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81
Board Battles / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: Rallying to War
« Last post by Veldanya Venalla on November 20, 2022, 06:17:49 PM »
The Seraphim listens as each of the Companions speaks up in turn, a scowl briefly appearing on his face as Soul Reaver finishes speaking and then Gulgrim steps in.  Jharm watchs the massive Ork stomp over to the war table and gesture about before finishing and then Kitharsis and finally the strange newcomer who goes by the name Phaerys speak.  Jharm is about to respond to all of them when he is interrupted by a chuckle from Vee.  The woman smirks as she slips a hand into the inside of her coat and pulls out a small packet, producing a thin small cylinder and slips it in between her dark lips. Then with a flick of her fingers a tiny flame appears on the tip of her index finger and she uses it to light the end of cylinder and with a slight wave of her hand the flame goes out before she takes a drag on what is revealed to be a cigarette.

"Well I must say, certainly an interesting bunch."

Her dark blue eyes turn towards Gulgrim.

"Especially you."

She then seems to pause for a moment as if thinking before Jharm steps in once more.

"Interesting indeed. That aside..."

He turns to look at Soul Reaver first.

"What is Darkness?  Simple, He is the anathema of everything the Light is, the same can be said for his people, the Shaitan.  They seek to eliminate the Light, escape from this plane and conquer and destroy all they encounter. As for the Lady of Light, no there is no way to find her, certainly not at this time.  The last great battle between Light and Dark ended in the Lady destroying the form of Darkness but she sacrificed almost her entire self to do so.  We could sense a sliver of Her escape from the plane with a final message telling us she "would return to us when the time was right."  Then with Darkness defeated for the time, we withdrew back to here to defend against the forces of Darkness until her return.  It was some time after that that we discovered that somehow the barriers that seem to keep either side from leaving this plane seemed to have weakened slightly allowing small portals to the Warp.  It was with that knowledge that I departed to try and seek Her out while the others maintained vigilance against any attacks from the Shaitan or indications that He was returning.  Clearly my efforts failed as I soon realized just how limitless the Multiverse is but in that time I others, such as yourself Soul Reaver, and decided that unless the situation here changed I would join with the Companions."

He then turns and begins to gesture at the shimmering landscape on the table as he continues to speak.

"As far as any sort of stealthy attack or assassination.  That was one of the first suggestions I made when we realized the truth that He was once more growing in power and drawing closer to coming back.  To put it simply, its impossible.  My decision to offer the support of the Seraphs to Camerons attack in the Eye of Terror turned out to be a poor decision.  It cost us many Seraphs, leaving our defenses here greatly weakened.  It was soon after this that the Shaitan began to move upon our defenses.  This was our first indication that He must be returning for there would be little other reason to attack otherwise.  Unfortunately due to our greatly diminished ranks, the Shaitan claimed victory after victory until we found ourselves where we are now.  With them in possession of the forts I mentioned earlier, it is all we can do to hold them where we are, let alone try to advance and retake lost ground.  That leaves everything from this first fort and beyond firmly in the hands of the forces of Darkness, and crystals erected within prevent my people from creating portals past their location, this basically prevents any sort of surprise attack to their rear while a nearby crystal remains active. "

He then turns back to Soul Reaver and that scowl flashes across his face once more briefly.

"So yes Soul Reaver, we thought about much of that.  I am unaware as to where your view of my people being...inflexible comes from given that outside of their arrival in the Eye of Terror, they have never encountered any races beyond the Shaitan, and you all are the first beings to ever set foot in this plane."

He turns back to the map as he moves on to respond to Gulgrims inquiries.

"In truth Gulgrim, I couldn't really say.  In case it is not evident, outside of winged Seraphs, there are no sort of aerial craft or creatures we possess, the Shaitan are similar in that regard to us and so at first glance I would say nothing is stopping you.  However, both sides utilize large crystals to cut down any winged attackers should they get too close and there are many of them situated on the walls of His fortress.  I am certain they would target your vessel should  you attempt to approach.  Can your krooza survive the attacks?  I cant truthfully give an answer to that either way but given that He is returning I have little doubt that he would direct his own powers through the crystals, making them far more powerful and deadly then they normal might be, as well as protect the walls against projectiles.  In truth i believe your air power would be of much better use at the front lines.  With its destructive might from above, as well as your Boyz fighting alongside my people we can push back the Shaitan, retake the forts and with the combined forces keeping the Shaitan occupied, we can directly invade the fortress and destroy the physical form of Darkness, preventing His return."

Jharm looks over to Phaerys.

