else would she chose these
to
rescue you.'

* Arikaih walks slowly toward the vision, seeing a camp, ringed
with
sentries. Slowly she heads toward the camp, her hand on her
dagger. *

Saige says 'Damn you to the corners of the Abyss. Those days are
gone
and Her armies paid with their lives. An obvious reason why they
no
longer exist.'

Kailith says 'No longer? '

* Saige raises his eyes to meet Kailith's and squints. *

Saige says 'Yes, no longer... what other lies do you wish to feed
me
in this condition?'

* Arikaih stops before a sentry, and after a bit of talking, is
pointed toward a large tent in the center of the camp. She slowly
approaches it and softly coughs. *

* Saige growls as he finishes assembling enough of his armour to
regain some respect for himself and his station. *

* Saige looks up at the closed tent flaps, taking note of another
presence. *

Kailith says 'Really? They were defeated, but can you tell me the
current situation is much better?'

* Arikaih speaks quietly from outside the tent. "Lord Saige?" *

* Saige snorts again, ready to go on a long winded speel until he
hears his name spoken from outside and sounding extremely
familiar. *

* Saige holds his hand up instead, halting his and Kailiths
conversation. Hobbling over to the tent entrance, he uses the
makeshift crutch to open one of the flaps. *

* Saige peer out. *

* Arikaih sees the movement and raises her hand in a salute. *

* Kailith does not turn around. *

* Saige squints slightly, looking from Arikaih back into the tent
to
Kailith and then back to Arikaih again. *

Saige says 'Takhisis truly wishes to curse my mind...'

* Kailith sighs at the thickheadedness of others. *

* Saige says and turns, heading back into the tent. *

* Arikaih reaches into a pouch and pulls out something, setting
it on
the ground. A black furball streaks into the tent with Arikaih
following *

* Kailith finally turns around, chuckling to himself at the new
arrival. *

* Saige continues hobbling past Kailith back to his makeshift
cot.
Placing his hand upon it, he leans against it with his back to
both of
you. *

* Saige shakes his head, muttering under his breath to himself. *

* Arikaih growls deeply, drawing her dagger a bit from it's
sheath.
"You traitorous demon." *

Kailith says 'Who me?'

* Kailith looks confused. *

Arikaih says 'You who conned the highest clerics of Her
Majesty...Yes
you bloody bastard'

* Kailith shrugs and points to the medallion around his neck.
Pointing
to Saige, he speaks, 'I told him the truth.' *

* Saige quietly mutters something about needing a hard drink. *

Arikaih says 'Funny, you tried to lie to me in a mist form.'

Kailith says 'No that was truth.'

Kailith says 'A more powerful weapon than lies more often than
not.'

* Arikaih turns as the black furball comes to her side and
whimpers.
She kneels beside him, pulling something silver from her pack and
handing it to the puppy. *

Kailith says 'I came to give Saige the same message I tried to
give
you.'

* Arikaih stands and looks at Kailith, her hand no longer on her
dagger. "And, Pray tell, what message was that?" *

Kailith says 'My Lord has told me the Dragonarmies shall rise
anew, to
usher in a new age of strength for the Dark Queen's forces.'

* Saige hears the small wolf growl at his feet. Looking down, he
spies
his flask in the creatures mouth. Snorting and shaking his head,
he
reaches down and grabs the flask, ruffling the creatures ears
before
standing and pulling out the cork. *

* Saige inhales deeply from the flasks contents, seemingly
satisfied
and paying no attention to the conversation behind him. Lifting
it to
his lips, he takes a long pull on it. *

Arikaih says 'Dragonarmies? '

Arikaih says 'They don't exist'

Arikaih says 'They are a thing of horror that all Silvanesti
children
are threatened with.'

Kailith says 'What do you call the survivors outside? They've
been
devoid of their Queen's attentions but here they are.'

* Kailith laughs, recalling things he has heard of the horrors of
Silvanesti. *

* Arikaih looks slightly over her shoulder, back toward the tent
flap.
"How?" *

Kailith says 'The same when any evil group of soldiers survive.
Probably raiding and acting as bandits. With perhaps some
Mercenary
work if they feel like doing an honest man's work.'

* Kailith smirks at the word honest. *

* Saige takes his fifth pull from the flask and empties the
container.
Growling slightly, he holds the flask upside down just to make
sure he
got everything out before putting the stop back in and slipping
it
inside his boot. *

* Arikaih looks toward the puppy as it starts yipping. She shakes
her
head at it. "He needs no more at this time." *

Kailith says 'I see you train your pets wisely.'

* Arikaih glares at Kailith. "They are not pets. They are
companions
and friends." *

* Saige turns and glares at Kailith before addressing Arikaih. *

Saige says 'Tell me Arikaih, what is the current situation? Where
are
we?'

Arikaih says 'Current situation of the camp you left...they still
sit
and are now happy that we no longer haunt them.'

Saige says 'Aye, yes yes... but where are WE right NOW? All I've
seen
since awaking from my battle is the inside of this damned tent.'

Arikaih says 'As to right now...we stand in a tent in a camp
north of
the Silvanost forest.'

Saige says 'Whose camp do we stand in? I've yet to see those who
managed to save my life.'

Arikaih says 'They are loyal to Her Majesty, but I know none of
them.'

Kailith says 'Didn't you hear me earlier? We stand in the camp of
some
Dragonarmy Remnants.'

* Saige turns to glance at Kailith. *

Kailith says 'Green's by whats left of their uniforms.'

* Arikaih turns her attention to Kailith. "You actually mean to
tell
me that some of those from the days forgotten remain as they
were." *

* Kailith peers at the tent and rubs the material between his
fingers,
'I could use a nice Silvanesti tent like this. *

* Saige hobbles over to the entrance and forces the flaps open,
taking
his first look at what lay beyond. To his surprise, he spies
exactly
as has been told to him. *

* Saige watches as several of the men near a fire stare over at
him,
speaking together though their words are undistinguishable. He
continues to stare around the encampment. *

Kailith says 'They are not as they were. No more than bandits now
who
pay Takhisis lip-service. But I think they, as you Lord Saige,
know
the time for glory is once again coming. '

Kailith says 'Can't you feel it? Like lightning is about to
strike.
Her armies, with the servants of the other dark gods, pushing
back the
fools who follow the light, and driving them into despair!'

* Kailith's eyes shine like that of a fanatic for a moment. *

* Saige watches Kailith as he appears caught up in the glory of
his
words. *

Saige says 'Tis a shame, that my Queen does not allow me to live
in
such visions as it seems your Lord allows you.'

Saige says 'How in the name of the gods are these remnants...
this
ragtag group of bandits living in the past, going to rise up to
the
might of those who currently hold Her Majesties regards?'

Kailith says 'Well do you think that this is only scattered group
of
soldiers left over from that long war? That they will not flock
to you
and your column of loyal soldiers when you reform the
Dragonarmies?'

Kailith says 'You know Takhisis won't mind either. She repects
the
strong. She honors those who knock down old weakness with new
strength
and conviction.'

* Saige snorts derisively. *

Saige says 'We would all be hunted down. Hunted and slain by Her
armies. You know nothing of the power that is there...'

Kailith says 'Then why has that power not crushed the Solamnics?
Why
have you not crushed the elves? Why have you not struck
Takhisis's
enemies?'

Arikaih says 'What power, Lord Saige?'

Kailith says 'How many dissatisfied soldiers do you think sit and
wait
for something to happen, waiting for a chance at glory. How many
do
you think would take up a new banner, an old banner, a banner
proven
and blodied in combat?'

Arikaih says 'You brought me into her ranks and set me at the
barracks
of the Thorn Wizards, thinking that they would teach me...yet
they
shunned me...just as my own father did.'

* Saige glowers, appearing to clench his teeth before inhaling
deeply
and curving his rising temper. *

Arikaih says 'Instead, She sent me another direction.'

Kailith says 'And now Takhisis sends you here.'

Kailith says 'Do you think my Lord did this? No.'

Saige says 'It is not my place to question the authority of those
above me. The ways of the Knighthood DICTATE that you do NOT
question
your superiors.'

* Arikaih shakes her head at Kailith. "I know for a fact that I
was
sent here by the presence of the Queen. She set me on this
pathway...to find you Lord Saige." *

Kailith says 'I thought your superior was Takhisis.'

Saige says 'Indeed, Takhisis is the superior of us all, and I
would
never forget that.'

Kailith says 'To my knowledge, Lady Ayasana only has her position
because she claims to speak for Takhisis, but as a cleric you
KNOW
what Takhisis wants. '

* Saige glares at Kailith. *

Kailith says 'You know your goddess, you know how she operates.
You
know she only agreed to the charade of 'honor' because she
thought it
would lend her forces more strength. Has it?'

Saige says 'With a tongue like that, I'm surprised you haven't
been
ousted from the ranks yet. I know for a fact had I caught you
speaking
in such a manner about myself I would have challeneged you on the
spot.'

* Arikaih turns and pulls a full wine skin from her pouch and
walks
toward Saige, holding it out to him...the puppy barking excitely
at
her feet. *

Arikaih says 'He would not, milord'

Arikaih says 'The Lizard and I found and exposed him for what he
was.
We battled and he escaped, due to lack of help from my fellow
knight.'

Kailith says 'Battle? There was no battle. I left.'

Arikaih says 'You ran like a scalded bitch'

Kailith says 'When my purpose is to leave, why slow myself down
with
combat?'

* Saige listens intently as he declines the offered wine skin. *

* Arikaih nods at Saige and replaces the skin in her pouch *

Saige says 'So, you were removed from Her Majesties armies...
What
then are you still doing bearing Her marks then?'

* Saige points at your armour. *

Kailith says 'I was not 'removed'. I left because Hiddukel bade
me, to
prepare for the coming of the Dragonarmies. I took on the guise
of a
Knight to reach you, but by the time I finished the rituals of
disguise you had left the camp and a better oppurtunity'

Kailith says 'presented itself.'

* Saige grumbles something about deceit and a true face of honor.
*

Kailith says 'You know the history of Takhisis. She cares nothing
for
honor, only strenght and power.'

* Arikaih laughs out loud. "Strength and power? Then she needs to
look
farther than some of those who accompanied you, Lord Saige." *

Saige says 'Watch your tongue Arikaih. While this one may no
longer be
one of Her accepted, you and I still serve the Queen as loyal
Knights.
Honor and discipline are what make us strong.'

Kailith says 'Do you beleive that? Does SHE beleive that still?'

Arikaih says 'Honor and discipline...this I agree with you on,
but how
can others around us be without both and still stand able to hold
their offices and ranks?'

* Saige glowers at Kailith. *

* Kailith glances at Arikaih, smiling slightly. *

* Saige glares at Arikaih and then back at Kailith. *

Saige says 'It seems you've succeeded with your venemous charm to
ensnare one of us so far...'

Saige says 'But regardless of what you say, I know what our fate
will
be.'

Saige says 'I know what the law says in regards to traitors and
deserters.'

Arikaih says 'Is it so shocking that I can think on my own?'

Saige says 'And I know for a FACT what will happen.'

Kailith says 'Please. I bring no venom to my future superior and
his
soldiers.'

Arikaih says 'I bring no venom to those I respect and trust,
milord.'

* Saige snaps his mouth shut, eyeing Kailith suspiciously after
his
comment. *

Saige says 'Future superior? '

* Saige scoffs. *

Saige says 'You actually expect ME to go through with YOUR...
delusions of grandeur?'

Kailith says 'The penalty for desertion is death. But if half of
them
desert with, and the soldiers, goblins, and ogres rally under the
5
colored banner, do you think they will be able to stand against
you?'

* Saige snorts. *

Kailith says 'The forgotten races of the world are itching at a
chance
to spill human blood, and they will serve her, eagerly.'

Saige says 'What makes you even think that the soldiers would
leave
for such a cause? They are well trained and know their places.'

* Arikaih starts laughing. "Trained...when one night is all it
takes
for them to fall asleep and for me to do what I did." *

* Saige eyes Arikaih with a small but apparent amount of
hostility. *

Kailith says 'Because soldiers often follow their immediate
superiors,
especially when they see the state of stagnation her army lies
in. '

Kailith says 'You control a full third of her military, and I am
sure
some of the thorns will follow you as well.'

Kailith says 'The goblin hordes, oppressed draconians, jealous
ogres,
and abyss knows the minotaurs may even once again serve. '

Kailith says 'Not to mention the four neglected flights of
dragons. '

Saige says 'I have one intention and one intention only...'

Saige says 'And that is to follow the will of Takhisis.'

Saige says 'And while your god of deceit has shown you all of
this,
Takhisis has shown nothing of it to me.'

Kailith says 'Then look to her and see what Her Dark Majesty
thinks of
this.'

Kailith says 'I know she relishes watching her children fight to
prove
who is stronger. This should be no different.'

* Saige utters a curse under his breath and winces outwardly as
he
shifts weight to his damaged leg. *

Saige says 'I will need to commune with Takhisis about.... this.'

* Saige says in regards to the conversation at hand. *

* Kailith nods. *

Saige says 'But I cannot spend anymore time here. It's hard to
say
what rumors are being spread through the encampment of my men to
the
east.'

Saige says 'I must find the commanding officer of this group, as
well
as the dragon and rider who managed to save my life.'

* Arikaih shakes her head and exits the tent. *

Kailith says 'Then I will take my leave. When you come to your
decision, know that you could gain valuable time to entrench
yourself
and gather your forces by sending word back that you have been
cut off
by ogres. '

* Kailith don's his helmet, the long hair of his disguise
replaced
with shorter, more comfortable hair. *

* Kailith pushes open the tent flap and steps out, preparing to
make
his departure into the night. *

* Arikaih stands just outside the tent, the wolves at her side,
the
remaining puppies playing and growling. *

* Kailith salutes Arikaih as he passes by. *

* Saige remains in the tent, even after the flaps fall and he
stands
alone, he considers Kailith's words. *

* Arikaih slowly bows her head to Kailith, remaining at her post.
*

Saige says 'Gods damn you my Queen... what in the abyss have you
gotten me into...'

* Saige growls through clenched teeth. *

* Kailith begins murmering as he finally leaves the camp, 'An
open
mind is like a fortress with its gates unbarred and unguarded.
Lord
Saige has a closed mind, but my words are seige weapons.' *

* Saige hobbles outside of the tent into the cool evening air. *

* Arikaih turns and salutes Saige. *

* Saige steps forward to stand beside Arikaih, acknowledging her
but
continueing to stare out through the encampment. *

Arikaih says 'It's strange, milord. '

* Saige says in a voice much milder than used earlier. *

Arikaih says 'To see Her followers here...and they are still
completely loyal to Her...yet they have not succumbed to the
listlessness that I have seen on a regular basis...especially on
the
lifeless faces of the sentries around "that" camp.'

Saige says 'Those "lifeless" sentries, as you so put it, are good
men
regardless of what I tell them. Quite a few have served on the
fields
already. Though they have all just sat idle and wasted away the
past
few years it seems... Such a waste...'

Arikaih says 'And I was shocked at how I was recieved as I met
the
sentries here. They met me at their boundries, and spoke to me
with
such honor and respect...I was speechless at that small bit of
courtesy.'

Arikaih says 'Are you saying that I have not fought?'

* Arikaih turns toward Saige and pulls her shoulders back,
straightening her stance. *

* Saige snorts. *

Saige says 'The men you see around you are far from respectful.
If
anything, they treated you in such a manner in hopes that we
would
leave without returning to kill them all off.'

Saige says 'And you have spent time in the ranks... but you have
yet
to see time on a field of war, child.'

* Arikaih shakes her head. "No...I see them without a leader and
needing a direction to be led toward. *

* Saige remarks, noting her age above all else. *

Arikaih says 'Field of battle? Not all your damned fields of
battle
take place in war. Perhaps it is you who should step back and
take a
look around you.'

* Arikaih bows to Saige and turns, walking away. Under her
breath, she
mumbles. "You were once strong...what happened." *

* Saige chuckles to himself at her animosity and looks up into
the
heavens. *

Saige says 'Looks like I must have struck a nerve.'

* Saige says to himself with a slight grin before hobbling
towards the
fires of the encampment in search of the leading officer. *

* Saige FIN *


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Tue May  1 05:16:28 2007
Subject     The Darkness Within

The light from a single candle burns softly, sending a faint and
eerie
glow upon a line of wooden casks before fading into the darkness.
 The musty
smell of rot and decay mix oddly with the faint sweet smell of
wine.  A lone
figure sits upon a wooden stool, leaning back against the line of
casks,
bathing in the darkness.  

Bringing the wooden mug to his lips, Saige drinks heavily of the
fluid
within before pulling it from his mouth and breathing out a heavy
sigh. 
Looking into the darkness, beyond the light of the candle, he
stares.  

"You and me...  We're not all that different you know," he
says through
slitted eyes, still staring into the darkness.  

He takes another deep breath, staring into the now empty cup... 
Pulling it
to his nose to inhale the sweet perfume of the alcohol.  

"You're only friend seems to be me and this light...  But the
light won't
last forever...  Sometimes I even wonder if it will last longer
than me... 
Perhaps, perhaps not...  But I will always be here if I can help
it.  Even
darkness needs a friend.  "

He reaches back and twists the spout on the nearest keg, watching
as the
wine pours out and fills the wooden mug.  With dulled senses, he
manages to
shut the spout but not before spilling some onto the ground. 
With a sigh,
he pulls the mug back towards him, oblivious to the mess.  

"There was once a time when I had everything you know...  "
he says as he
waves a hand in an encompassing manner.  

"The whole world, within my very grasp...  She even offered it
to me once...
Offered me the whole thing.  Gods, I was young and naive then. 
Foolish... 
But those were the best years...  "

He brings the cup to his lips and drinks deeply, coughing near
the end as he
nearly drowns himself in the sweet poison.  Disregarding the wine
spilt
across his armored chest and robes, he continues to stare into
the bleak and
empty space beyond the candle 's light.  

"How I envy you...  So silent yet ever listening.  Only able to
have half of
this world and knowing full well you can never own it all.  It
must be
hard...   But owning something is better than nothing I
suppose...  Half the
world belongs to you for half the day...  At least for half a
day, you are
god...  "

He slumps into his seat slightly, his eyes closing as the sweet
poison takes
it's hold.  His breathing eases slightly and his mind begins to
relapse back
into the emptiness that has become home.  Yet somewhere in the
dark recesses
of his mind, he knows the poison isn't strong enough.  Tomorrow,
he'll awake
and continue to wait for his sentencing.  Oh if they only knew. 
Perhaps an
execution would be for the best...  But the will to survive
remains
strong...  Too strong still...  

"Oh...  How I envy you...  " he says before the light fades
and he returns
to the folds of darkness.  

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Fri May 25 23:08:39 2007
Subject     Harnessing the Berserker, Part I

Just for reference, this is a portion of a global RP that took
place last
evening between myself, Merek and Kevril.  Cleaned up its 12
pages long, so
this is simply a taste of the action.  For any interested in the
full
script, send me a note.  