"As for what weapons and tactics worked against them.  First and foremost keep in mind the last time He was defeated, our Lady was present.  The battles, and the war itself was far more...equal I suppose you could say.  Steel and magic back and forth, after many years I would say it came down to there were more Seraphs then Shaitan present, leading to basically the opposite of what we are in now.  It was soon after that that Light and Darkness faced off against each other and well, I already explained what happened there.  The presence of the Companions, and Gulgrims Orkish hordes I believe will give us the strength needed to directly assault the forts, replace the crystals with our own and subsequently assist with pushing the front line back and closer to Him."

The Seraphims eyes suddenly seem to glow a bit brighter before he quickly turns back to look at the war table.

"Wait a minute.  That could work perhaps."

He looks up and his gaze shifts between each of the Companions.

"A surgical strike on each fort.  Gulgrims forces providing air and ground support while Vee flies us in on her ship.  We gain access to the fort, fight our way through and destroy the Crystal.  Then I can create a portal to start bringing forces through to defend the fort, not only cutting off the Shaiton in the area from receiving any close reinforcements, but allow my own people to potentially attack from relatively behind.  There is risk involved though.  Basically being dropped into the middle of the Shaiton forces, taking and holding the fort until enough of my own people can arrive to defend it, and then move to the next one.  As I said before, I have little doubt that we will only face the regular forces of the Shaiton within those walls.  They most assuredly will have elite troops within and perhaps even one of their leaders, especially after we take the first fort."

Vee perks up at this suggestion, taking a a long drag on her cigarette and exhaling.

"Wait a minute, you want me to fly us in that close?  Didn't you say earlier that those places have crystals designed to take down winged attackers and likely would be used to target any ships?"

"Yes, but Gulgrims aerial forces can provide cover as well as much more dangerous targets as they can not only likely destroy those same crystals, but also will most certainly be raining death down on the Shaiton forces below.  I cant exactly say how durable those crystals are when matched against starship weaponry.  Both sides utilize siege weaponry and can eventually destroy the crystals but it was never a quick or easy thing to do while they were also returning fire.  I can't say how the strength of starship weaponry will fare against them."

The woman takes another pull on her cig.

"Well I suppose you are right, certainly sounds risky...but I'll be damned if I let some stupid crystals compete with my piloting skills or the prowess of the Aisgeim.  Besides, given the appearance and rousing speech of our green chum here, something tells me these um...."Kroozas" can not only take a punch but give 'em in return."

Jharm nods and turns his attention back to the others.

"There we have it, Gulgrims Orkz can join with my people on the frontline and do what they do best, while we all, alongside the Orkish armada and the Aisgeim, strike and take possession of each fort, holding it until reinforcements arrive and then we move on."

He looks around, waiting for the Companions responses to not only the answers he provided but the plan now submitted before them.
82
Board Battle OOC Threads / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: OOC Thread
« Last post by Veldanya Venalla on November 07, 2022, 11:43:07 PM »
Alrighty, looks like everyone has posted (woot!) so I will work on getting a post up asap.  That said, the warehouse i work at in RL just rolled out a new system today (Mon, 11/7) that basically resulted in me working normal 5 day work week last week, then working both Sat & Sun, and working a 5 day work week this week while dealing with teething troubles of new (at least for us) tech as well as various big wig types from the company being around to assist.  That all said, I'm not 100% as to how soon "asap" will be.  Current target is basically "before the weekend but very plausible sometime over the weekend".
83
Board Battles / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: Rallying to War
« Last post by Fallen Templar on November 07, 2022, 07:14:39 PM »
Phaerys calmly stepped through the portal, particularly intrigued by the feat of opening one right by where they stood, from across dimensions. On the other side, Jharm was there to greet them. The Ataran felt little about this man as they had only met very briefly once before, but Soul Reaver and Kitharsis held respect for him. That was enough for Phaerys to have some grasp of his character, and so he returned the greeting with a slight bow.

Of course, it was not for nothing that they were all gathered here. Jharm wasted no time in elaborating further on that, as well as explaining what they were up against. A matter of ensuring that this Darkness entity did not escape this dimension.

Soul Reaver still had a few further questions for Jharm, many of which had likewise crossed Phaerys' mind. And Gulgrim – whom Phaerys had also last seen on that ramshackle starship of his – proved to be more than the brash, brutish creature he appeared to be. The Ork's own forces would no doubt be a useful asset, too. The only question was whether they would be enough in the battles ahead of them.

When Phaerys found a moment to get a word in himself, he stepped forward to speak his piece. "I concur with Soul Reaver. A war of attrition would likely result in defeat, given the current disadvantage," he addressed Jharm. "Permit that I ask one additional question: what weapons and tactics have proven effective in the last engagement? If a diversionary attack is viable, perhaps it would allow for a separate assault behind enemy lines."
84
Board Battles / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: Rallying to War
« Last post by Kitharsis on November 03, 2022, 09:36:28 AM »
Kitharsis dispels the floating swords as he sheathes his real one.  The sandstone crumbles and is whisked away by a warm gust of wind.  He steps through the portal, and is greeted by Jharm and his people.  Kitharsis replies to his greeting with a quick nod.

Jharm goes on to explain the reason for calling the Companions together.  At the mention of the Lightwell and the Darkness's intent to corrupt it, Kitharsis frowns.  It would not be difficult to draw a parallel between the Lightwell and the Tirthandara's source of power.  Having been on the receiving end of corruption, he cannot allow a similar fate to happen to Jharm's people.

A woman walks toward them from a shadowed section of the room.  Jharm introduces her, and after a brief exchange Veldanya offers a small curtsy.  Kitharsis bows his head and offers a small wave in response.

Their host goes on to explain why they were called here, and the odds his forces face without their help.  Soul Reaver returns with questions, and the offer of a stealth mission, while Gulgrim puffs up his chest and assures Jharm that his Orkz won't be an issue.  Unless Jharm wants them to be.  The Ork is so aggressive, its hard to tell his threats of violence from his offers to help.  Of course, as Orks go, they are most likely one in the same.

Kitharsis speaks up, "Given the Orkz involvement in The Eye, I think they've proven their ability for restraint when necessary.  I do wonder if there are any stealthy... gitz?"

He continues, "I also question if stealth is even an option at this point.  Given how formidable this Darkness is, they must have surveillance capabilities.  There are cloaking spells and devices, but we don't know what tricks they may have up their sleeves."
85
Board Battle OOC Threads / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: OOC Thread
« Last post by Shadow Chorus on November 01, 2022, 09:39:40 AM »
Gulgrim would like to remind everyone that 'Kunnin' is right there next to 'Brutal' when describing orks, but everyone forgets the first when thinking about the second.
86
Board Battles / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: Rallying to War
« Last post by Shadow Chorus on November 01, 2022, 09:39:00 AM »
Gulgrim rolls his shoulders and leans back as he is addressed, rising from his typical hunched stature to his full, terrifying height, though anyone who witnessed him in the battle against chaos would know that even this was a kunnin' deception compared to his potential true scale. When Gulgrim spoke, he did so in an articulate manner, his words clearly yet another display of his capacity for deceptively keen thought, though the shape of his maw and the sheer size of his teeth prevented the words from being completely free of the standard orkish mangling.

"Hehehe. It strikes me that you'z, along wiv just about every uvver fool 'oo's come across us, 'ave severely underestimated an' misunderstood wot exactly we orkz are."

Gulgrim strode over to the war table, his gargantuan steps even and well-spaced, as if the Ork was seemingly parading his physique for all present to take in, a paragon of strength and violence. Was this him simply showing off again, a side-effect of the space he found himself in and the Orks' unique capacity for adaptation, or something else? Hard to tell to any outsider.

"Orks are made for fightin', and for winnin'. We'z 'ave everyfin' we could need fer those goals built into our very essence." He holds up his massive green hand and emerald lightning crackles along his fingertips. "But da rules for wot is fightin', and wot is winnin', are set by da Boss in charge of da WAAAGH!!!" The Warboss clenched his fist, looking at the Seraphim with a toothy grin.

"An I'z the Avatar o' Gork and Mork, the great Green Godz o' Brutal Kunnin' an' Kunnin' Brutality. Dere ain't nobody who could challenge my status as da Boss save da prophet of da WAAAGH!!!, an' ol Ghazzy ain't nowhere near dis fight, so I've got no need ta krump his face ta prove I'z da one in charge."

Gulgrim seemed to be in his flow at this point, a big green preacher at the pulpit. "So When I'z say who we're fightin' an' who stands wiv us, da rules for what is Fightin' and what is Winnin' are set, an enforced down from me ta me Nobz ta me Boyz. An' you ladz look to 'ave made it real easy ta tell who's who in dis fight. So long as yer own gits stay outta the line of fire an' don't puff up their chests at me Boyz like they's lookin' to prove somefin', dey'll be fine. But when you'z question an Ork's prowess at da fight, it's a matter of somefin like your Honour bein' insulted, only fer us, it's da very core of who we are. So keep yer disparagin' o me Boyz to a minimum, else you'll 'ave a few border scraps ta contend wif. We'z violence made manifest, an' I fink all of you'z here can understand dat whether ya can call Violence good or bad in yer own non-orky estimashun is all about 'ow it's directed."