* Saige motions to Kevril and holds out the necklace to him.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-smirks- You want me to minister it?  '

Saige ICs in Common 'I am entrusting you to place the necklace
upon Merek
while I maintain control of him...  Do you trust your queen?  '

* Merek stares hard at Saige, wondering the meaning of "Control"
he had in
mind.  *

Kevril ICs in Common 'For as long as I live.  You just want me to
put it on
him?  '

* Saige nods solemnly and looks back to Merek.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Holds the two ends of the necklace
intently, focusing
on Merek's neck-'

Merek ICs in Common 'I hope you arent more of a fool than cleric,
Saige. 
You are placing this man in mortal danger.  '

* Merek bows his head down, to allow Kevril access.  *

Kevril ICs in Common 'Every day of my life has been in mortal
danger since I
was born.  Who are you to cause me any more fear of death? 
-Talking as a
distraction, he approaches Merek and places the necklace around
his neck-'

* Saige maintains his stance, several steps away from Merek and
inhales
deeply before half closing his eyes and whispering soundlessly. 
*

* Merek's eyes instantly go blank, recoginition disappearing as
his size
increases to 7 feet (an illusion) and the intensity in the room
grows to an
immense stifling aura.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-The illusion causes Kevril to lose focus,
and he
fumbles with the knot and it slips out.  He nearly drops the
necklace, but
catches it at the last moment-'

* Saige continues his prayers, calling upon his Queen to focus
Her powers
through him.  His lips move with an uncharacterical grace yet no
sound can
be heard.  *

* Merek's distant smile retains it formality though his eyes glow
a horrible
orange and he snatches the sword leaning against the wall into
his hand and
lifts it like it were a pencil.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Dodges Merek's outstretched arm as it
grasps the
sword, and he tries once again to tie the knot on the necklace-' 

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Fri May 25 23:10:25 2007
Subject     Harnessing the Berserker, Part II

* Saige's eyes suddenly appear to darken while his lips continue
moving
fiercly in prayer.  The words suddenly take up a voice which is
not his own
and a black aura begins to spread from his body, flowing out and
encasing
Merek.  *

Merek ICs in Common '*slaps the little man away without a second
thought,
brandishing his sword he looks to Saige, his smile never
disappearing and
charges with speed that could equal an elven sword-dancer.  '

* Merek raises the sword above his head with too much ease,
one-handing the
weapon as though it were a mere toy and then hesitates.  A
quizical look
furrows his brow as though he has no idea what is going on, sword
still
raised.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Crumples as he hits the wall, his breath
knocked out
of him.  Struggling to his feet, he finds the necklace across the
room, with
Saige and Merek in between-'

* Saige continues to voice his prayers, the power of Takhisis
coursing
through his body as he maintains control of the powerful
berserker.  *

* Merek struggles internally, the confusion on his face holds
steady, as
though he were trying to awake from a dream.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Slinks behind the two and grabs the
necklace.  At a
sprint, he dives and grabs Merek in a choke hold from behind as
he tries to
tie the necklace on-'

Kevril ICs in Common '-Finally, the knot ties solidly, and Kevril
utters a
few words to bind the knot magically-'

* Saige senses through the power of his Queen that the necklace
has been
secured.  With another push, the dark power of Takhisis flows out
even
heavier and swirls around Merek, covering him up to his waist.  *

* Merek's face contorts into an ugly contortion, his forehead
bulges oddly,
his eyes retaining all of the horror occuring inside of him.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Bucks wildly as he holds on to the weak
choke hold,
more for his own protection than an actual threat-'

* Merek stands solidly, holding the recruit behind him by the
man's own
strength as he chokes Merek with the burden of his weight alone. 
*

* Merek's eyes glaze over again and that distant recognition
disappears.  He
charges Saige with the man flapping across his back, swiping the
sword in an
arc with a loud (Swish) * 

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Fri May 25 23:13:06 2007
Subject     Harnessing the Berserker, Part III

* Saige's focus on his Queen's power prohibits him from seeing
Merek's
attack.  Without a chance to move, the sword swings down upon
him.  Whether
it was the shear power of Takhisis or pure luck, the blade is
repelled
slightly, *

* Saige (cont) but not before the point tears down across Saige's
face and
over his left eye.  With a violent scream, he falters momentarily
but keeps
contact with his Queen, using Her power to quell the searing
pain.  *

* Merek's grin widens though stuck somewhere in the back of his
mind he
recoils in horror, watching the blade arc with such horrible
strength behind
it, the act makes him snap, with resignation he just stares on
dully,
remembering the dreams of all those had killed so horribly when
the demon
took over.  *

Merek ICs in Common '*a growl of anguish and pure anger escapes
his lips as
he swipes again and again.  *'

* Saige's blood runs down the right side of his face from the
hideous gash
left by Merek; s blade...  But through his strong will to survive
he pushes
forward and unleashes a final barrage of power from his Queen in
an attempt
to subdue Merek.  *

* Saige hands are outstretched and the dark flow of energy pours
out and
flows over Merek.  *

* Merek's size finally begins to grow less, his eyes regain a
sense of
clearness as the energy hits him, his berserk dying off as he
sinks to his
knees, Kevril's feet finally touch the ground.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Tightens his hold, not knowing the the
battle is
over-'

* Merek coughs slightly and drops his sword, no longer retaining
the
strength to hold onto it.  *

* Saige's voice leaves him and he also falls to his knees, his
lips still
moving wordlessly and the gash across his face rendering his
ruptured
eyeball useless.  Reaching up, he feels the warmth of his blood
and gasps in
a bout of pain.  *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Finally realizing that no one is still
fighting,
Kevril removes himself from Merek and allows him to breath
easily.  He
stands and brushes himself off as if nothing happened-'

* Merek stands up and the sword leaning on his back falls on
kevril behind
him *

Kevril ICs in Common '-Bruises his forearms as he parries the
huge sword
away-'

Kevril ICs in Common '-Incoherent mutterings of asshole can
barely be
heard-'

Merek ICs in Common 'I saw it all...  Im sorry.  '

* Saige lowers his face to the ground, the wound sending violent
spasms of
pain from his skull throughout his body.  Summoning what strength
he has
left, he calls upon his Queen to heal his wound...  *

* Merek turns to face Saige and see's the blood trickling down
his face.  *

* Saige can feel his Queen's taunting presence laughing within
his soul. 
Reaching out to Her, he begs for Her healing touch.  In a sense,
She does
reach out with Her powers of healing...  *

Merek ICs in Common 'Is it over...?  ' 

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Sat May 26 00:53:21 2007
Subject     Harnessing the Berserker, Part I

* To note, this is part one of three summarizing a global RP
that took
place last evening between Saige, Merek and Kevril.  The entire
RP was
logged and is 12 pages clean.   If anyone would care to see
the RP in its
entirity, feel free to send me a note and I will make sure you
receive a
copy.  What you read here however will merely describe a portion
of the
action.  Enjoy.   

The large chamber within the Temple is eerily dark, shadows
dancing along
the edge of the walls cast by a single flame burning magically in
a cold
hearth.  Saige looks to Kevril and holds out the necklace, a fang
wrapped in
a leather thong its only decor.  Kevril looks at the necklace,
then back to
Saige.  

"You want me to administer it?"  He says with a smirk.  

Saige's eyes move from the necklace to Kevril.  "I am entrusting
you to
place the necklace upon Merek while I maintain control of him... 
Do you
trust your Queen to protect you during that time?"  

Merek meanwhile stares hard into the eyes of Saige, pondering
quietly upon
the meaning of the word "control" and wondering what was going to
happen
once the necklace was placed upon him.  In turn, Kevril shrugs
and steps
forward to take the necklace.  "For as long as I live.  You just
want me to
put it on him?  

Saige nods solemnly and turns to face Merek while Kevril takes
hold of the
two ends of the necklace, intently focusing on Merek's neck as
his target. 


"I hope you arent more of a fool than cleric, Saige.  You are
placing this
man in mortal danger," Merek states as Kevril steps towards him. 
Watching
Kevril for a moment, he looks back to Saige and realizes his
words would go
unanswered.  Orders were orders.  Kneeling slightly Merek bows
his head to
allow Kevril access.  

"Every day of my life has been in mortal danger since I was born.
 Who are
you to cause me any more fear of death?"  Kevril says as he
approaches
Merek, though his words of confidence appear more clearly in his
face as a
mere distraction from what could potentially transpire.  

Saige maintains his stance, several steps away from the two men
and inhales
deeply before half closing his eyes and whispering soundlessly. 
As he
focuses his power and Kevril brings the necklace close, Merek's
eyes
instantly go blank, recoginition disappearing as his size
increases to 7
feet and the intensity in the room grows with to an immense
stifling aura. 
The transformation causes Kevril to lose focus, and he fumbles
with the
knot, the necklace slipping out.  He nearly drops it but catches
it at the
last moment.  

Saige continues his prayers, calling upon his Queen to focus Her
powers
through him.  His lips move with an uncharacteristical grace yet
no sound
can be heard.  Merek's distant smile retains it formality, though
his eyes
begin to glow a horrible orange and he snatches the sword leaning
against
the wall into his hand and lifts it like it were a pencil. 
Kevril dodges
Merek's outstretched arm as it grasps the sword, and he tries
once again to
tie the knot on the necklace around the berserker's neck.  
 
(To be continued)

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Sat May 26 01:01:07 2007
Subject     Harnessing the Berserker, Part II

(Continued...  )

Saige's eyes suddenly appear to darken while his lips continue
moving
fiercly in prayer, beads of sweat forming above his brow.  The
words
suddenly take up a voice which is not his own and a black aura
begins to
spread from his body, flowing out and swirling around Merek.  

The berserker slaps Kevril away without a second thought.  Kevril
crumples
as he hits the wall, his breath knocked out of him.  Brandishing
his sword,
Merek looks to Saige, his smile never disappearing and charges
with speed
equal to that of an elven sword-dancer.  Raising the weapon above
his head
with great ease, one-handing the weapon as though it were a mere
toy, he
suddenly hesitates.  A quizical look furrows his brow as though
he has no
idea what is going on, the sword still raised and ready to
strike.  Nearby,
Kevril struggles to his feet, and looks urgently about the room. 
He finds
the necklace across the cold stone floor, with Saige and Merek in
between. 

Meanwhile, Saige continues to voice his prayers, the power of
Takhisis
coursing through his body as he attempts to maintain control of
the powerful
berserker.  Merek struggles internally, the confusion on his face
holding
steady, as though he were trying to awake from a dream.  Kevril
slinks
behind the two and makes a grab for the necklace.  At a sprint,
he dives and
latches onto Merek, keeping him in a choke hold from behind while
he tries
to tie the necklace onto the enraged man.  Finally, the necklace
ties
solidly, and Kevril utters a few words to bind the knot
magically.  Saige
senses through the power of his Queen that the necklace has been
secured. 
With another push, the dark power of Takhisis flows out even
stronger and
swirls around Merek like a raging storm, covering him up to his
waist. 
Merek's face contorts into an ugly fit of rage, his forehead
bulging oddly
but his eyes remain open, retaining all of the horror occuring
inside of
him.  

Kevril maintains his hold on the berserker, bucking wildly as he
holds on to
the weak choke hold which is more for his own protection than an
actual
threat.  Merek then stands solidly and he braces against the
burden of
Kevril's weight.  His eyes glaze over again and that distant
recognition
disappears.  He charges Saige with the young man flapping across
his back
and swipes the sword in an arc, the blade making a harsh sounds
as it slices
through the air.  
 
(To be continued)

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Sat May 26 01:59:01 2007
Subject     Harnessing the Berserker, Part III

(Continued...  )

Saige's focus on his Queen's power prohibits him from seeing
Merek's attack.
Without a chance to move, the sword swings down upon him. 
Whether by the
shear power of Takhisis or pure luck, the blade falls slightly
short of its
mark but not before the tip tears down across Saige's face and
over his left
eye.  With a violent scream, he falters momentarily and the power
of
Takhisis starts to dissipate.  An urgent voice inside his head
damands his
attention.  Granting him some clarity he regains contact with his
Queen,
temporarily forgetting the searing pain and blood.  

Merek's grin widens, though stuck somewhere in the back of his
mind he
recoils in horror, watching the blade arc with such horrible
strength behind
it.  The act makes him snap and with resignation he just stares
on dully,
remembering the dreams of all those he had killed so horribly
when the demon
took over.  A growl of anguish and pure anger escapes his lips as
he loses
control once more and swipes again and again.  

Saige's blood runs down the right side of his face from the
hideous gash
left by Merek's blade...  But through his strong will to survive
he pushes
forward and side steps the attack.  With a rush of confidence, he
unleashes
a final barrage of power from his Queen in an attempt to subdue
the
berserker.  Saige's hands stretch forth and the dark energy pours
out and
flows over Merek.  

Merek's size finally begins to grow less and his eyes regain a
sense of
clearness as the energy hits him.  His berserk rage begins dying
off as he
sinks to his knees and behind him Kevril's feet finally touch the
ground.  

Kevril tightens his hold, not knowing the the battle is over and
unsure
whether or not he truly wants to release the now subdued man. 
Merek coughs
slightly and drops his sword, no longer retaining the strength to
hold onto
it.  Saige's voice leaves him and he also falls to his knees, his
lips still
moving wordlessly and the gash across his face rendering his
ruptured
eyeball useless.  Reaching up, he feels the warmth of his blood
and gasps in
a bout of pain.  

Kevril finally realizes that struggle has ended and removes
himself from
Merek, allowing him to breath easily.  He stands and brushes
himself off,
glancing about with wary eyes.  Merek then stands up, causing the
sword
leaning on his back to fall onto kevril behind him.  Kevril
bruises his
forearms as he parries the huge sword away and Incoherent
mutterings of
asshole can barely be heard from under his breath.  

"I saw it all...  I'm sorry," says Merek, staring into the
darkness of the
room.  

Saige lowers his face to the ground, the wound sending violent
spasms of
pain from his skull throughout his body.  Summoning what strength
he has
left, he calls upon his Queen to heal his wound, feeling his
Queen's
taunting presence laughing within his soul.  Reaching out to Her,
he begs
for Her healing touch.  Mocking laughter rings loud in his ears
as She
grants only part of his request.  The blood stops flowing freely
but the
vision remains absent and a faint voice can be heard like a
whisper...  "Tis
a small price to pay for such a prize, wouldn't you say, my
servant?"  

Merek turns to face Saige and see's the blood trickling down his
face and
pooling onto the floor where he kneels.  "Is it over...?"  He
asks.  
 
(The End)

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Tue Jun 12 03:52:54 2007
Subject     Research be Damned...

The candle flickered momentarily before extinguishing the last of
its
life in a pool of wax.  With the absence of the light, shadows
began to
dance upon the desk and through the stacks of books piled high
before a
solemn figure.  Several other candles provided enough light to
continue
reading however that last candle marked the 10th straight hour of
research. 
Flipping the final page, the figure closes the book and places it
gently
upon the desk.  The faint glow remaining elsewhere eerily
illuminated the
grizzled face of an aged man a black patch covering his left eye.
 

With a heavy sigh, Saige stands from the desk and steps forward
to place his
hand upon the spent candle.  As he attempts to remove the candle,
some of
the liquid wax spills down across his hand and instantly hardens.
 Pausing,
Saige stares at the wax, its color strangely resembling his own
blood.  

"An omen?  " he mutters to himself.  With a smirk he laughs
slightly and
continues to remove the candle and replaces it with a fresh one. 
Using the
flame from another candle nearby, he brings life to the new wick
and watches
it quietly for a moment before turning and peeling the hard wax
from his
hand.  A quick glance back at the books reveals the cause of the
exhaustion
apparent on his face.  

"Hundreds of tomes and not a single useful reference.  This has
been a
complete was of time," he says aloud, his voice echoing
throughout the
stonework of the cavern.  Hidden deep within the Lords of Doom,
his personal
quarters remain intact as they have been since their creation by
the Dark
Queen herself.  Years ago, not long after the founding of the
Knighthood,
she had graced Saige along with Her two other Knightly hands with
the title
Lords of Doom.  Each was granted a personal sanctuary deep within
the
mountain ranges bearing the same title as well as dominence over
one of Her
cities.  As for the sanctuaries of Konan and Danvighar, it was
unclear as to
their location let alone their usefulness.  Saige had immediately
seen the
advantage of his gift and had turned it into his own temple
dedicated to war
and meditation.  The main chamber housed a large map of the known
world and
parts of some unknown lands and regions as well as troop
locations that were
still kept modestly up to date.  The current room housed his
personal
library, a vault of wisdom preserved throughout the ages.  It was
here that
he consulted many of the very same texts he had first studied
when he
created his own flying citadel during the early years of the
Knighthood's
wars.  Now he had hoped to find a reference to the black crystals
which were
necessary to the flight mechanisms of Kailith's fortress but...  

"All I find are scant references, some of which are nothing
more than
riddles and others that seem the rantings of a crazed old man! 
" he yells
in frustration as he throws one of the books against its shelf. 
The force
of impact causes the now empty shelf to tip slightly and rock. 
As the side
of impact makes its trip back down the edge of a book comes into
view laying
on the very top.  Eyeing the blackened leather volume, Saige
squints
slightly, trying to recall what or why that particular book was
there. 
Making his way around his desk he approaches the shelf and stares
at the
book several feet above his grasp.  Grabbing ahold of the
woodwork, he rocks
it again and the book falls from its high perch into his open
hands.  Dust
spreads about causing him to sneeze and cough violently.  A
moment after it
settles, he looks closely at the book and studies its cover. 
Crafted from
some oddly blackened leather, the tome itself seems a millenia
old.  Gold
bindings keep the pages in tact and as he opens the cover a faint
green aura
eminates from the finely scripted text on the first page.  

"Where did you come fro...  " is all Saige manages to say
before he suddenly
finds his voice rendered useless.  His face contorts slightly as
the glow
from the text begins to burn brighter.  He feels his strength
beginning to
slip and before he can even attempt to drop the book he senses
himself
losing consciousness.  Falling to the floor he manages to take
one last look
at the book which still had not left his grip before slipping
into
darkness...  

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Tue Jun 12 04:15:25 2007
Subject     Research be Damned...

The candle flickered momentarily before extinguishing the last of
its
life in a pool of wax.  With the absence of the light, shadows
began to
dance upon the desk and through the stacks of books piled high
before a
solemn figure.  Several other candles provided enough light to
continue
reading however that last candle marked the 10th straight hour of
research. 
Flipping the final page, the figure closes the book and places it
gently
upon the desk.  The faint glow remaining elsewhere eerily
illuminated the
grizzled face of an aged man a black patch covering his left eye.
 

With a heavy sigh, Saige stands from the desk and steps forward
to place his
hand upon the spent candle.  As he attempts to remove the candle,
some of
the liquid wax spills down across his hand and instantly hardens.
 Pausing,
Saige stares at the wax, its color strangely resembling his own
blood.  

"An omen?  " he asks himself.  With a smirk he laughs
slightly and continues
to remove the candle and replaces it with a fresh one.  Using the
flame from
another candle nearby, he brings life to the new wick and watches
it quietly
for a moment before turning and peeling the hard wax from his
hand.  A quick
glance back at the books reveals the cause of the exhaustion
apparent on his
face.  

"Hundreds of tomes and not a single useful reference.  This has
been a
complete was of time," he says aloud, his voice echoing
throughout the
stonework of the cavern.  Hidden deep within the Lords of Doom,
his personal
quarters remain intact as they have been since their creation by
the Dark
Queen herself.  Years ago, not long after the founding of the
Knighthood,
she had graced Saige along with Her two other Knightly hands with
the title
Lords of Doom.  Each was granted a personal sanctuary deep within
the
mountain ranges bearing the same title as well as dominence over
one of Her
cities.  As for the sanctuaries of Konan and Danvighar, it was
unclear as to
their location let alone their usefulness.  Saige had immediately
seen the
advantage of his gift and had turned it into his own temple
dedicated to war
and meditation.  The main chamber housed a large map of the known
world and
parts of some unknown lands and regions as well as troop
locations that were
still kept modestly up to date.  The current room housed his
personal
library, a vault of wisdom preserved throughout the ages.  It was
here that
he consulted many of the very same texts he had first studied
when he
created his own flying citadel during the early years of the
Knighthood's
wars.  Now he had hoped to find a reference to the black crystals
which were
necessary to the flight mechanisms of Kailith's fortress but...  

"All I find are scant references, some of which are nothing
more than
riddles and others that seem the rantings of a crazed old man! 
" he yells
in frustration as he throws one of the books against its shelf. 
The force
of impact causes the now empty shelf to tip slightly and rock. 
As the side
of impact makes its trip back down the edge of a book comes into
view laying
on the very top.  Eyeing the blackened leather volume, Saige
squints
slightly, trying to recall what or why that particular book was
there. 
Making his way around his desk he approaches the shelf and stares
at the
book several feet above his grasp.  Grabbing ahold of the
woodwork, he rocks
it again and the book falls from its high perch into his open
hands.  Dust
spreads about causing him to sneeze and cough violently.  A
moment after it
settles, he looks closely at the book and studies its cover. 
Crafted from
some oddly blackened leather, the tome itself seems a millenia
old.  Gold
bindings keep the pages in tact and as he opens the cover a faint
green aura
eminates from the finely scripted text on the first page.  

"Where did you come fro...  " is all Saige manages to say
before he suddenly
finds his voice rendered useless.  His face contorts slightly as
the glow
from the text begins to burn brighter.  He feels his strength
beginning to
slip and before he can even attempt to drop the book he senses
himself
losing consciousness.  Falling to the floor he manages to take
one last look
at the book which still had not left his grip before slipping
into
darkness...  

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Thu Jun 28 05:37:39 2007
Subject     Darkness. The Voice. Answers.

Darkness...  Total darkness...  

Saige sat up suddenly, or rather felt himself sit up.  He
couldn't see a
damn thing in the complete darkness but he could feel that he was
sitting on
a chair.  Moving his hands down to the object he realized it was
HIS chair. 
Reaching out he could feel his desk in front of him as well.  But
none of
that made any sense.  A thick haze covered his mind and he tried
to find his
way through it.  He remembered finding the book.  The strange
book with
runes from the top shelf.  Yes, that was it.  There was something
about that
book.  Something very strange.  He had opened it...  But then
what? 
Something had happened.  He saw something...  Or rather someone. 
And then
he fell.  He fell right over there.  

Turning he looked to where his bookshelf would be.  Even in the
darkness he
could see it clearly in his mind.  The darkness...  Why in the
abyss WAS it
dark?  Turning back to his desk he reached towards the corner
until his
hands found the candelbra.  Moving his hand up the cool metal he
suddenly
realized why there was no light.  The candles had melted
completely down. 
That meant more than a day had passed.  But how much more?  How
long had he
been out of it...  And why was he in his chair?  Shouldn't he
have been
laying on the ground?  Gods be damned he simply couldn't make any
sense of
it.  

Opening a drawer on his desk he pulled out a new candle and felt
around
until he located the flint to light it with.  Within a moments
time he had
managed to light the wick...  And suddenly he stood up away from
his desk so
quickly that he knocked over his chair.  His desk had been
stacked high with
books.  There had easily been a hundred volumes and tomes strewn
about his
chamber and yet now they were placed neatly back upon their
shelves.  In
their place upon the desk was a single book.  THE book.  

Its oddly blackened leather cover outlined the age worn vellum
pages which
laid open to a specific page.  As Saige looked down at the
script, the
letters themselves began to glimmer the same green that they had
flared to
when he passed out by the shelf.  With a cautious effort, he took
a step
towards the book and the glow flared only momentarily before
subsiding... 
Almost as if it recognized his presence.  

"Or MY presence..." echoed a voice within his mind.

Leaping back and turning all at once, Saige called a prayer to
his Queen
shielding him from any sudden attack.  But the attack never came.
 He
continued turning, holding the candelbra aloft and scouring his
chambers yet
to no avail.  He was the only one there.  But whose voice was
that?  He
hadn't imagined it, had he?  

"No, I am far from an imagination.  But now is not the time. 
Be thankful
our Queen still has need of your soul on this world.  Look at my
book and
take the knowledge you seek from it."

With that, the voice was gone and the haze that was clouding
Saige's mind
vanished.  Shaking his head violently, he continued to glare
around the
chamber though all he could hear was his own heart beating
rapidly within
his chest.  Cursing to himself, he walked over to his desk and
picked up a
silver flask.  Unscrewing the cap he took a long pull of the vile
liquid
within and recaped it.  Tossing it aside, he turned back to the
book laying
open but continued to keep his distance.  

Watching closely, the script pulsed softly, almost as if inviting
Saige to
take the book into his hands.  Resisting the temptation that
suddenly sprung
to mind, he instead studied the pages laid open before him. 
After scanning
through the first page he was amazed to find the answer he had
been seeking
right in front of him.  Studying the book for a moment he finally
set the
candelbra down and picked his chair up.  Seating himself, he
stared once
more at the book before cursing his cowardice and taking the
blackened
leather tome into his hands.  The script pulsed warmly and almost
seemed to
flow from the pages into his very hands.  Intrigued by this new
sensation,
he turned his eyes to the worn vellum pages and fliped them over.
 As he
read through the priceless knowledge he had a vague realization
that he'd
seen all of this before...  Now was not the time to question such
things
however.  Pushing the thought to the back of his mind he
continued to absorb
the knowledge and the history of the black crystals...  

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Fri Jul 13 03:44:48 2007
Subject     The Decision Is Made... Part I

Saige stood at the crest of the hill looking down upon his small
encampment.  Bonfires dotted the valley where his troops had
stopped for the
evening.  The flapping of their tents in the cold mountain wind
could just
barely be heard from his vantage point.  Turning, he looked into
the
distance at the mountains they still had to cross.  Beyond those
massive
earthly fortresses was his point of interest.  It would take
several more
days of forced marches but they would make it in time.  

Finding an outcropping nearby, he sat down and used it to support
his back. 
In his hands he held his breastplate.  Turning it over he ran his
fingers
over the symbols etched into it; a skull with intertwining
lilies, their
stems appearing shrouded in thorns.  Somehow it was slightly
amusing.  He
had never been the emotional type.  Even in his days of youth,
serving the
temple of the gods, he had never honestly cared.  Though somehow
there was a
feeling of remorse buried in his soul.  He had spent most of the
years of
his life serving this standard...  This cause.  The Knighthood
had always
provided him with the necessary strength to carry out the
commands of his
Queen.  It was a foundation; one that he had built the principles
of his
existance upon.  His entire military career rested upon this
foundation... 

"But the time has come for you to realize that your foundation
is solid no
more.  A crack has festered within and it will soon crumble with
or without
you.  Do you wish to be destroyed with it?  "

The voice...  Staring at the breastplate, Saige mulled over the
question. 
This "voice" had recently become part of his conscience and
apparently felt
it necessary to question him when he found himself at a
crossroad.  He
couldn't quite remember how it had happened...  But it had
something to do
with that book he had found in his library...  Something or
someone had
found a way to infiltrate his very soul through that book,
however the who
and the why was yet to be solved.  For now, the voice seemed
content to prod
him along.  It had taken him some time to become acquainted with
the concept
of another individual sharing his thoughts but soon after he had
begun to
realize the power this individual not only wielded but shared. 
Saige found
himself to be physically and mentally stronger than he could
recall being
since his younger days.  Even the absence of vision in his left
eye was
unnoticeable.  So for those reasons, he continued to humor
himself and the
presence within him.  

Laying his head back against the cool stone behind him, Saige
stared up into
the heavens.  The sky was black but the stars were blindingly
bright. 
Somewhere up there, his Queen was watching him.  Even now he
could feel Her
eyes burning into his soul.  Regardless of the crossroad at which
he now
stood, She would win either way and he understood that.  The
choice before
him was not one meant for Her, it was meant for him.  Soon he
would have to
inform his troops that he was no longer one of their own.  At
that point in
time, they would have to choose for themselves whether they would
continue
to follow him or leave to return to the lands of the Knighthood. 


"But you have been a strong leader, both on and off the fields
of war.  They
recognize you for such and those who understand power will follow
you to the
end.  The rest, well, the rest are weak.  Let them die pitifully
where they
wish.  " 
 
*To Be Continued*

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Fri Jul 13 03:47:22 2007
Subject     The Decision Is Made... Part II

*continued*

Smirking slightly, Saige focused his attention back to the
breastplate and
stood.  Turning, he placed the piece of armour upon the rock
outcropping.  A
befitting tomb, persay, for the soul of a soldier.  It was time
to move on. 
The voice was right.  The Knighthood was no longer the foundation
it had
once been.  This had been true for many long years but he was
just too blind
to see it.  It was now time to find a new path.  A new path that
would lead
him back to the glory he once knew.  

"She has shown you the path we are to walk.  She will not fail
us if we do
not fail Her.  Remember that...  "

The voice became distant in his mind and soon faded, yet the
words echoed
on.  Indeed, it was time to travel that path.  Takhisis had led
him to the
Dragonarmy remnants a year ago and had given him a vision of the
future to
be.  With Kailith now in charge of those forces and his own
prepared to
join, they would truly be a force to reckon with.  More would
follow no
doubt and their army would grow beyond its potential.  Those who
stood
before them...  Would fall before them.  Saige would see to that
himself. 
It was time to lead the armies of Her Majesty and to spill the
blood of Her
enemies.  First though, he needed to reach his destination. 
There he would
find the crystals he needed to power the Dragonarmies fortress. 
Once that
is complete there will be no stopping them...  

Without even turning to look back, Saige left the crest of the
ridge he had
been standing upon.  Heading back down the trail he made his way
to the
encampment.  His breastplate remained upon the figurative tomb; a
reminder
that he left part of his soul there that eve.  As the stars shone
down upon
it, the armour seemed to suck the light into oblivion, leaving
the tomb
enshrouded in eternal darkness...  
 
*Fini*


Author:    Saige
Date:      Mon Nov 5 09:21:23 2007
Subject     Dawns early light


Darkness covered the land as the early morning hours crept
forward. The wind had changed, bringing in a cold air from the
southern mountains; Black Wind. A name given by the local
populace to this sort of change in the weather. Unexplained
for centuries the people had given in to flights of fancy and
mysticism, believing this sudden change in temperature to be a
foreboding sign of death. Well, they would soon see their
mystic beliefs become a reality.

Twenty of my best soldiers, handpicked for this task, were
closing in on the central building which housed the newly
declared "officials" of Sanction. These men were nothing but
wealthy merchants, slave traders and thugs; self-declared
rulers since the Knighthood had moved out. There is something
to be said of such people who fancy themselves leaders without
ever truly leading. This night however would be their last.
Little did they know that the Black Wind had swept in and was
coming to claim their souls.

I watched from my vantage point above the wall as my men
effectively disposed of the guards. Moving into position, they
waited the precise measure of counts as I had ordered before
entering the complex; just enough time for me to seek Takhisis
for Her power. Looking off to the side where the crenulated
wall had cast a shadow of darkness, I pointed.

"Go."

It was all that needed to be said. A black shape emerged from
that same shadow and took off silently towards the complex,
moving with a liquid grace defined only by a creature of prey.

As the figure disappeared into the night I quickly completed
my prayer. Staring at a ledge of the third floor balcony I
felt the rush of the godspell and soon found myself standing
precisely where I had been watching. Stepping down I
approached the door and glanced down at the handle, latched
and locked.

"Pity, I should have figured that Governor Cowldroff was
smarter than I credited him for. All the same, a lock may
hinder a thief but it will not stop the hand of death."

Calling again upon Takhisis, I felt once more the rush of
power. It was thrilling to know that She supported me in my
tactics. Unlike those I would have been expected to use within
the Knighthood, She almost seemed to prod me forward as I
delved deeper into the heart of lawless violence. Releasing
the spell I felt my body become weightless and translucent.
Looking down at my hand which held perfect stability in my own
eyes, I reached out and smiled darkly as I watched my hand
pass effortlessly through the balcony door. Stepping inside I
took careful stock of the room's layout.

I was standing within an office of sorts, more like a chamber
for which the governor would receive guests. Several items of
luxury graced the room but my eyes quickly passed them over in
disgust. I was not here to take anything other than the life
of those who stood in my way. To the left was a narrow
corridor while the right appeared to lead to another set of
double doors. Knowing the floor plans from my previous visits
I knew that the bedroom chambers lay just beyond those doors.
Making my way towards them I quickly passed through just as
the last remaining affects of the spell vanished. Now there
was no turning back.

A massive bed carved from a beautiful dark wood rested solidly
at the far end of the room. A curtain of red velvet was pulled
closed around the upper frame effectively hiding those within
as well as those outside. Breathlessly I made my move. Drawing
forth a slender blade I had picked specifically for this job I
rushed forward and ripped the curtain aside. There was a
sudden jolt as the sound of my attack awoke the two occupants
in the bed. As the first stood and opened bleary eyes towards
me I deftly lashed out with my blade, making a clean cut
across the throat. Long mounds of blonde curls fell from in
front of blue eyes and I immediately knew I had chosen the
wrong first kill. Blood sprayed across the white sheets as the
figure, a woman, crumpled onto the bed and died drowning in
her own blood.

A sneer crossed my face as I glanced over to the doors where
the second occupant had bolted. Turning, I strode towards him
as he attempted to pull open the doors which remained locked.
Realizing his imminent doom, he grabbed a nearby candelabra
and whipped about, flourishing it in a chaos of hasty attacks.
Standing just out of reach of the object I stood patiently and
observant with the same sneer evident on my lips. Tiring
quickly from the series of pointless attacks the man slowed to
a steady defensive position and breathed heavily. Still I
waited and soon the man voiced the questions racing through
his head.

"Who are you? Why is it that you've come to kill me? Who made
you the offer? I can double it if you like. I can give you a
lot of things that a man of your..."

"ENOUGH! I grow tired of your babbling you worthless sack of
meat. I'll answer your questions but only because the time has
not yet come..."

"I am Lord Saige, Commander of the Dragonarmies. I've come in
the name of Takhisis to claim this city for it is Hers and
Hers alone. It was She who bade me come to end your existence
and I doubt that you, a mortal, could ever double let alone
meet the rewards of a god."

My sneer turned into a malicious smile as the man stared
openly at me, his features mixing from fear to confusion and
back as he knew his fate. He truly was nothing more than a
sack of meat, his gut falling out over his waistline and his
face a mound of pudge with small beady eyes quivering within.

"Wha, why would I be of any consequence to Takhisis? I'm
nothing more than a merchant who has taken an opportunity once
the Knights left. Surely you can let me live and it would be
of little differen..."

At that moment a horn sounded through the complex; one single
tone that ended as quickly as it began. As the sound ended, I
stared hard into those beady little eyes that now visibly
shook as they glanced about the room seeking a route to escape
by.

"The time has come, Governor."

"Bu...bu...but I'm not ready yet. I've much more to do and
gain before I di..."

The blade in my hand protruded cleanly from between his eyes,
lodged in that fat pudgy lump of flesh he had for a skull. His
eyes almost seemed to watch me a moment longer, wide and
bright with fear as the light faded from them. Watching him
die I quickly grew impatient and kicked him aside away from
the door. Pulling the locking pin I opened it and proceeded to
walk out to the room's main entrance. Unlatching the lock to
the grand door leading in and out I opened it. There in the
hallway stood all twenty of my men, each covered in the blood
of their victims yet calmly awaiting further orders. Glancing
at each of them, I gave them an approving nod. Another quick
sweep of the room however provided me with one small detail I
had overlooked.

"Has Shadow completed his mission?"

One of the soldiers stepped forward, saluted and proceeded to
speak.

"Shadow arrived just as we were entering the complex. He
effectively removed all outside threats on each level before
proceeding outside towards the outer perimeter to scout any
other activity should an alarm have been raised."

Stepping back in line, the soldier resumed his position and
waited. I could only smile and laugh aloud. It must have been
a maniacal sight, myself laughing while covered in the blood
of my victims; but I caught sight of the men and their eyes
shone with their own inner joy at the carnage they had
released. To prey upon others in such a fashion is only
natural, as we all have bestial instincts.

Taking one last look at the building, noting the bodies in the
hallway that had been mauled by a vicious beast whom I was
extremely proud of at the moment, I gave the orders to begin
our last phase. The bodies would be removed from the complex
and strung up around the outside for all to see; a testimony
to those who would stand in the way of Her chosen. Sanction
was now officially ours with no one left to stand in the way.
The coffers of the dead would fund our army and help raise
proper defensive fortification around the city. Indeed the
Queen was happy.

**********

As the first of dawn's early light flared over the mountains,
I took a deep breath of the cold air which was quickly
disappearing with the night; the Black Wind. The name was
fitting. My warhorse snorted and stamped beneath me, sensing
the change of weather as all animals can. I looked towards the
city once more to watch my armies move in undisturbed, for
there was no one left to throw money at the masses. Instead,
the civilians simply watched as the line of troops marched
methodically into place. I could almost see their faces as
they walk by the governor's complex, eyeing the corpses of
those who would defy us.

Now the real task begins. Word had arrived from our scouts
that the war had come to a halt, the major armies had drawn
their lines and had come to a stalemate, neither gaining
further ground. This only increased our opportunities to
become a major factor in the coming future. Everything was
proceeding according to Her will.

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Wed Dec 12
03:47:45 2007
Subject     Crusade of the Barbarians
I

Members from the Dragonarmies have elected to
participate in a mock war
that is being limited to the clan for
RP purposes. In the future, this may
be opened to outsiders but
for the time being I'm merely looking to test my
system.

The
following is the opening point of this mock war. I will be
posting
similar updates in the future which will work off the
results of various
rounds. So for the time being, relax and
enjoy.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

A fire crackles
in the belly of an enormous stone hearth that encompasses
the
west wall of the grand chamber in which you now stand. There is
an eerie
silence looming as you wait quietly with your comrades.
A servant has come
by, bringing wine as well as bread for you to
eat as you await the arrival
of the Dragon Highlord,
Saige.

After a short period of time, the massive wooden doors on
the north wall
open. A cold wind swirls into the chamber and the
wood shifts in the
fireplace, scattering sparks high into the
air. A figure clad in black
armour emerges through the wooden
doors from the adjacent room. His silver
hair is tied back by a
leather thong and a black patch etched with silver
runes covers
his left eye. He walks with an air of authority and
immediately
you realize that the man before you is Saige, the
chosen of Takhisis and the
Highlord of Her armies. 

He stops on
the opposite side of a massive wooden table. Motioning with
his
left hand, several aides rush into the room and sprawl out
several maps of
the Taman Busuk area. Another map is laid out
nearby showing the regions 
of Khur and Balifor. Pulling out two
slender daggers from his belt, Saige
impales the map with one at
Sanction and another on a mountain range near
the city of
Alek-Khan. Without looking up, he simply raises his good eye
and
stares at you and his other officers.

"Each of you has
been called here for a reason. Each of you comes from
various
backgrounds amongst the army, some of you having just recently
been
promoted to your current status. The Queen has shown me that
you are Her
chosen. She has a mission for us and I dare say
that only death awaits those
who fail... so let us not
fail."

Standing upright, Saige pauses for a moment and turns
to face the fire, the
light glinting from the runes on his eye
patch.

"Barbarian tribes from the lands of Khur and Balifor
have commited a grave
mistake. They've seen fit to begin raiding
our supply lines as well as
killing our border patrols. I've sent
several armed forces in to make an 
example out of their
leaders but it appears to have only made them bolder.
Therein
lies their error."

"I sought the Queen for a solution and
she has shown it to me through a
vision. Once the lands of Khur
provided an endless supply of seasoned
warriors to our armies.
Hostile as they were, they served to protect their 
heritage.
They no longer fear us as they once did, but that will change
soon
enough. Each of you has been given a letter detailing the
troops and
supplies granted to you. You will go forth and end
this conflict. In doing
so, we will once again place these
mongrels in their proper places and fill
our ranks for the
future."

Saige turns from the fire and returns to the table.
His face is cold,
pricise and devoid of emotion. You can tell he
has plotted this out
thoroughly in his mind and that there is no
turning back.

"The last scouting report shows a force of
barbarians which had recently
attacked a supply train heading
south through western Khur. They attacked
just outside the city
of Alek-Khan and fled into the mountains to
the
east."

"Other reports have also arrived that forces are
building up in the area
around Delphon. It is hard to say what
lies farther to the east but I can
only imagine that the tribes
have united in this cause against us.  This
attack will
require careful and patient planning. I expect each of you
to
heavily weigh your options everytime you make a decision. I
want to see
results, not excuses."

Saige looks at each of you
in turn, his one good eye smoldering with the
blood lust of a
seasoned warrior. He remains quiet a moment longer and
then
raises his chin and takes a deep breath.

"Dismissed."


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Tue Dec
18 21:53:54 2007
Subject     Dragonarmies: Crusade of the
Barbarians, I

The beginning...

The skies were red as
blood on the eastern horizon as the sun was beginning
its ascent
into the morning sky. The Lords of Doom belched black ash
high
into the air, mixing with the sunrise to create a unique but
fitting
background to the ongoing scene. The Dragonarmies were on
the move.

The soldiers had all been assembled into their proper
regiments, each
consisting of sub groups easily identified by the
banners which waved in the
breeze. Their commanding officers had
all been brought together several days
ago and given their
orders. Some had eagerly taken their orders while others
required
prompting. Regardless, those who were fit to lead were now
doing
so.

The sound of a horn cut through the cool morning and
the cruel beat of drums
added to the commotion as each officer
took his and her armies to the gates.
From here they would begin
their conquest to quell the barbarian uprisings
to the east. Once
more the Dragonarmies would rule these lands with an iron
fist,
just as Dragon Highlord Saige, chosen of Takhisis had
foreseen.

The flags of the lead officer, Kevril, Colonel of the
Armies, could be seen
moving north just outside the city. He had
chosen to spend more time
preparing his troops. Having the
largest show of force would require a great
deal of discipline to
control and he would accept nothing else. While his
forces began
to assemble outside of the city, several light- footed
scouting
groups could be seen heading north through the mountain
trails. He was an
intelligent leader, which could easily be seen
in his decisive tactics.

A second force rivaling that of Kevril
was exiting the city as well. Those
belonging to Athin, Major of
the Armies, were beginning their trek southward
towards the
mountains of the Zhakar. Athin had established himself among
them
during the war and was even now returning to ensure that his
claim
remained his alone. With a strong following of soldiers, he
would begin
maintaining the southern front. Word was in the air
that the Ogres residing
in the foothills south of Zhakar had
become active in the wake of activity
ongoing in Sanction. They
would know the power that was upon them soon
enough. 

A set of
black flags could be seen leaving through the northern
gates,
belonging to Luerk, Captain of the Blackwood Contingent.
If there were ever
a band of soldiers to fear, it was those
creatures now heading through the
winding roads that would lead
them to Neraka. Known for his cruel and
unusual methods of
persuasion, Luerk was the perfect officer to oversee this
portion
of the army. They would most likely disappear from sight
soon
enough, but reports would begin to emerge from the bordering
lands of a dark
and unmerciful force. They would kill without
being seen and would leave no
survivors to tell the tale, much
like a plague that destroys the masses.

Finally, the last to
leave the confines of the city walls was a much smaller
but
equally potent force. Led by Arikaih, a female Lieutenant and
member of
the unique scouts known as Wolfbound, this army much
like Kevril's opted
instead to remain near the city itself. It
had taken some prompting for the
Lieutenant to accept her role
from the Dragon Highlord, but he knew there
was no other
individual fit for the task. She was dangerous. Her
experiences
in life had raised her in such a fashion and that
edge would turn her into a
fierce and unyielding leader. For now,
she continued to heed the commands of
her Highlord and did so
with keen intelligence, even if she did not realize
it herself.


The armies of the Queen were a force to be recognized. The
Barbarians in the
East were about to become an example for the
future. Once the armies had
brought the tribes of Khur under
their rule they would tend to the Ogres to
the south and
northeast, then the goblins to the northwest. With the
combined
strength of these lands they would be ready tear down any who
stood
in the way of their Queen's ambition, as well as their
own... 

Author:    Saige          
Date:     
Sat Jan 12 17:33:25 2008
Subject     [FWD] Taking advice to
heart

[FWD Note] - [  5] Arikaih: Taking advice to
heart
[FWD Date] - Wed Dec 19 12:37:37 2007
[FWD To  ]
- all [Original to:] dragonarmy
[FWD List] -
story


Arikaih stood quietly with Sciath and Teryn, watching the
troops
practice. Every once in a while, her scouts would talk
quietly to her,
explaining things to her. She would nod and watch
what they were talking
about more carefully to catch the point
they were making.

A noise to her left alerted her and the
scouts, causing each of them to draw
their weapons. Arikaih
sighed in relief as Fron and the remaining scouts
appeared in
sight. Fron nodded to Arikaih. "They know what we can
teach
them,"  she said quietly. Arikaih nodded. "Make you way
and join the rest of
the troops. Sciath, Teryn show them the
way,"  The two scout bowed deeply,
then motioned the remainder
of the scouts to follow them. Arikaih motioned
toward Fron.
"Fron, you and I need to talk," she said quietly to
the
Wolfbound. 

They retired back into the small grove of forest
nearby, allowing the 5
wolves to run and play as well as listen
for anyone else. After what seemed
like a small eternity, the two
women stepped from the grove. "I tell you
Lieutenant, SHE is
watching and SHE does know what lies in your heart and
mind," 
Fron said with a nod, holding up her hand to silence the
forthcoming
words from Arikaih. "I realize that those morons
who tried to be HER
followers, those idiots who call themselves
'Knights of Takhisis',"  Fron
said, pausing to spit on the
ground as though the words were a curse unto
themselves.
"taught you very little in what you are. You started as
an
urchin, begging on the streets for survival, running for your
very life from
those who should have taught you. It was HER will
when you met with Lord
Saige and were escorted to that damned
Keep in the middle of no-where. You
made your decision not to be
just another 'fop', listening to that bitch who
claimed to speak
for the Queen. You made the decision to travel and you were
found
by Eshri. SHE did that too. SHE could have left you to die in
the
forest."  Fron smiled, her face beaming. Arikaih
reluctantly nodded,
remembering all too well the things that were
told to her at first by Lord
Saige as he reveled at his Queen.
She shivered as she remembered the child
who had been treated
like a scullery maid by the 'False Voice'. "I realize
that you
know little about that which you are, but I will tell you this.
SHE
knows and some day SHE will send someone to you to teach you
that which you
do not know." Fron continued. Again, she put up
her hand as she saw
Arikaih's face darken. "No disrespect, but
the magic you do know you HAD to
learn by yourself. No one taught
it to you. SHE sees this and knows this.
And SHE will rectify
this. One day, SHE will send someone who is a Master
Mage and his
command from HER will be to show you what you were
denied."
Fron said, finishing her little speech. 

Arikaih
looked away from Fron, her red tinted eyes darkening. When
she
turned back to the woman at her side, she narrowed her eyes.
"I don't need
you to tell me what lies before me. Your Queen
did not give me what I
earned. I did that to myself. It was NOT
your Queen who killed for food or
stole to survive. I did what I
had to do. All YOUR Queen has shown me is
that those who bust
their ass for HER are treated like common barn animals.
I will
stick by what I told you until YOUR Queen shows me otherwise.
Then
and only then might I believe all that you have told me," 
Arikaih snapped,
shimmering into the wolf form that she knew so
well and distancing herself
from Fron. 

Fron shook her head.
"More drastic measures must be taken before this one
realizes
what she is,"  Fron thought, turning and motioning for her wolf
to
come to her side. She pulled pen and paper from a pouch at her
side and
quickly penned a note. She handed it to the white wolf
at her side. "Ice,
take this directly to Lord Saige. He must
know what has happened here." The
wolf took the rolled note in
her mouth and loped toward the city. "If anyone
can speak
directly with HER, perhaps he can shed light to the lost one."


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Sat Jan
12 17:33:43 2008
Subject     [FWD] Change of
feelings

[FWD Note] - [ 21] Arikaih: Change of
feelings
[FWD Date] - Sat Jan  5 13:53:47 2008
[FWD To 
] - all [Original to:] saige
[FWD List] - story


Arikaih
ran, her wolf form slithering through small openings where
her
human form would have stopped and gone around. Her red tinted
eyes saw
little things, helping her dodge around things that
would have slowed her
down.

Invisible eyes watched from afar,
keeping an eye on the mage-wolf. An
invisible mouth smiled as
invisible hands seemed to grip the ground, causing
it to
sink.

Arikaih felt the ground give way under her feet. She tried
to slow her fall,
but was unable to. She fell to the bottom of a
depression, lying in a
crumpled wolven heap. She slowly changed
form against her will. She slowly
sat up, shaking her head. She
looked around, her hand slowly going to her
dagger.

The
invisible eyes seemed to smile as invisible slowly became
visible. Dark
colored robes covered the person, hiding everything
with the hood. It stood
in the shadows of the depression,
watching Arikaih. "You won't need that
here, child," a solid
voice said as it pushed the hood away. 

Arikaih started at the
sound of the voice, turning her head to face the
voice. A woman
stood in the darkness. Arikaih snarled at the woman, starting
to
pull the dagger from its sheath. She watched as the woman waved
her hand,
and Arikaih dropped her hand away from the dagger,
crying out in pain. Again
she snarled at the woman, lifting her
hand while whispering.

The woman laughed as Arikaih lifted her
hand. "Your childish parlor tricks
will NOT work on me." The
woman waved her own hand, silencing Arikaih.

Her power silenced
saw Arikaih glaring at the woman as she advanced on her.
She
lunged at the woman.

The woman saw Arikaih lunge toward her. She
waved her hand at Arikaih,
sending the mage against the wall of
the depression.

Arikaih hit the wall hard, falling against the
ground. She raised her head,
looking up at the woman. She slowly
rose to her feet, walking around the
woman. 

The woman watched
as Arikaih stalked around her. She shook her head,
laughing.
"Do you think that your little childish actions mean much to
me?
Tell me something, child. Are you like that False Voice who
hears and sees
only what is beneficial for her? Or are you
something more?" the woman said,
her eyes slowly changing
between blue, green, red, black and white.

Arikaih listened to
the woman as she walked. Not paying attention to her
surroundings
and the ground beneath her feet, Arikaih stumbled to the
ground.
She landed hard on her knees. She looked back, catching a glimpse
of
a root slithering back into the ground. She stood back up,
turning angrily
toward the woman.

The woman watched as Arikaih
got back up. She smiled, almost feral, at the
attitude Arikaih
was showing her. She stepped toward Arikaih, raising her
hand
again.

Arikaih watched the woman raise her hand, and then felt
herself listed into
the air. She dangled while she looked at the
woman with surprise in her
eyes.

The woman walked angrily toward
Arikaih. "You keep denying what has been
given to you. SHE can
take it away, but SHE has decided on something more
'interesting'
for you," the woman said, raising her other hand.

Arikaih
grasped at her own throat, coughing and sputtering as
though
something was choking the air from her lungs. She fought
for what seemed
like an eternity until darkness took her and her
eyes closed.

The woman held Arikaih in the magical grip, causing
her to black out. She
dropped Arikaih to the ground. "This one
MUST learn," she thought, looking
at Arikaih. "She belongs to
the Queen." The woman laughed, slowly kneeling
over Arikaih, a
dark dagger appearing in her hand. 

Hours later, Arikaih slowly
opened her eyes. She lay on the ground in a
dirty hole. She
slowly sat up, blinking her eyes against the sun above.
She
slowly started to stand, but cried out in pain radiating from
her chest and
stomach as she returned to a seat on the ground.
Her hands hovered over the
painful area as she slowly removed the
clothing covering the area. Under the
cloth, her chest and
stomach were covered with fresh blood and wounds carved
in the
shape of burnt crescent. Again she started to stand, this
time
carefully avoiding too much movement of her stomach. She
looked around her,
her eyes blurred by the hint of pain and the
movement of the injured area
slow and guarded.

She carefully
climbed out of the dirty hole, standing on wobbly legs next
to
the depression. She looked down, seeing for the first time the
shape of the
hole. It, like the wound carved into her front, was
the shape of a crescent.
She shook her head. "It's not
possible. There is no way that this could have
happened. It's not
real," she said quietly to the open air. With a flash
of
brightness, a nearby tree dropped its limb to the ground with
a thud. "I
heard that," a voice whispered in her head. "You
are mine. You will NOT
gather your release that simple, child,"
the voice whispered again, this
time accompanied by pain from
the fresh cuts. Arikaih stumbled to her knees,
crying out in
pain. She looked skyward, her red tinted eyes taking in
full
sight of the Dragon Constellation of Takhisis. The very
stars of the
constellation seemed to twinkle at her, as though
something watched her. 

Arikaih bowed her head, closing her
eyes. "This time I truly believe in
you," Arikaih whispered.
She raised her head toward the constellation. "Your
command is
mine to follow. What would you have me do?" 

Author:
   Saige          
Date:      Sat Jan 12 17:33:49
2008
Subject     [FWD] Taking command

[FWD Note] -
[ 22] Arikaih: Taking command
[FWD Date] - Sat Jan  5
14:01:05 2008
[FWD To  ] - all [Original to:]
saige
[FWD List] - story


Her eyes settled on the troops
placed under her command, watching their
movements. Close behind
her, on either side of her, stood Sciath and Teryn.

Watching
closely, she would slightly turn her head to one side or the
other
and ask a question. Either Sciath or Teryn would answer,
causing Arikaih to
nod and turn her head back to the front.

The
field commander called the troops to attention, releasing them
from
their formation for more training. Arikaih turned to Sciath.
"Speak to him,
it is time. Bring him to me," Arikaih said
quietly. Sciath bowed her head,
jogging toward the commander.
Arikaih growled quietly to the golden wolf at
her side, sending
Eshri also to the field.

The field commander turned away from
the scout moving toward him. He turned
his back, practically
ignoring the scout, until Sciath forced the man to
listen to her.
Sciath spoke to the field commander, telling the man of
the
orders from Arikaih. Eshri moved quietly nearby, listening to
the field
commander's complaints and refusal to follow the
command. 

Sciath repeated the command to the field commander,
getting more frustrated
with each passing moment. Eshri listened
to the confrontation, flicking her
ears.

Arikaih watched the
scene with a bit of amusement on her face. After a bit,
she
started the walk to see what the problem was.

Sciath shuttered
as Arikaih placed her hand on the scout's shoulder. "I
will
take it from here, Sciath," Arikaih said in a quiet voice.
Sciath bowed to
her, backing away and returning to her post with
Teryn. 

With Sciath away, Arikaih turned her entire attention to
the field
commander. "I sent my scout to have you me speak with
me, not to have you
argue with her." The field commander
snarled at her. "MY troops are doing
will in their training,"
he snapped at her, his hand fiddling with his
sword. 

Arikaih
smiled slightly, catching glimpses of the troops around
them,
listening to the confrontation. "They are my troops,
assigned to me by the
orders of Lord Saige," she said, her
voice still quiet. The field commander
snarled at her again.
"You are nothing but a jumped up child who probably
got her
assignment by warming the Highlord's bed. These troops have
been,
are, and WILL be under my command," he snapped at her,
drawing his sword its
scabbard. 

Arikaih's face went devoid of
all emotion, her red eyes beginning to glow
eerily as they
started narrowing. "You really don't want to do that,"
she
said in a voice that was filled with hatred and anger. The
field commander
laughed and advanced toward her. 

She gripped
the handle of her dagger, drawing the obsidian blade from
the
sheath, her free hand rising slightly as she whispered
quietly. The field
commander continued to advance on her, then
stopped abruptly, dropping his
sword with a cry. His hands
immediately grabbed at his face and eyes.

Watching him with a
careful eye, she re-sheathed her dagger and kneeled
down, picking
up the sword he had dropped. She hefted it
experimentally,
getting a feel for the weight of the weapon.


She turned to the field commander, swinging the sword at the
man. She closed
her eyes as she was splattered with his blood as
the man's head dropped to
the ground, followed by his body. She
turned to the troops standing around,
watching them. "Are there
any others who have any problems?" she asked, the
sword held
tightly in her hand. Seeing no objections, she dropped the
blade
to the ground and turned, walking away. 

She stopped at
the first soldier she came to. "You are who?" she
snapped.
The man bowed deeply to her. "I'm Private Jonis," he
replied quietly. "No
longer," she growled at him. "You are
now in command. Fail me and your fate
will be worse than his,"
she said, looking toward the scouts nearby. 

Noticing Fron
joining Sciath and Teryn, she motioned for the three people
to
join her. They slowly approached. Arikaih nodded at Fron.
"This is Field
Commander Jonis, Fron. Keep me apprised of his
work," Arikaih said, stalking
away from the troops with Sciath
and Teryn at her back. Fron watched amused.
"Perhaps she has
finally met with the Queen," Fron smiled as she
thought.

Author:    Saige          
Date:     
Tue Jan 15 03:47:48 2008
Subject     Anger, Confusion,
Regret...


Saige paced his chambers within the city of
Sanction. It didn't make
sense. How could it? The sounds of his
rage echoed throughout the corridors
and even the guards
positioned outside flinched nervously.

Releasing another bellow
of anger, Saige turned on his heel and stormed back
to the wooden
table. Upon it laid a sheetof parchment, the words inked onto
it
still burning in his mind. Slamming his gauntlet down, the paper
caught
air and lifted slightly, falling gently to the
ground.

Bending down, he picked it up and crumbled it in his
fist. Holding onto it,
he took one last glance before tossing it
into the fire burning in the
hearth. The paper may have been
gone, but the truth on it would remain.


Lord Saige

We
regret to inform you that Captain Luerk Trell, of the
Blackwood
Contingent, has vanished. There has been no contact
from him nor suggestion
as to his whereabouts. We request
immediate orders for the progress of the
campaign against the
Barbarian Tribes of Khur.


"Gods be damned... Trell was the
most experienced soldier under my command.
What in the Abyss
could have happened to him?"

Saige stared deeply into the
flames. He had come far since leaving the
confines of the
Knighthood. Those days of confusion were nearly forgotten.
He had
struggled to gain his Queen's attention and had earned it after
his
confrontation with the silver dragon. Along with the
discovery of the
Dragonarmy remnants, he had provided a new face
for his Queen's vengeance on
Krynn. 

Kailith had done well
during his time as Highlord securing the remnants into
an
operating army and raising a fortress to house them. However,
after
stepping down it was Saige who had turned this army into a
formidable force.
He had brought in officers capable of leading
the Queen's minions and his
campaign against the Barbarians was
to be the first of many against those
who would defy Takhisis'
right to rule. But with his most capable officer
gone it was like
losing one of his own appendages.

"Not as if that has stopped
me before, but..."

Saige reached up and touched the patch with
silver runes covering his right
eye. The memory of the dragon's
breath attack which took half his vision
still caused a ghostly
pain. Growling a curse under his breath, he turned
and strode out
of the room. The guards jumped as the door slammed open.
Making
quick salutes, both began sputtering offerings of support but
were
quickly silenced.

"Stay your duty. I have business to
attend to elsewhere. Deny any who
require my presence."

With
that, Saige stalked out of his command area and mounted upon his
steed.
Grabbing the reigns, his black warhorse kicked onto it's
back legs and then
took off out of the city, heading north into
the mountains... to a path
leading straight towards the Lords of
Doom. 

Author:    Saige          
Date:      Thu
Feb  7 05:14:50 2008
Subject     The Example

Storm
clouds had gathered, darkening the skies above the lands of
Taman
Busuk. A heavy mist blanketed the city of Sanction, caused
by the
evaporation of torrential rains which poured into the
rivers of lava flowing
down from the Lords of Doom. Life appeared
dark and dismal in the region,
but then again the merit of life
was merely a reflection of one's self...
and for Saige it was a
reflection he had come to know all too well. 

There were those
who questioned his outlook, questioned his decisions,
questioned
the audacity of his strategies... of his faith. Those
individuals
generally found themselves at the opposite end of a
blade or worse. The
color of robes was of no concern neither was
the color of metal protecting
their fragile bodies. Saige had
always made sure that those who defied him
paid the ultimate
price... and this moment was no different.

The man had fallen to
his knees, quickly sinking into the viscous mud. His
black hair
was a tangled mat of blood and grime as it fell pitifully
over
his face. The rain did nothing to dampen the sound of his
agony as blood
fell to the earth from his mangled
arm.

"MER-CY!!!" the man cried, his voice cracking mid
syllable. "I beg of you...
MERC..."

<>

The man was
instantly silenced by a lethal blow to his head. The body
slumped
forward, face first into the mud. Watching the gruesome
display,
several hundred soldiers stood in silence. For a short
period of time, the
only sound remaining was the pounding of rain
on armor and the sickening
memory of the man's neck breaking. It
was after this moment of silence that
Saige turned from the body
and looked upon all those who had gathered at the
city's central
market.

"Let it be known..." he said, his voice cold and
unforgiving "... that
anyone who dares to disobey an order
given to them by their superior will
earn the same priviledge as
the former Sergeant here..."

At that moment, Saige bent down
and plucked a silver emblem from the man's
tattered uniform.
Removing his gauntlet, he placed the precious metal in his
hand.
Mud ran through his fingers as the rain washed the surface
clean.
Closing his fist over the cold insignia he finished his
statement.

"... a one way ticket to what ever god wishes to
claim your worthless
soul."

No one said a word. Silence
continued to engulf the crowd of soldiers who
only moments before
had been jeering and mocking the imprisoned officer.
They had
expected a beating, perhaps even lashes and public
humiliation.
Instead, they saw that the Highlord of the
Dragonarmies was not to be
crossed. Saige had said what was
necessary. Without a second glance at the
body sprawled before
him he turned and left, making his way north towards
his
compound. The rain continued to fall heavily afterwards and as
the crowd
broke up many left with a new found understanding of
the term 'failure' and
just how dire the consequences were.


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Sat Feb
16 18:22:56 2008
Subject     Awaiting Captain Trell's
Return

Saige stood overtop a large table in the center of
Captain Trell's
command tent. Sprawled across it were maps
detailing the surrounding area of
Neraka, Sanction and further
northwest into the region of Throtyl. A full
day had passed since
the Captain left to meet with his troops near the
border of Taman
Busuk. A large goblin encampment had been located by his
scouts
and it was Saige's own orders which had detailed the
"conscribing" of
the foul creatures. Regardless of his distaste
for them, they would be a
true asset to his war machine. The
thrill of fresh, innocent blood drove
them into a frenzy and made
them heartless butchers. For this reason alone,
they would have a
special place in the Queen's armies.

But it wasn't the promise
of additional troops which caused Saige to spend
hour after hour
staring at the maps laid out before him. No, there were
plenty of
other things that would have his attention above a petty
subrace
such as goblins. Instead, it was the tactical strategies
that held him
enthralled. If there was one thing Saige truly
enjoyed more than fine elven
wine, it was tactical combat and
genius strategy. Few who walked the lands
of Krynn posessed such
a natural gift and for those who did, glory and power
were always
the reward. Even the wretched Solamnics had some keen
strategists
within their upper hierarchy and that was what made them
worthy
opponents. 

Saige studied the layout of the mountains,
the direct routes of travel
marked along with other secretive
routes which were being scouted this very
moment. Those same
routes stretched as far as the borders which Saige eyed
all the
way up to the location of the Captain's troops, hidden by the
the
dwindling chain of mountain peaks. It was an excellent plan
indeed and one
that met even Saige's approval, though he would
never give such praise
directly to his Captain. To do so would be
a show of weakness and could
eventually cause a soldier to think
higher of themself than they should. He
had to keep every officer
and soldier securely under his thumb in order to
maintain the
strict discipline he demanded. 

Still... the boldness of the
Captain's plan intrigued Saige. Perhaps he
should consider
keeping this officer close to his inner circle so that he
could
keep an eye on him. In these days, with the kettle of war ready
to
flow over once again, it was wise to keep friend's close and
enemies closer,
even if they're only potential threats...


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Sat Mar
22 06:23:08 2008
Subject     Attack on the Highlord... A change
of fate...

 
Please see the following link for the RP.

http://ansalonforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=489#489
 
Major thanks
to Kaydian for portraying an NPC and to Arikaih for support!
 

-Saige

Author:    Saige          
Date:     
Sun May 11 05:23:18 2008
Subject     It is
time...

Everything was eerily quiet. The sensation was
familiar, much like the
calm before the storm; however it was not
a storm which caused Saige's
unease. No, it was the absence of
something else... 

It had been far too long since the last
report was received from his
commanding officers in the field.
Saige turned on his heel, facing a
cowering scout who stood rigid
with a pale face. 

"What news from the Southern Border? What
news from Arikaih?"

The scout licked his lips, nervous and
unsure of how to appease the
Highlord. "M'lord, I've already
given you that information. There has been
no word in recent
days."

Growling a string of curses to the gods, Saige turned
away from the man,
sickened by the sight of cowardice yet
sickened moreso by the unease in his
own gut.

"And what of
Kevril and Athin? What of the armies assigned to them near
the
borders of Khur?"

Again the scout licked his lips, his
brow heavy with sweat. He was beginning
to fidget and he knew he
must stop and focus on answering the Highlord,
regardless of how
many times he'd been asked the same question. "Again
m'lord,
there has been no word. Luerk is the only officer who has
requested
further instruction."

"Gods be damned!" shouted
Saige as he slammed his fists onto a wooden table,
splintering
the leg towards the nearest corner. This was not good. How
could
this army expect to survive if everyone had deserted him?
Did they think it
better to find a new lord to serve? Surely not,
for none had expressed
enough concern to take matters into their
own hands. Instead they had all
become content... and in this
world, to be content is to be dead.

So be it. If there were no
others with the audacity to take matters into
their own hands
then they didn't deserve the ranks given to them from the
start.
It was time to end this once and for all. The lands of Khur
would
fall. The borders of Taman Busuk would be sealed and the
future of the world
would remain bleak and dismal... but one goal
at a time.

"Send word to the armies... I will be taking my
place in the field. All
forces are to begin an immediate march
towards the city of Kortal. We will
re-group on the east side
of walls and whichever officers choose to show up
will be given
orders to attack. Those who don't will be left behind
to
rot."

"Y..ye..yes Sir!" the scout stammered before
saluting and turning to depart.
A commotion and the sound of
hooves beating against the hard ground
confirmed that the message
was being relayed. Now it was only a matter of
time. Saige had
made the calculations a hundred times over. He had weighed
the
odds and guessed at the strength of the enemy. It was time to put
his
skill to the ultimate test.

Stepping over to a chest
alongside the inner wall of the chamber, he
unlatched the bronze
lock and opened the lid. He began pulling out his
armor, one
piece at a time. First his helm, adorned with small
protruding
horns crafted in the manner of a dragon's mane. Next
came a black
breastplate etched with silver runes and so on until
his full attire lay out
before him. 

Indeed... it was time.


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Thu May
29 03:23:04 2008
Subject     The Attempt... The Failure... The
Revenge...

The Attempt:

 The armies had arrived in
Kortal. Marching from North, South and West
they had converged on
the city and routinely set up camps while awaiting the
arrival of
the other commanding officers. Looking down from the city
walls
however, Saige knew there would be no one else.

Highmaster
Luerk had brought the Blackwood Contingent down from the
lands
surrounding Neraka. Major Arikaih had brought her armies
from the south
where they had been patrolling the borders due to
small incursions being
made by the Ogres. Saige had then gathered
the armies once in the hands of
Colonel Kevril and Major Athin
and merged them together upon their arrival
at Kortal. It would
be from this point that they would strike into the heart
of the
barbarian lands of Khur.

Looking back to the west, Saige could
finally see the end of the column.
Dusk was settling upon them
and the last of the troops would arrive by
nightfall according to
his judgment. The day had been long however and he
would need his
rest. It was time to retire. He would need to be ready to
meet
his officers in the coming days to plan and coordinate their
attacks.

Retreating down from the walls of the city, the
Highlord made his way to his
command tent positioned outside the
city walls. It would do no good for his
soldiers to see him
sleeping in the comfy quarters of a city inn. Besides,
he would
need to remind himself of the rigors ahead. Peace always brought
a
sense of slothfulness. 

Nodding to the guards standing watch
outside he made his way through the
tent flap and removed his
garments. Resting upon his cot he grabbed a map of
the
surrounding area and studied it quietly until sleep took him.


*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

A commotion outside of his
tent caused him to wake, though his eyes were
nothing more than
slits barely visible to those who were quietly sneaking
through
the flap. There were 4 of them, tall men draped in dark cloaks.
By
their smell, Saige could tell they were native sons to the
lands of Khur.
The faint scent of sweat mixed with oils used for
their customary markings
which come from the roots of plants
found throughout the plains. Indeed it
had proven wise for Saige
to have studied their culture. But now was not the
time to praise
himself. He knew why they were here and the tension in the
air
told him what they intended to do. 
 
(To be
continued)

Author:    Saige          
Date:     
Thu May 29 03:28:53 2008
Subject     The Attempt... The
Failure... The Revenge... II

The Failure:

The sound
of knives sliding from leather sheathes brought his mind
to
action. Within moments they would strike at the very heart of
evil bordering
their lands. They would take the Highlord's life
and watch from safety as
his armies fell apart. If only it would
be that easy...

The first man raised his blade into the air,
ready to plunge the lethal edge
down into the flesh of his enemy.
It wasn't until the last moment that he
saw the face of the
Highlord. Saige's eyes were wide and bright, staring
directly
into the man's soul. His lips moved quickly and silently but
the
prayer was heard. Takhisis reached up from the Abyss and
clutched at the
attacker's heart with icy cold fingers of death.
It was quick and silent but
the momentum of the man's death swing
sent him toppling into a nearby
comrade and threw the remaining
three men into chaos. 

That was all the time Saige needed.
Leaping from the cot he rolled to the
corner where his weapon
lay. Grasping the mace by the solid hilt, he pushed
off with his
left foot and threw the weight of his body into another
attacker.
Bringing the man crashing to the ground, Saige raised the
spiked
weapon and brought it down with an inhuman fury,
splintering the man's skull
into a bloody mess. Two more
attacker's remained. Standing now, with a
gruesome smile upon his
face and the blood of his enemy splattered over his
body, Saige
beckoned the other two forward.

A quick word was exchanged
between the two and one of them turned, fleeing
into the night.
He would be dealt with later. The remaining attacker cried
out a
ferocious battle cry and charged. Bringing the weapon down, Saige
met
it with the handle of his own and deflected the blow.
Reversing the charge,
he sent the attacker backwards sprawling
over the cot upon which Saige had
been sleeping only minutes
earlier. As the two stood and faced one another
the Barbarian
began speaking in his native language. It was an odd
combination
of sounds with an almost melodious pitch. Saige would have
been
interested in asking the man to switch to common but his
speech was brought
to a gurgling end as a bolt from a crossbow
fixed itself through his throat.

Several soldiers rushed through
the tent flap with weapons drawn. They
immediately took in the
scene, recognizing the Highlord to be safe they
encircled the
enemy now laying upon the ground. He was nearly dead, the
light
fading from his eyes. Bending down, Saige grabbed him by the hair
and
pulled his head up. He wanted to ensure that the last face
this man saw
before death took him was the face of his enemy,
still alive and ready to
slaughter his kinsmen. 

A final
combination of blood and air gurgled from the man's pierced
throat
and his eyes darkened. Nodding, Saige dropped the lifeless
head to the
ground and stood, striding from the tent. As to be
expected, many of the
soldiers and officers began voicing
questions and concerns but Saige
irritably waved them all off.
Ordering them silent he requested his horse be
made ready and
asked the scouts to track down the direction that the
fourth
Barbarian retreated in. Saige would find the man and force
him to answer for
this attack upon the Highlord's life.

(To be
continued) 

Author:    Saige          
Date:    
 Mon Jun  2 05:52:42 2008
Subject     The Attempt... The
Failure... The Revenge... III

The Revenge:

Two days
had passed since the attempt on the Highlord's life. Saige had
left
orders for the Highmaster to maintain discipline of the army
and to send a
small force in his direction but he began to
question the necessity.
Regardless, he continued to ride his
mount into the ground in a relentless
chase of the final would-be
assassin. Early in his journey his mind had been
racing. Rage and
obsession clouded his judgment and he nearly killed his
steed by
the pace he was demanding. However, he finally came to his
senses
and slowed the beast. 

The fourth barbarian had made the
mistake of traveling north into the
Delving. There was nothing
but rock and sand for a hundred miles upon
leaving Neraka. The
occasional rise in the ground and the dust kicked up by
the
fleeing attacker allowed Saige to monitor the distance between
them.
Knowledge of the land and a quick calculation informed him
that he had a
chance to catch the wretch in the middle of the
night if he rode his horse
to death. It would be risky, for if
the horse died too soon then he would be
left stranded. In his
mind though, it was a risk worth taking. Digging his
heels into
the creatures flanks, he pressed forward.

*** *** *** *** ***
*** *** *** *** *** *** 

The horse slowed to a pace, it's legs
shaking and it's body quivering.
Leaping from it's back, Saige
drew forth a knife. As the horse's knees
buckled and it slumped
to the ground, he reached forward and drew the blade
across the
creature's throat. No point in leaving it suffer as it had
served
it's purpose. 

The ground had begun to flatten and tall
grass was sprouting in patches. He
was now standing amidst the
lands known as the Delving, located north of
Taman Busuk and just
south of Nordmaar. Somewhere nearby was the unwary
barbarian.
Saige intended to make this painful as the man had already
caused
a delay to the attack plans for the armies.

It was not
even a half mile from the place where Saige's mount dropped
that
he found his prey. The barbarian's own mount stood nearby,
snorting softly
and pawing at the ground as it sensed a stranger
approaching. Not wishing
the give his adversary the option of
fleeing once more, Saige pointed at the
horse and mouthed a
silent prayer to his Queen. The horse's front knees
began to
wobble before giving way beneath its own weight. Crashing to
the
ground, the creature made a whining sound as its legs cracked
and broke...
just enough noise to wake the now alert
barbarian.

Leaping to his feet, the man looked around. His eyes
apparently still weary
from sleep, he completely passed over
Saige once before turning and focusing
on him. Shouting something
incomprehensible, the man took a look at his
horse and appeared
to wince. Saige watched with quiet amusement until the
man drew
forth his weapon, a long knife wrapped with leather at the hilt.


Clucking several times with his tongue, Saige shook his head
disapprovingly.
It would do the man no good to offer a fight. He
would do better instead to
take his own life before Saige go a
hold of him. The thought must have been
lost on the man however.
With a shriek similar to a war cry, he ran towards
Saige in an
attempt to catch the Highlord off guard. It was a brave move
but
at last it was nothing but a foolish mistake... one that
would soon be
regretted. 
 
(To be continued)

Author: 
  Saige          
Date:      Mon Jun  2 05:54:33
2008
Subject     The Attempt... The Failure... The Revenge...
III (C)

The Revenge: (Continued)

As he ran forward,
Saige stood unflinching and merely waited. When the
barbarian was
not but 10 feet away Saige called out to his Queen, asking her
to
blind his foe with eternal darkness. As the man pulled his weapon
back to
strike, Takhisis answered the prayer and stripped the man
of his sight.
Releasing a howl of pain and confusion, the man
stumbled and nearly fell
right in front of Saige. Striking him
now would have been easy, but that was
not what the Highlord
needed. He had questions that would be answered
first.

Side
stepping the man's reckless attack after the loss of his vision,
Saige
caught the wretch by the hair and ripped his head backwards
causing his body
to bend and his knees to give out. In the blink
of an eye, the man was flat
on his back, his head bleeding from a
gash caused by a rock on which he
landed. Cursing his luck and
the humor he was sure his goddess found in
this, Saige lifted the
man and slapped him several times. The man's eyes
opened without
seeing and then closed. He was out cold. This was not what
Saige
had intended... but then things could have been worse. 

Looking
around, Saige found he was now stranded after killing both his
and
the barbarian's mount. Cursing the world loudly he found a
line of rope from
the horse's lead and used it to bind the
barbarian. Content that the wretch
was out cold and not going
anywhere, Saige set off to find some high ground.
He would have
to wish the god's luck upon him if he was to get on his way
back
to Kortal and the war soon. 

Author:    Saige         

Date:      Mon Jun  2 05:58:16 2008
Subject     SQ - The
Crossroads


An hour's worth of walking brought him to a
crossroad and to what was
either a stroke of blind luck or a gift
from the gods. Saige however, was
willing to put his money on the
former given the line of curses he had given
to every god he
could think of during his trek. A wagon with two horses
was
tethered to a sign post. Beyond, several men stood gawking at
something upon
the ground. Saige had meant only to steal the
horses but something drew him
to what the men had found. Be it
curiosity or the will of a god he felt
compelled to see it for
himself. This feeling however did not alter his
sense of
judgment. 

Approaching the men from behind, Saige released his
weapon and attacked. The
first man dropped instantly with nothing
more than a stunned gasp. The
momentum of the weapon bludgeoned
him and crushed his skull. The second man
had little time to
react. Caught off guard by the sudden attack he grabbed
what was
closest to him, that being a shovel and tried to defend
himself.
Saige's mace splintered the long wooden handle and a
quick backswing
shattered the man's jaw and knocked him to the
ground. Stepping forward,
Saige placed his booted foot across the
man's throat and applied pressure
until he felt the flesh and
muscle give way, crushing the man's airway.

A quick inspection
proved there to be no others lingering in the immediate
area.
Returning to the place where he felt compelled to look earlier,
the
ground appeared to be cut and shaped in such a way that words
had been
formed. This either being of magic or of godly will,
there was little doubt
about the purpose behind the words.
Finding the urge to stare and gawk
numbingly painful, Saige
finally gained control over his mind and turned his
eyes away.
Cracking his neck, he shuddered slightly and decided it best
to
grab the wagon and return to his captured assassin. Besides,
he had a war to
plan and an army waiting for his return. So why
did he have the urge to
suddenly go treasure hunting...


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Sun Nov 
9 07:37:31 2008
Subject     Arrival in Neraka

The sun
had begun its decent behind the Khalkist mountains
allowing
darkness to commence its reign upon Neraka. Denizens of
the city hastened to
complete their daily routine; soldiers,
priests, merchants and commoners
alike scurried throughout the
streets.

In the courtyard of the Temple, the air stirred
slightly as an unusual
breeze passed through. Within seconds the
breeze strengthened and became
violent, swirling dirt upon the
ground into a vortex. Several individuals
nearby were forced to
shield their faces from the force of the barrage and
were
momentarily oblivious to the massive creature swooping in from
above. A
pair of enormous talons ripped into the earth causing
the ground to shake as
the monstrous apparition landed. When the
dust settled, a pair of wings
stretched out and the glimmer of
blue scales announced the arrival of a
child of Takhisis.

The
head of the dragon flexed as if to crack it's neck then turned to
look
back at it's rider, a solidly built figure who was beginning
to stand from
the saddle strapped to the beast. Swinging a leg
over, the rider leapt from
the dragon's back and landed upon the
ground with ease. By now those who had
been standing nearby had
regained their composure and two approached the
newcomer while
others stood rigidly at attention.

Of the two men, one bearing
the trappings of a Captain stepped forward and
snapped a crisp
salute. The rider, now standing before the two men, removed
a
grotesque helm fashioned in the image of the dragon looming in
the
background. It served two purposes; the first for protection
and the second
to impose fear upon those who stare upon it. As he
removed the helm he
tilted his head forward, then pulled it back
and ran a gloved hand through
thick black hair. His face was cold
and stoic. A black patch with silver
runes covered his left eye
but did little to hide the jagged scar beneath.
As he leveled his
stare at the two men before him, a slight grin crept to
his
lips.

"Gentlemen."

"Highlord," responded the Captain,
still holding his salute. "It's good to
have you back Lord
Saige." 

He was a younger man in his twenties; well kept with
a powerful physique.
The Highlord was quite impressed for he
appeared a promising individual who
commanded respect from his
men and understood that upon the field of war,
failure meant
death. Next to him stood a Lieutenant, also holding a salute
but
appearing filthy as if he'd just walked out of a bar brawl. The
Highlord
nodded to this man.

"Get that saddle off Cobalt and
then make sure he has fresh meat
Lieutenant." The man nodded
with a grin and departed to tend to his duties.
"And for the
god's sake clean yourself up afterwards. By Takhisis you're not
a
black blooded gob." 

Sighing and uttering a curse under his
breath, Saige turned to the Captain
and jerked his head towards
the Temple. "I'll be in my quarters. I want you
to gather up
whatever officers are in the area and have them report in
three
days to the Council Chamber."

With that, the Captain
turned and left leaving Saige alone in the courtyard.
Glancing up
at the dark sky, he snorted at the sight of his Queen's
missing
constellation as well as that of her immortal enemy,
Paladine, sovereign of
the Solamnic Knightood.


"Interesting."

That said, Saige headed to his quarters for
a well deserved drink. 

Author:    Saige         

Date:      Thu Jan 29 05:50:33 2009
Subject     KoD: A
Meeting in Sanction

Ok, back during the Knife of
Dracart roleplay Dante and I had finished a
a segment on the IC
channel which I told him I would write up into a story
and post.
Well, I was a lazy ass and never got around to it until now.
Later
is better than never, right? Anyway, enjoy this glimpse
into the recent
past...

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***  
***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   

It was late in the
afternoon. Storm clouds, ever present, had amassed to the
north
of the city of Sanction. The air in other areas of the world
would
smell fresh this time of year with the promise of rain; in
Sanction it
merely smelt like charred ash. This was mostly
credited to the flowing
rivers of lava which poured down from the
northern mountains known as the
Lords of Doom. But the city
itself had also acquired the stench of war. To
the faint of
heart, this smell was repulsive; enough so to make one wretch
the
contents of their morning meal. To a seasoned warrior though,
this was a
seductive perfume: campfires, forges, the metallic
scent of iron and steel
mixed with hot oil and leather. All of
these things combined to give
Sanction its own scent to be feared
as it carried across the winds of
Ansalon. 

Saige stood by
himself atop a lone tower on the northeast side of the city.
It
was quiet, with nothing but the wind and the occasional sounds of
life
below. What he also enjoyed was the pure unobstructed view
of the fire
erupting from the bowels of the earth far to the
north. Those mountain
ranges had always fascinated him and even
now in his middle years of life he
found solace as he stared into
the lifeblood of the world. 

This day was different though.
Saige wasn't upon this tower to simply pass
time or to
contemplate the proper means of motivation for his soldiers.
He
was here to genuinely think and to openly question his Queen
about the
situation that Her armies had gotten themselves into. A
violent gust of wind
sent his cape fluttering and stung his face
but that did not cause him to
hesitate. Takhisis was displeased
at being questioned by someone so
insignificant but he inhaled
Her fury like one who finds pleasure in pain.
The toxic fumes
rising from the rivers of fire burned his lungs and seared
his
face but still he pressed on, pacing the flagstone and continuing
to
question in hope that an answer may manifest itself. 

"The
knife, my Queen... An artifact valued so greatly has been lost
due to
the incompetence of your chosen. How is it, that one white
robed bastard of
a bitch was able to do this? Are we not the only
ones waging this war? Is
there no way to keep the creations of
Light at bay? Or are you stretching
yourself to thin, trying to
attain too much at once?"

A convulsion suddenly wracked his
body, sending him to his knees. The pain
was excruciating and
Saige cried out but he managed to gain control and
grasped the
parapet, his fingers white down to the bone beneath his
leather
gloves. With effort he brought himself back onto his feet
and stared
defiantly into the heavens. 

"Struck a nerve did
I?..." he said through clenched teeth. Prepared to spew
more
insolence towards his Queen he suddenly noticed a figure
approaching.
It was a tall man well over six feet in height with
a rigid build. The
stranger wore the trappings of a soldier in
the Red armies and almost seemed
to be sniffing the air before
the sound of his voice broke the silence.

"Old man... It's been
too long..." the man said, coming into view. A hood
was pulled up
hiding his face in deep shadows but his eyes betrayed a
familiar
glimmer. 
 


Author:    Saige        
 
Date:      Thu Jan 29 05:57:05 2009
Subject     KoD: A
Meeting in Sanction, II



Saige's brows
narrowed as he stared at the figure. With a smirk, he closed
his
eye and shook his head, the pain suffered moments before still
very real
in his mind. Bothered by the fact that the pain may
have been evident upon
his face he turned away and stared north
into the mountains.

"Dante," Saige said briefly with an edge of
vehemence.

Dante grinned wickedly, sliding his hand up the shaft
of his spear as he
eased himself into a more comfortable standing
position. He didn't bow or
salute, though Saige was of a higher
rank he belonged to a different army.
The disrespect however was
evident and did nothing to pacify Saige's
demeanor.

"Ah you do
remember me then. I thought you might have forgotten... either
in
your wine or old age." 

Saige took a deep breath and slowly
released it. With a touch of sarcasm he
responded, "No, I've not
forgotten... though I must admit that the red in
your uniform
suits your chaotic habits."

Dante pushed his hood back off his
head and nodded in agreement. "Aye, that
it does, doesn't
it?"

"Tell me Dante, what brings you to this tower that I picked
specifically to
get away from the world?"

Dante shrugged gently
and smirked. "I talked to some of those blue fools who
said you
would be up here. So I figured I'd come to... get reacquainted
with
an old friend."

Saige couldn't help but to grin, his back
still facing Dante. Though it had
been awhile since the two had
last fought upon the same field of battle, the
younger man was
still as blunt as ever.

"Well, since you're obviously not missed
by your commander, then perhaps
your time here can actually be of
some use." 

Saige turned to face Dante. With arms crossed over
his plated chest he eyed
the young man as if judging an
enemy.

"What news does the Red army have regarding the lost
artifact?"

Dante chuckled gently and reached into a small pouch,
retrieving a handful
of black substance and shoving it into his
mouth. He chewed on it for a
second and then walked to the edge
of the tower before spitting. "You know
I've been ordered not to
share information with you blue fools, so why do
you even ask?"


Saige raised his brow, questioning the snide remark. "Don't
think I wouldn't
kill you where you stand just because we serve
together under the Queen.
I've killed greater men than you for
much less. Now back to my question, and
to the abyss with what
your commanders have told you. What have the Red
armies learned
in regards to the knife?"

Dante sneered at Saige but merely
shrugged in response, "The Red armies have
learned nothing that
the other armies don't already know. I however have
some new
information.'

Once again, Saige raised his brow in question.
"Out with it."

"Last I heard, a monk carried the knife," said
Dante, pausing for emphasis.

Continuing to stare at the man,
Saige nodded his head. "And?..."

"And he was somewhere near
Palanthas. I was going to go and search for him
but Luerk found
me here and has since kept me under watch."

"The green Highlord
can be a fool at times," growled Saige. "Why would he
keep you
under watch and what would you expect to do upon reaching
Palanthas
anyway? Peak up the robe of every god forsaken monk in
the city?" 
 


Author:    Saige      
   
Date:      Thu Jan 29 06:03:21 2009
Subject     KoD:
A Meeting in Sanction, III



Dante laughed
heartily and shook his head. "I have ways of getting
information.
I have a fairly good description of this monk so finding
him
should not be that difficult."

"Then why in the name of the
gods are you still in this city? Any mindless
twit could get out
of here without being noticed."

"I heard you were in town. I can
make it to Palanthas in good time so I
figured I'd see if you had
any information I didn't."

Saige turned and took a deep breath,
releasing it slowly as he walked over
to the parapet and kicked a
booted foot on top. "I've heard nothing yet. My
spies seem to
always be two steps behind the current holder of the
artifact...
But you at least bring me some hope." 

Glancing sideways at
Dante, he continues, "You're leaving for Palanthas
tonight.
You'll also be accompanied by two of my Sivaks. Don't try to be
a
loner and scamper off either or I'll be sure to have your hide
the next time
we meet. As for the green Highlord and your Red
commanders, to the Abyss
with all of them. Do this and report
back to me. I'll make sure you are
rewarded properly. Is that
understood?" 

Dante remained silent for a long while with his
eyes closed. After a moment
he opened them and looked at Saige.
"You know, I don't much care for having
tag-alongs. I could move
much faster alone, but I'll do it."

Saige let loose a whistle of
surprise, though the expression on his face was
subtle.

Dante
asked "I do have one question. What kind of 'reward' are we
talking?"

With a smile, Saige responded, "Don't worry about the
reward until you bring
me back the artifact. It really doesn't
matter unless you fulfill your end.
But I promise you it will be
worth the risk. You'll find both Sivaks in the
courtyard already
prepared for the journey.'"

Dante nodded gently and threw his
hood up on his head. "You'll hear word
from me in two weeks time.
If I find it I'll be back here. If I don't then
I'll send a
messenger." Turning, he began heading for the stairs by which
he
arrived. 

Saige glanced back over his shoulder at the younger
man. "Oh, and Dante?"

Dante stopped and looked over his
shoulder. "Yes, Old man?" 

"Don't fail. I can be forgiving but
our Queen is much less."

"Me fail? That's laughable," he
responded before disappearing down the
stairs.

Saige simply
sneered and returned his eyes to the distance. Somewhere
out
there was the answer to his problems. If only they could find
the dagger...
damn the gods above...

 

Author:  
 Saige          
Date:      Sun Sep  1 15:10:09
2013
Subject     Change is Coming...

(This is an
account of RP that occured globally last evening between
Saige
and Ayasana, taking place outside of Neraka at Matar Manor.
Please
read this as viewed from Saige's POV)

* Saige paces the
corridors of Matar manor. A black cloak casts a shadow
across his
face. His eyes are closed and his breathing is slow and
measured
with each step. *

* Ayasana leads the Blue regiment
into the village outside the walls of the
Manor. Noticing a group
of warriors in familiar livery, she signals the
regiment to begin
breaking off into companies and hold in place. *

Ayasana ICs in
Common 'Camped them outside, did he? Still a cautious
old
fox.'

* Saige slows his strides and comes to a stop. *

You
IC in Common 'Finally, she is here...'

* Ayasana continues
riding toward the gate, flanked by 4 of her knights.
Disregarding
the men camped nearby, she holds her head high, a crooked grin
on
her lips as they enter. *

* Saige continues walking and makes
his way to the map room. *

* Ayasana rides up the long
promenade, past the fountains, to the main
entrance of the Manor.
The 

* Ayasana continues, not breaking stride as the doors open
for her. A
servant points quietly to the Library whispering "the
map room m'lady,"
pulling his forelock and backing away. *

*
Ayasana gingerly pushes the door to the room open, one hand on
her katana.
Taking a deep breath, eyes narrowed into slits, she
quickly walks in. A
familiar form is outlined by the fireplace.
*

* Saige hears the door open. He feels the hesitation of his
'guest' and
knows immediately that it is actually his 'host'
coming to join him. *

You IC in Common 'Welcome home,
Ayasana.'

* Saige speaks with his back still turned, facing the
fire. *

Ayasana ICs in Common 'I could say the same to you,
Highlord. It has been a
long time.'

* Ayasana heads to a side
table, reaching for a decanter of brandy and a
fine crystal
goblet. "Shall I have rooms prepared for you, or have you seen
to
that already?" *

You IC in Common 'That has already been seen
to. You run a fine
establishment here.'

* Saige gestures to the
decanter in Ayasana's hand. *

You IC in Common 'I hope you
don't... mind.'

* Ayasana notices the decanter has already been
tapped, she grins to
herself. Glancing over at the main table,
she notices a large map of Taman
Busak, covered with notes and
group tokens. *

Ayasana ICs in Common 'I would expect no less,
actually, I'd be alarmed if I
found it any different.'

* Ayasana
walks over to the map. *

* Saige's lip curls into a smile as he
continues watching the flames of the
fire burn away the life of
the logs. *

You IC in Common 'Notice anything...
interesting?'

* Ayasana mulls over the map, looking at the token
placements. She reaches
down and moves one further north. "The
4th Talon was moved closer to Jelek
three days ago. Otherwise
this look up to date" She tilts her head, looking
over at him.
*

Ayasana ICs in Common 'But why would you have the rest of the
wings placed
as well, they are not generally our
concern.'

Ayasana ICs in Common 'Red Green... even White and
Black... how do they play
into this?'

* Saige remains quiet,
allowing the crackle of the fire to speak instead. *

Ayasana ICs
in Common 'What is this about anyway?'

* Saige nods his head and
turns from the fire to face Ayasana. Reaching up,
he draws the
hood of his cloak back. He appears weathered and rugged,
his
bearded chin narrow and his cheeks drawn in a bit as if he
has been
traveling lightly for weeks. But his eyes deny any sign
of weakness. They
appear keen and penetrating, dancing with the
light of the fire. *

You IC in Common 'They are now our
concern.'

* Saige motions to the tokens: white, green, black
then red. The first three
tokens lie face down. The red token
appears face up. *

You IC in Common 'I have disposed of the
Highlords belonging to the White,
Green and Black armies.'

*
Ayasana's eyebrow arches questioningly. Closely watching the
Highlord's
expression. *

* Saige pauses momentarily. *

Ayasana
ICs in Common 'You did what? '

You IC in Common 'Actually, I
have only disposed of the Black and Green
Highlords... the White
Highlord was practically willing to kill himself for
me, the
simple minded fool.'

* Saige smiles as he stares down upon the
map. *

* Ayasana smirks slightly, but her mind races at the
implication. *

* Saige looks up and watches Ayasana closely.
*

You IC in Common 'That's right Ayasana...'

You IC in Common
'I've done what I should have done a very long time ago.'

*
Ayasana straightens up, still watching her "guest". Looking for
any
indication that he had lost his mind, or was maybe more
cunning than she had
previously thought. *

* Saige smiles and
returns his eyes to the map. *

Ayasana ICs in Common 'That is a
bold step, m'lord. Are you certain that
Takhisis approves of you
killing her chosen? '

* Saige's eyes narrow and his voice takes
on a vehement note. *

You IC in Common 'If killing two of her
'chosen' doesn't prove favor, then
she chooses poor champions.


* Saige watches Ayasana closely for any trace of ridicule but
eventually his
face relaxes and the smile returns. *

You IC in
Common 'Besides I had a vision in which our goddess
appeared
before me, vengeful for the fact that I had not been
actively promoting her
name in this world.'

* Ayasana nods
slowly, still watching carefully. * 

(Continued...)

Author:    Saige         

Date:      Sun Sep  1 15:14:57 2013
Subject     Change
is Coming... II

(Continued...)

You IC in Common 'She
demanded to know why I, her servant, was allowing the
world to
peacefully continue its existence in ignorant bliss.'

You IC in
Common 'So I told her... the reason she appeared weak was
because
the rest of her 'chosen' were weak.'

You IC in Common
'Of course... this did not go over smoothly. I paid for
that
comment but the curse of my tongue is nothing new.'

You IC in
Common 'However... I did strike a point. Her leadership
amongst
the ranks was weak and I offered to fix it.'

You IC in
Common 'So... I fixed it.'

* Saige stands back from the table
and takes a deep breath, releasing it
slowly as he recalled the
memory of each encounter. *

You IC in Common 'In the absence of
all other leadership, I have declared
myself Emperor of the
Armies.'

* Ayasana jolts slightly, but quickly regains her
composure. *

You IC in Common 'I stand here now, to find where
your loyalties lie.'

* Saige flicks his gaze to Ayasana, keenly
watching her. *

* Ayasana again feels a jolt, her face
reddening. Her eyes seethe as she
hisses "You have to ask, to...
to question me? Me of all people?" she
sputters. *

You IC in
Common 'Ayasana, I must question everyone.'

You IC in Common
'This is not a situation to be taken lightly. Any
preconceived
assumptions would be the act of a fool.'

You IC in Common 'Do
you consider me a fool, Ayasana?'

* Ayasana's hand goes again to
her blade," If you were anyone else, I would
call you to task
right here"

* Saige watches Ayasana closely without flinching.
*

* Ayasana pauses, still enraged, and then drops to one knee,
offering the
sword to Saige. "My loyalty is to our Queen, and as
her Chosen, to you, my
Emperor." *

* Saige's lip curls back into
that familiar smile. Nodding, he steps
forward. Ignoring the
blade he places his thumb upon Ayasana's forehead. His
touch is
as cold as the dead and it seems to radiate from within. He
utters
a prayer to Takhisis, calling for her blessing and a death
curse should the
oath be broken. *

* Ayasana stands, sword still
in hand, looking into Saige's dark eyes. "My
Queen has my oath
and holds my life in Her hands. Should She order me to
slay you,
I will. Until that time, I, Aya'sana uth Matar, am at
your
command. *

* Saige nods in approval. *

You IC in Common
'Very good. There is still one problem that must be
dealt
with.'

* Ayasana twirls the blade then slides it smoothly
back into its saya.
Looking back at the map, she notices the
still upright Red token. *

You IC in Common 'The acting Red
Dragon Highlord has remained defiant, and
I've not yet had the
opportunity to 'plead my case' as you will, in person,
as I did
with the Green and Black Highlords.'

You IC in Common 'Since
Ciskei abandoned our cause and disappeared, that
army has seen
several leaders rise and fall due to fighting within
their
ranks.'

Ayasana ICs in Common 'The Red Wing was never very
disciplined...'

* Saige glances up and smiles at Ayasana's
comment. *

You IC in Common 'At this time, an Ogre by the name
of Brak'kta has claimed
leadership and currently positions
himself in the area of Blodehelm.'

You IC in Common 'He needs to
be dealt with. All 9 foot 400 or more pounds
of his savage hide
needs to be drawn and quartered publicly in front of his
own
people.'

* Ayasana smiles wryly. "Serves them right, a brute
like that leading them.
However, all things must come to pass.
When do you wish to deliver this
excruciation to Master
Brak'kta?" *

You IC in Common 'Soon. It will not take long
before word spreads that I've
dealt with the other Highlords
accordingly. From the information my scouts
have secured,
Brak'kta already keeps close company with a large contingent
of
guards. '

You IC in Common 'The last thing we need is for this
to escalate into a war
between wings. We need to make this happen
quickly and then quell any
insurgency that arises.'

* Ayasana
traces a finger along the main trade route." He is at least 5
days
march from Neraka, 7 from here...." *

You IC in Common '7
days... How soon can you have your forces assembled and
ready to
march?'

* Ayasana smiles a slight, crooked grin, then looks up
at the new Emperor,"
My regiment awaits outside the gates, we
were already assembled to march to
Kortel when I received your
summons. I can send a messenger to Neraka and
have them ready by
the time we reach there. Your people, however, look to
need some
recovery still." *

* Saige nods and waves away the final comment
with his hand. *

You IC in Common 'My men will march until
they're dead if I tell them to.
They will leave tonight and meet
up with the scouts I have in place. Then
they will join your
forces here.'

You IC in Common 'From there on, you will
accompany me and we will go have a
chat with Brak'kta.'

*
Ayasana nods absently, peering at the route. "I will have my
commanders
alerted, they will accompany you to that point, the
messengers for Neraka
can leave tonight as well. I am going to
ride Starfire to here..." points at
map... "...and arrange a
supply train to meet up with us. Then I will meet
with you at
this point and continue the march with you." *

* Saige nods in
agreement and straightens, glancing at Ayasana in the
process.
*

You IC in Common 'Very well then. I hope you are ready,
Ayasana... Change is
coming...'

You IC in Common 'Fin.'


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Mon
Oct  7 16:21:08 2013
Subject     The March to
Pashin


A river of fire flowed from the north, moving
like a serpent as thousands
of torches flickered in the night. It
had been a lengthy journey through the
arid and rocky region of
Western Khur involving nearly two weeks of forced
marching and
little sleep, but Ayasana's forces were arriving in good
order.
Her keen knowledge of the region helped them utilize the
trade routes for
their supply chain. Strong roads were the
foundation of a strong empire.

Saige watched quietly from atop
the walled city of Pashin. A self-described
mayor stood nearby,
nervously fidgeting as he attempted to count the number
of
soldiers setting up camp. Saige smirked as he heard the man
continuously
start over as more and more troops arrived.

"Do not
fret, Mayor Dahl..." Saige said in a soothing voice. "Every
single
one of those soldiers has a bag of coins he is eagerly
waiting to spend. And
luckily... there's not another city around
for miles."

The mayor glanced at Saige and with eyes glittering
like newly minted coins.
"Why, you're absolutely right my lord.
We shall welcome every single one of
your men. And in your honor,
I will order the taverns to remain open all day
and all
night!"

The smirk returned to Saige's face and he resumed
watching his army arrive.
The mayor took this as an excuse to
leave and did so, thankful to be away
from the glaring eyes of
the Emperor's draconian bodyguards. The Sivaks were
large and
daunting. They did not cover themselves as did their
brethren
travelling abroad. As a matter of fact, Saige encouraged
them to be seen. He
found their intimidation upon his guests
rather amusing.

It would be well past mid-morning before the
last of the army arrived. The
Blue army was one of the largest,
and under the leadership of Ayasana it had
grown tenfold. The
benefit was the discipline that the female warrior
demanded. This
was not an army patched together with raw recruits. Every
single
soldier was sent through rigorous training. If they failed,
they
died. It was a simple and effective method. Fear drove them
to succeed,
success gave them courage and courage made them
fearsome.

Saige took a breath of the cool evening air. Focusing
on the task at hand,
he considered his options for the future.
With a supply train established
back north through Khuri-Khan to
Sanction and Neraka, the army would be
supplied and ready to move
again in a few days. The scouts would be
returning by tomorrow
evening to report on the terrain entering Blode. Once
he had that
knowledge, Saige would take a portion of the army and begin
the
march towards Bloten. He and his Queen had a meeting with the
current
Highlord of the Red army, and She was quite displeased
with his work ethic.
Saige couldn't agree more...


Author:    Saige          
Date:      Mon
Oct 14 12:22:09 2013
Subject     Tavern Tales: The Emperor's
New Groove (I)


Night had fallen in the east on the
continent of Ansalon. The sky was a
canvas of darkness upon which
even the stars struggled to shine. Saige found
himself watching
out the window of a finely decorated bedroom. The
tallest
building in the city of Pashin had once belonged to the
Mayor. However, he
politely vacated the premesis when his
steward's throat was cut as an
example of the alternative
option.

A decanter of wine sat empty within the Emperor's grasp.
It had already been
filled twice before and Saige was beginning
to feel the effects of the elven
luxury. The borders of
Silvanesti, to the south, were closed to the outside
world but
trade still occured due to the needs of the greedy within.
Luckily
for Saige, it seemed the Mayor had been providing some
valuable services
given the stock of wine in the cellar. Any
other evening, Saige would be
content to quietly drown himself in
the warmth of the alcohol while he
studied troop deployments and
scouting reports, but tonight was different.

A task laid ahead
of the Emperor the task of bringing a lazy and
insubordinate
Highlord to heel. Takhisis was displeased with the current
work
ethic of Her armies. She had spent a great deal of effort to
secretly
build up this war machine and the time was soon
approaching to unleash it
upon Krynn. Some, however, seemed to be
too content in their current
position of power. That would need
remedied. If this Ogre Lord was incapable
of heeding the call of
His Queen, then Saige would remove him from power and
find
someone more suitable.

It was the reason he had marched half of
the Blue Dragonarmy to this place,
for he knew that little would
be settled over a glass of wine when dealing
with an Ogre. Bloten
was still another week's journey to the northwest but
what was
really important at this moment was the mindset of his
soldiers.
Ayasana was their Highlord and she had done an
effective job at instilling
obedience. But Saige knew it would
take more in the face of death to keep
the formations in line.
They would need another form of motivation...
Something that
worked from within the ranks. For this plot to work, Saige
needed
loyalty and obedience, qualities which were hard to find within
the
ranks of the Dragonarmies. His Queen had given him Her
blessing, but that
blessing only lasted until She found someone
more suitable to lay it upon.
Saige needed to find a voice among
his troops to lay his own blessing upon
in order to guarantee
they would be ready to fight when the time came.

The light of
the silver moon crept through the window, casting ghastly
shadows
throughout the room. More time had passed during his musings than
he
had realized. It was time to go to work. Saige hefted his
booted feet off of
the desk and rubbed some life back into his
legs. Standing, he crossed the
room to a large banded chest where
he kept his armor. In the bottom were
simple clothes, more
fitting to a commoner. These would suit his purpose
well. After
changing into this new attire, he disheveled his
appearance
further and slopped the last contents of wine from the
decanter down his
chin. Grabbing an umarked brown cloak he
stepped to the open window and
grasped the talisman under his
shirt. Without hesitating he whispered a
prayer and stepped out
into the open air. Within moments his feet lightly
touched the
ground under the cover of darkness.

"Now..." Saige mused to
himself. "Let's go find something to drink..."



Author:    Saige          
Date:      Mon
Oct 14 12:25:06 2013
Subject     Tavern Tales: The Emperor's
New Groove (II)

 A mandate had been issued by the
Mayor of Pashin, that all taverns were
to remain open 24 hours a
day while the Dragonarmies occupied the territory.
Pashin was not
a very large city, but it was a key location for trading
between
Khur, Blode, Silvanesti, Balifor and to a lesser extent the
nomadic
tribes living in the eastern Plains of Dust. Because of
this, Saige had
found himself frequenting multipe taverns and was
learning a great deal of
knowledge unbeknownst to the other
patrons.

The mercenaries made up the brunt of the army. Many of
these men lived by
their sword. They were loyal because they were
paid to be loyal. For now,
Ayasana's exploits and Saige's coffers
were bringing them wealth. Further
talks of war only heightened
the perception of potential income. They were
obedient for this
reason, but their loyalty was uncertain. It was here that
Saige
would need to plant his seed of motivation.

The time was late,
nearly crossing into morning, and Saige stood within the
confines
of the final tavern. It was one of the smaller establishments
in
the city but it was full, nearly beyond capacity. Many were
simply taking
their drinks and standing outside. Like his
previous ventures, Saige ordered
a mug of ale and casually made
his way around the rooms, blending in with
the drunken state of
the crowd by cheering and singing the chorus of
various
songs.

Most of the discussions which Saige overheard
were the same as in the other
taverns. Men were voicing their
opinions over various topics including the
conditions of the
march, the climate of the area, exploits of previous
battles,
etc. Some cursed their commanding officers for the pace at
which
they had been forced to march only to arrive here and sit
around. Others
chimed in, reminding them that the money was still
good and that the alcohol
tasted no different after the first
mug. Some mused over their reasons for
being here at all. "I hear
we're going to lay seige to Bloten." "But isn't
that occupied by
the Red Highlord?" "Sure, but what has he done lately?"
"What has
any of the armies done lately?" "I thought we were going to
fight
the Solamnics." "The Solamnics are fighting themselves."
"Yeah, I hear the
Knights have been baracaded in their castles
since the Cataclysm." "Do they
even still exist?" "Who does this
Emperor Saige think he is anyway?"

That last comment caught
Saige's attention. The mention of his name brought
him near a
crowded table occupied by a handful of soldiers. The speaker
was
drunk, several empty mugs sitting on front of him. His
comrades seemed to
share his liquored grievances as they spoke
loudly amongst themselves.

"Emperor Saige..." said (a human
hereby referred to as Garcia). "Where did
he come from
anyway?"

"I heard he's one of Her own," said (a human hereby
referred to as Weir). "A
cleric from the Temple."

"A cleric?
What are we following a set of robes around for?" asked (a
human
hereby referred to as McKernan). "Can't they carry the
effigies of their so
called gods around the world
themselves?"

This brought about a round of laughter until
another voice interupted.

"I think you stop talk now, before
Queen hears and punishes." The voice
spoke in crude common and
was harsh, carrying with it a lethal edge. It came
from an
individual sitting nearby at the bar, close enough to overhear
the
loud conversation. A silence fell upon that end of the
tavern. Several other
conversations continued but even they died
out in the awkward silence. Saige
smiled to himself and continued
to watch. " 


Author:    Saige         

Date:      Mon Oct 14 12:26:53 2013
Subject     Tavern
Tales: The Emperor's New Groove (III)


The tavern had
quieted down. The threat was evident in the voice of the
unnamed
speaker. The man's back was turned to Saige and he remained
that
way, though from what Saige could see, it was a back much
more broad that a
typical human. It seemed that the drunken
stupor had worn off of Garcia and
he turned to see who had
intervened on his converation.

"Who in the abyss do you think
you are?" exclaimed Garcia. "I'll have your
ass for threatening
me."

McKernan jumped in as well. "Yeah, if you've got a problem
with our
conversation then find someplace else to drink."

"Or
we'll find someplace else for you!" added Weir.

The hulking
figure continued to sit there quietly, his back still facing
the
others who were now riled up with overconfidence thanks to
the alcohol.
Saige found this peculiar. The man seemed offended
enough to speak in
defense of his Queen but was not incensed to
respond in defense of himself.
Saige had a hunch. Stepping nearby
the trio, he chimed in. "Perhaps his
Queen has struck him
deaf."

Several things suddenly happened at the same time. Garcia
was in the process
of grabbing the neck of the speaker's shirt
when Saige bellowed the insult.
A change immediately overcame the
speaker and he stood up from his seat. He
was immense in size,
easily towering a foot or more over Garcia who was only
about six
feet tall himself. This made Garcia appear like a child,
clinging
onto the man's shirt while being lifted off the ground.
McKernan jumped to
his leader's defense but a quick strike from
the giant of a man left
McKernan's face a bloody mess. He
collapsed back onto the table, flinging
mugs of ale and plates of
food into the air. With alcohol clouding judgement
and fueling
the ego of everyone in the tavern, a brawl quickly ensued.

Saige
found himself being wrestled to the ground by another patron. As
the
two fought for position among the muck of the floor, Saige
closed his hand
around the handle of an ale mug. He let his
attacker gain position on top of
him but his victory was short
lived. Saige swung the mug up and split the
man's temple. His
body crumpled on top of Saige who was further hampered by
the
fighting going on above and around him. Tables were being
overturned,
chairs were being broken, liquid was flying through
the air but it was
impossible to tell if it was ale, spit or
blood.

Saige pushed the body off and managed to stand. However,
as soon as he did
so another patron completely whiffed on a punch
intended for an opponent.
Instead, he hit Saige square in the
cheek. The punch knocked the Emperor
several feet across the
room. Flailing in a helpless attempt to maintain his
balance,
Saige fell into something solid. Looking up, he found
himself
standind directly in front of the massive human who had
defended him
earlier. The man's face was ugly by human standards
and Saige suddenly knew
why. The man wasn't quite a man. He was a
half-Ogre.


Author:    Saige          
Date:
     Mon Oct 14 12:30:57 2013
Subject     Tavern Tales: The
Emperor's New Groove (IV)


The half-Ogre didn't
hesitate. He had already knocked McKernan out of the
fight.
Garcia was sprawled out across the bar unconscious and Weir
was
nowhere to be seen. Saige was the only one left who had
offended him and he
was going to make him pay. It didn't take a
sober man to see the intent in
the half-ogre's eyes, but Saige
knew he couldn't avoid it. Instead, he
reached for his medallion
and uttered a prayer for skin as tough as stone.
The punch struck
Saige above his right eye and the force alone lifted him
off the
ground and sent him tumbling several feet backwards.

Saige layed
there on the ground, dazed by the blow but alive. The effect
of
the clerical spell began to fade and his skin returned to
normal as he
reached up to heal the wound. Oddly enough however
there was no blood or
gash. Instead there was an indentation in
his skull above his eyebrow. He
began to ponder the possibility
of healing the deformity until a shadow
loomed above him. The
half-Ogre was back to finish the job. Once more Saige
began to
mouth the words of a prayer but to his surprise no attack
came.
Instead, he was hefted to his feet and led out of the
tavern.

The late night air hit Saige nearly as hard as the punch
from the half-Ogre.
He hadn't realized how stuffy the tavern had
become. His senses felt
heightened and this led to pain as his
other bruises and wounds became
evident. Saige cast a glance up
at the half-Ogre who was staring back at
him.

Before Saige could
say anything, the half-Ogre spoke. "Forgive me, Emperor.
At time,
I not know."

A smirk crossed Saige's face and he snorted. "And
just how exactly did you
know?"

The half-Ogre motioned to
Saige's chest where his talisman was now
displayed. "I see
Her."

Saige considered this a moment. "All of Her chosen wear
this Talisman. How
did you know who I was?"

The half-Ogre looked
Saige square in the eye and said, "She tell me." Saige
studied
the half-Ogre for any sign of deceit but found none. "Good,"
said
Saige. "The Queen has need of someone like you."

"I fight
for Queen," the half-Ogre said while pounding a fist on his
chest.
"What else I do?"

"I'm making you the first member of my
Death Guard," said Saige. "But first,
we have much to discuss.
Walk with me..."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Waking the
next morning proved difficult, though a secret part of
Saige
relished in the pain. In a way, it made him feel more
alive. He dressed and
cleaned himself up before departing to the
war room for morning reports.

Highlord Ayasana saluted him upon
his arrival and then added a casual
greeting. "Nice of you to
join us so early this morning m'lord."

Saige glanced at her with
eyes narrowed as he returned the salute and
continued walking
towards a table set with various trays of salted meats
and
cheese. Ignoring these, he poured himself a mug of hot water
and crumbled up
some dried leaves for flavor. He had to admit,
the spices of Khur did much
to clear the mind in the dark of the
morning.

Saige returned to a table covered with maps and other
various paperwork. The
light shone full on his face and he saw
Ayasana smirk before asking "What
happened to you?"

Saige
returned the smirk as he rubbed absently at the narrow cut above
his
eye.

"I got a new groove." 


Author:    Saige
         
Date:      Sat Oct 26 14:10:19 2013
Subject    
The Hour Arrives


A chilled morning wind blew down
from the mountains as Saige watched the
soldiers line up into
ranked formation. The ends of his heavy cloak snapped
in the cold
air but his face remained rigid, his eyes no more than slits
as
his gaze fell with loathing upon the city of Bloten. Hidden
behind those
walls was the creature that dared to defy his
reign.

It would have been a simple matter to have visited the
subcommanders of the
Red Dragonarmy, spread out as they were, and
coerced them to bend a knee
slowly dismantling them piece by
piece. But Saige didn't have time for that,
nor did he have the
resources to ensure their obedience afterwards. The
Queen had
given Saige the call to battle. It was time to unleash Her
wrath
upon the lands of Ansalon and to do so required the full
might of Her
armies. But one of Her chosen refused...

The Red
Army had a cunning Highlord in the early days, a mage who had
fought
his way to the top through sheer force. Few were able to
stand against his
power and eventually the Queen laid Her eyes
upon him, choosing him among
the rest to lead Her creation. But
as time passed he grew restless. The time
to unleash the full
power of Takhisis' wrath came too slowly and his ego
overtook
him. In his search for more power he found it necessary to join
his
brethren within the Conclave, hiding inside the walls of
their magical
tower. Whatever dark goals they wished to achieve
they kept to themselves
and the void of the Highlord's absence
left tormoil in the ranks of the Red
Army.

Over a period of
time, various warlords rose up to claim the absent seat of
power.
Takhisis, who has always favored the strong, relished in watching
Her
followers climb each others corpse as they fought and killed
for the right
to lead. Eventually, an Ogre named Brak'kta made
several intelligent
decisions (thanks to his chosen advisor, a
mage by the name of Teague) and
deceived (then killed) several
key allies before killing the other warlords.
With no threats
remaining, he claimed the right to rule as Highlord. The
only
problem with Ogre's is that they only remain motivated for so
long. 

Eventually, Brak'kta became apathetic to the cause. He
had holed himself up
within the confines of his city and with
others serving his every whim he
saw no need for further action.
It was during this time that Takhisis had
called out to Saige.
She informed her cleric that the time had come... She
was ready
to make Her presence known! Saige would be Her chosen and so
She
sent him forth. Ayasana, the Blue Highlord, immediately gave
Saige her
fealty and offered the strength of her army to him. The
other Highlords
required more... convincing. But in short time
the White, Black and Green
Highlords followed suit. All that
remained was Brak'kta, the Red Highlord.

Brak'kta had ignored
Saige's commands to prepare his army. They should have
been
strategically stationed to strike into the heart of
Solamnia.
Instead... they remained encamped throughout the region
of Taman Busuk.
Saige became enraged. The Queen had given Her
orders and they would be
followed!

The clouds to the east
remained black as they hung low around the mountains,
denying the
light of dawn to shine upon the land. It was an omen, of
that
Saige was certain. Queen Takhisis was angered. She was ready
to conquer
Krynn now. Someone would pay for this delay and Saige
was prepared to do Her
bidding.

He turned his attention back to
the formation of soldiers. All appeared
ready. Highlord Ayasana
was approaching, garbed in her battle armor which
was blessed by
her Queen. She saluted as she came to stand before him.

Saige
returned the salute and then spoke, "Are you ready, Ayasana,
to
witness the wrath of Her Majesty upon those that ignore Her
will?"

Ayasana appeared confident as usual. "I am, lord Saige,
and so is your
army."

"Very well," said Saige. "We will move
forward with the advance guard. If
Brak'kta lacks the courage to
come out and accept his fate then I will call
upon our Queen to
pour Her wrath upon him and those that follow."

Ayasana appeared
grim. "It would be a shame to lose the strength of the
force
within the city due to the failures of their leader."

Saige
nodded as he donned the the final piece of his armor, a helmet
imbued
by his Queen. "Indeed. But we are here to enforce Her will
upon those who
defy Her. I will personally cut the throat of
everyone inside those walls if
She commands it."

Ayasana nodded
in agreement. "By your command, my lord."

"Then let it begin,"
said Saige as he mounted his warhorse. 

Author:   
Saige          
Date:      Wed Nov 13 11:23:29
2013
Subject     The End and the Beginning, I

* This
story is the result of a global RP between myself and
Sylphshade
on the evening of Monday, November 11, 2013. It
officially ends the
Dragonarmy RP Campaign in Bloten. * 

*
Sylphshade watched as the southern gate of Bloten opened,
exposing the
road down to the valley where the massive blue
army's ranks formed. Taking a
deep breath, she nudged the horse
into a slow cadence, while the ogres that
followed shuffled
behind. *

Sylphshade ICs in Common 'This is not what I signed on
for," she muttered
under her breath. "Not what I signed on for at
all."'

* Sylphshade raised up the staff that held the white flag
so it was clearly
seen by all. *

* Saige stood among his
advisors, pointing out weak points in the massive
walls of the
city nearly a kilometer away. Suddenly, one of the
soldiers
called out and each individual turned to watch as the
front gates opened.
"Well, this is unexpected," said Saige. "I
thought we'd have to pull that
bulging sack of manure outside his
walls." *

* Saige turned to Ayasana who shrugged her shoulders.
She then nodded
towards the small number of troops exiting with a
white flag raised. "What
are your orders? I can send a squadron
of troops to escort them." *

* Saige continued to watch the
troops filing out of the gates, slowly making
an approach towards
him and his advanced guard. "No... Let them come to us.
Round up
the men and have them arrayed into a defensive formation just
in
case. Hand pick a personal guard. You will accompany me and we
will move
forward to meet whoever this is." *

* Sylphshade's
heart sank to her stomach as she took in the enormity of
the
force before her. How did that idiot Highlord think he could
withstand this?
Were those wargs in their ranks? "This is not
good," she kept grumbling to
herself. "This is so not good." *

*
Saige, Ayasana and his guards moved forward to meet the
approaching
soldiers. *

* Sylphshade watched as a group broke
off from the main body and rode
towards her. The banners let her
know it was someone of rank, but the man
was wearing a cloak
similar to hers. * 

* Sylphshade knew that rider from a couple
years back. He was the one who
led a regiment of blue soldiers
into Neraka from the plains. That meant this
man had to be this
new Emperor she had heard about. The day was just getting
worse.
*

Sylphshade ICs in Common 'So that is the one. Great. My first
meeting with
him and I am surrendering a city already. '

*
Sylphshade looked at the shorter one member accompanying the
Emperor. "And
she was just returning from taking a city, this
will look real good," she
shuddered at the thought. *

*
Sylphshade cast an eye up to the clouds above. "Just need that
dragon to
show up to make this a perfect day..." *

* Sylphshade
pulled her horse to a stop, dismounted and tried to stand
as
straight as possible, opening her cloak to expose the Red
surcoat and her
blade. Then she strode toward the group before
her. *

* Saige narrowed his eyes at the lead figure, a female by
the looks of her.
Frost white hair stood out against her red
surcoat and she approached with
an air of shaky confidence. This
was rather unexpected indeed. *

* Saige stepped forward from
among his troops. Ayasana stepped out as well
but remained a step
behind, her hand upon the hilt of her blade. *

* Saige stood
with his arms crossed, his helm hiding his face but not
the
glaring blue eyes beneath. *

* Sylphshade took a deep breath
to compose herself, remembering her
training. "Never let them see
you in doubt." Slowly she reached up and
removed the bronze mask
she wore, carefully placing it in her satchel. She
then looked up
at the man before her. *

Sylphshade ICs in Common 'I am the
Inquisitor Sylphshade Rephaim, here by
authority of the Council
in Sanction, presently representing, albeit
unwillingly, the city
of Bloten. May I respectfully inquire with whom I am
speaking and
on what authority you may be acting on?'

* Saige continued
glaring quietly at the woman before him, this Sylphshade.
Had his
face been visible one would notice that he was actually studying
her
composure, as well as the Ogre soldiers behind her, looking
for any sign of
deceit. Behind him, Ayasana could be heard
snickering as Sylphshade finished
speaking, requesting to know
whom she was speaking to. *

* Saige found no sign of the deceit
he was expecting. This was odd indeed.
Slowly, he uncrossed his
arms and reached up to remove his helm. As he did
so, Aysana
spoke up. "You're speaking to your Emperor, Inquisitor.
Do
yourself a favor and kneel before your superior." *

*
Sylphshade's eyes went to the Baroness and then back to the one
she called
Emperor. "Well now I know all the players, let's see
if I can keep my head
attached," she thought. Placing the flag on
the ground before her Emperor,
Sylphshade stood back up at
attention with her hands folded before her, and
bowed her head.
*

Sylphshade ICs in Common 'My Emperor, I greet you, and welcome
you to your
city. I am at your service, your majesty.'

*
Sylphshade then lowered her eyes and waited. *

* Saige watched
as Sylphshade laid the flag upon the ground, but made no
move to
pick it up. He stood there with his helm removed, held under
his
arm. *

Saige ICs in Common 'Tell me, Inquisitor Rephaim,
what game it is you are
playing at.'

* Saige's eyes move from
Sylphshade, to the Ogres and then back to the city
whose gates
remained open. *

* Sylphshade looked up at the Emperor,
questioningly. "Sire?" *

* Saige's face flashed with anger.
"Where is your Highlord? Where is the
coward that refuses to
acknowledge the will of his Queen?" *


CONTINUED...

Author:    Saige         

Date:      Wed Nov 13 11:25:35 2013
Subject     The End
and the Beginning, II


 ... CONTINUED

* Saige's face
flashed with anger. "Where is your Highlord? Where is the
coward
that refuses to acknowledge the will of his Queen?" *

Saige ICs
in Common 'I am here to see that he submits to Her will or
to
painfully send him to meet Her face to face.' 

* Sylphshade
nodded, and then matching his gaze began to reply. " The
Highlord
Brak-kta is nowhere to be found, even after several
thorough
searches and a series of questionings to his remaining
commanders. Most of
his bodyguard appear to have been killed, and
his lackeys slain attempting
to escape. The Red contingent of
Bloten is fractured, and unable to continue
defending the city
without a proper leader." She again bowed her head and
waited.
*

* Saige appeared to absorb the information. He turned to look
at Ayasana,
paused, glanced back at Sylphshade and then turned
fully to Ayasana. *

Saige ICs in Common 'Send the advanced guard
to the main gates. Have them
occupy the entrance and defend the
entrance. Then send word to the main body
and begin moving our
soldiers in to occupy the city. I want confirmation on
what the
Inquisitor has just told us. Send out our scouts to hunt
down
Brak'kta and anyone in his company. '

* Saige watched as
Ayasana saluted and turned to begin making all the
preparations.
He then turned back to Sylphshade. *

Saige ICs in Common
'Inquisitor, you will accompany me and my guard. Your
soldiers
will forfeit their weapons and will await further orders. I want
to
hear a full report from you on what you know.'

* Sylphshade
nodded, and then looked up. "They are not my soldiers my
liege.
They are merely witnesses to this meeting and they are
yours to command. And
as you are the highest authority, I am
yours to command as you see fit."
Once more she bowed her head in
obedience. *

* Saige smirked as a satisfied smile pulled at his
lips. With a nod of his
head, his soldiers stepped forward and
disarmed the red warriors. The Ogres
put up some struggle but the
overwhelming odds (and the number of sharp
weapons pointed at
them) kept them subdued until the task was complete. *

Saige ICs
in Common 'Walk with me Inquisitor. You can present your report
as
we survey the condition of the city. I would very much like to
see things
for myself. '

* Saige and Sylphshade, accompanied by
a formation of soldiers, turned and
began heading towards the
city. It would seem that quite a few tasks would
need settled in
the coming days, but for now the mission was
accomplished.
Brak'kta was missing or dead. His commanders (and
potential rivals) were
dead or subdued. Saige would appoint a new
Highlord of his choosing to clean
up the mess that was the Red
Wing, but for now, there was no opposition to
his claim. He had
become the Emperor. * 

 
END

Author:    Saige    
     
Date:      Wed Dec 11 13:40:55 2013
Subject    
Tending to Minor Issues


A cold breeze entered the
room through an open door on the balcony.The
curtains shifted,
causing the shadows to dance upon the walls in the light
of a
burning candelabra. Saige barely noticed. His attention was
focused on
a map laying upon the desk before him. He was
calculating. Always
calculating. Deployment schedules. Supply
schedules. Training schedules.
There was almost too much to do in
too little time, especially if they were
to be prepared to carry
out their Queen's command to conquer the lands of
Krynn in Her
name.

But tonight was different. Saige wasn't calculating on
such a broad scale.
Tonight he was focused on a small area in the
region of Western Khur. It was
here that reports had first
surfaced. Brak'kta, the former Red Dragon
Highlord, was alive and
encouraging rebellion. First in one village, then
suddenly in
four more. Though the villages were of little consequence to
him,
Saige found it interesting that these "uprisings" were occuring
in the
same area as raids upon their supply line by a "masked"
figure clad in
black. The attacker had been sure to leave
witnesses alive to tell of his
actions.

Saige did not know who
the masked crusader could be, but he knew it could
not be
Brak'kta. All evidence pointed to the remains of that foul ogre
being
etched into the stone of his bedchamber. But the knowledge
of the general
populace was something else, and that needed
contained. A few villages could
be handled easily. But if word
reached further than that, it could hamper
the efforts of a
future campaign.

Saige glanced at the map once more. He had
troops positioned all through the
region, but the bulk of the
armies still resided in Sanction, Neraka and now
Bloten. His
first thought was to simply level the villages as the Blue
armies
returned to Neraka. They were small enough that a few advanced
guard
could wipe them from existence. Their presence would not be
missed. But on
second thought... why destroy aa resource at all?
They could simply "remove"
the problem and relocate workers back
into the villages.

This proposition entertained him. A smile
crept onto his face as a plan
began to form. In order for this to
work, however, he would need more
information. And he knew just
the individuals to task with this.

Walking over to his desk,
Saige picked up a quill and parchment. Minutes
later, he had two
missives written and officially sealed. Under cover of
darkness,
courriers would be sent out to retain the services of two
talented
individuals within the Queen's armies.

Adjucator Feirn
and Inquisitor Sylphshade. 

Author:    Saige      
   
Date:      Wed Dec 11 13:53:12 2013
Subject    
Mending Loose Ends


A cold breeze entered the room
through an open door on the balcony.The
curtains shifted, causing
the shadows to dance upon the walls in the light
of a burning
candelabra. Saige barely noticed. His attention was focused on
a
map laying upon the desk before him. He was calculating.
Always
calculating. Deployment schedules. Supply schedules.
Training schedules.
There was almost too much to do in too little
time, especially if they were
to be prepared to carry out their
Queen's command to conquer the lands of
Krynn in Her name.

But
tonight was different. Saige wasn't calculating on such a broad
scale.
Tonight he was focused on a small area in the region of
Western Khur. It was
here that reports had first surfaced.
Brak'kta, the former Red Dragon
Highlord, was alive and
encouraging rebellion. First in one village, then
suddenly in
four more. Though the villages were of little consequence to
him,
Saige found it interesting that these "uprisings" were occuring
in the
same area as raids upon their supply line by a "masked"
figure clad in
black. The attacker had been sure to leave
witnesses alive to tell of his
actions.

Saige did not know who
the masked crusader could be, but he knew it could
not be
Brak'kta. All evidence pointed to the remains of that foul ogre
being
etched into the stone of his bedchamber. But the knowledge
of the general
populace was something else, and that needed
contained. A few villages could
be handled easily. But if word
reached further than that, it could hamper
the efforts of a
future campaign.

Saige glanced at the map once more. He had
troops positioned all through the
region, but the bulk of the
armies still resided in Sanction, Neraka and now
Bloten. His
first thought was to simply level the villages as the Blue
armies
returned to Neraka. They were small enough that a few advanced
guard
could wipe them from existence. Their presence would not be
missed. But on
second thought... why destroy aa resource at all?
They could simply "remove"
the problem and relocate workers back
into the villages.

This proposition entertained him. A smile
crept onto his face as a plan
began to form. In order for this to
work, however, he would need more
information. And he knew just
the individual to task with this.

Walking over to his desk,
Saige picked up a quill and parchment. Minutes
later, he had a
missive written and officially sealed. Under cover of
darkness,
his courrier would be sent out to retain the services of
a
talented individual, recently recognized within the Queen's
armies.

Inquisitor Sylphshade. 

Author:    Saige 
        
Date:      Sun Feb 16 08:22:03 2014
Subject    
Summary. The Return to Neraka.


Saige watched idly
from the top of a rise, just west of the city of
Pashin. Columns
of soldiers were rounding the mountainous and rocky
territory of
Blode as they made their steady trek back into the heart of
Taman
Busuk.

It had been several months since their march on Bloten.
The Red Warlord who
had openly defied Saige and his Queen had
fallen within his own stronghold
before an attack could be
launched. It was all rather befitting of the
circumstance. Saige
had no doubt that Takhisis had Her hand in the
matter.
Nonetheless, the stronghold of Blode was in various
states of disrepair and
the force of Red Dragonarmy soldiers
within were nothing more than thugs and
mercenaries brigands who
had no idea how to fight as a cohesive unit.
Fortunately, Saige
had with him perhaps the most skilled commander to walk
the face
of Krynn.

Lady Aya'sana, Highmaster of the Blue Dragonarmy,
radiated with rage when
she had laid eyes upon the remaining
soldiers of Blode's Red Dragonarmy.
There wasn't an ounce of
self-respect or discipline among them.
Subcommanders from the
Blue army had screamed, whipped and beat the pathetic
excuse for
soldiers into proper lines for inspection. Saige recalled
smiling
in amusement. He had given her the task of turning these
worthless creatures
into a formidable unit, knowing full well
that under her guidance they would
either live to become battle
ready soldiers or die in the process.

In the months following,
Saige oversaw the reconstruction of Bloten. The
walls were
rebuilt with stone from the mountain quarries. Supply lines
were
re-established through the mountains west into Blodehelm
where the ports
could be accessed. All the while, the fat was
trimmed from the Red
Dragonarmy by Lady Aya'sana and her
commanders. Nearly 1/8 of the original
force of Red soldiers had
been killed during the severe training but such
was necessary. In
the end, those left standing had been hardened into one
cohesive
fighting force. Even the members of the Blue army had
to
begrudgingly respect what the Reds had become.

But it was
time to return to Sanction. Bloten was functional and
bristling
with activity. It would become the focal point for
future assaults on
Silvanesti. Several of the remaining soldiers
from the Red army had proven
themselves capable of command in the
eyes of Lady Aya'sana and Saige had
promoted them to the proper
ranks to control the region.

Now, Saige listened to the beat of
drums as his Queen's army marched. He sat
atop his mount at a
point high enough to see the end of the lines leaving
the plains
of Blode and the front lines entering the Burning Lands.
Glancing
up into the sky, he squinted as the sun beat upon them
without mercy. He was
surrounded by members of the First Nerakan
Regiment ruthless and cunning
soldiers who were hand picked by
Lady Aya'sana for their skills in combat. 

These soldiers would
see him back to the seat of power in Neraka. From
there, Saige
would begin consolidating his forces for the next phase in
the
quest for his Queen's ultimate goal...

Total domination of
Krynn.

The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD

Astinus points to the massive wall of books behind him and bids you to make a selection.

Authors: All|A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
Astinus sighs as he recants 'We saved 868 books from Ansalon from before the great Cataclysm through today.'