The Ork crosses his arms and glares down at the war table. "So. In the interest o' not disparagin' me boyz wiv a weak fight, tell me why it is dis fortress is too tough or too important for me Krooza ta flatten it from orbit. Like Spikey Boy Soul Reaver 'ere, I'z want ta know everyfin."
87
Board Battles / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: Rallying to War
« Last post by Soul Reaver on November 01, 2022, 01:17:05 AM »
Soul Reaver steps from the portal.  He inclines his head and gives a thin smile to acknowledge Jharm's welcome, then listens carefully as Jharm outlines the situation and introduces Veldanya.

Responding to her curtsy, he gives a half-bow, keeping his eyes on her as he does so, his expression unreadable.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, my lady."

He then continues to listen in attentive silence as Jharm covers the rest of the situation.  When Jharm is finished, he crosses his arms and chews his lower lip thoughtfully for a moment before asking some questions.

"Forgive me, but I feel there is much as-yet unexplained.

Firstly, what of the enemies we face?  Who is Darkness and why does he seek to conquer your people?  And what manner of armies does he command?
And this Lady of Light... is there no clue that could help us locate her?  You sounded pretty certain that she was due to return - why?

Lastly, assuming we must defeat this Darkness to end the war... perhaps a stealthy assassination would work better than a frontal assault and would remove the head from the snake without the damage and loss of life that a frontal assault would cause.

Maybe your people have already considered or attempted this, but then again..."

He hesitates for a moment before giving a slight sigh and continuing, "...there are times where your people have shown a lack of flexibility in their choice of means."

He glances over at Gulgrim, then finishes speaking with Jharm.

"I suspect that you at least are currently ready to consider all options."
88
Board Battle OOC Threads / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: OOC Thread
« Last post by Veldanya Venalla on October 30, 2022, 10:43:42 PM »
Alrighty, I know there isnt really a lot for everyone to respond to but after this post I can say there will certainly be plenty that everyone can, to certain extents, go kinda nuts with :) 
89
Board Battles / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: Rallying to War
« Last post by Veldanya Venalla on October 30, 2022, 10:40:24 PM »
The Seraphim stands firm in the large circular room, a handful of Seraphs positioned around the area in a circular pattern.  One after the other he received the responses from the Companions, each indicating that they would honor his call for assistance.  Extending his arms to the side his voice rings out loudly

"You each know your focus.  Let us bring them forth at once!"

The seraphs around the room nod and begin to channel spells.  A few moments later portals manifest in front of each of them.

-------------------------Elsewhere----------------------------------------
Each Companion finds a portal manifest in front of them moments after expressing confirmation to the Seraphims request.  Upon entering the portal they would find themselves in a large circular room, occupied by a handful of angelic beings as well as Jharm.  He extends his arms out in a welcoming gesture briefly.

"Greetings my good friends.  I thank each of you for accepting my request for assistance.  That said, there is little time to waste."

That fast his demeanor changes from a jovial welcoming one to almost dour and concerned.  He gestures with his hands and from the center of the room the floor seems to separate and a rectangular pedestal rises up to about waist height.  Approaching the pedestal he beckons for his friends to approach.

"Greetings aside, there is little time to waste.  I have called for your aid to help and save not only my people but the entirety of this plane and perhaps universes beyond.  Should we fail here, I fear that the forces of Darkness will succeed in all of that."

He waves a gauntleted hand over the simple looking pedestal and suddenly a glowing image manifests.  It seems to show a large area of rolling hills, mountains and valleys in shimmering light.  Dotted amongst the terrain are large squares with two even larger squares located at either end of the display.

"Before you lays the general layout of the battlefield.  On one side the forces of Darkness reign supreme, and on the other we, the Seraphs, reside."

His hand shifts between pointing to the one side of the display and then over to the far end.

"To try and put everything very simply, the Darkness himself, the one responsible for creating the armies my people are right now fighting against, is returning.  A long time ago he was defeated by our Lady of Light but it cost her greatly and she vanished at the same time, seeming to escape from this plane with the intentino to return rejuvenated and ready.  That...has still not occured.  I had hoped while traveling with you all that I might happen upon where she had fled to but with no success.  As I mentioned before though, Darkness himself has managed to return.  This is a dangerous and concerning event.  Without the Lady of Light to strengthen and protect us, we alone would struggle to try and hold back Darkness and his armies.  Should he reach the Lightwell and corrupt it, we believe this entire plane would be lost and then nothing would be stopping Him from expanding beyond to other planes and universes, destroying all in His path.  Thus, I have called upon all of you to help us.  I believe with your might we can stand against Him and push him back for the time being."

As Jharm nears the end of his speech, from an area of shadow at the edge of the room, a tall slender woman seems to almost appear out of the darkness.  Her heels click softly over the stone flooring as she walks, her long dark coat rustling around her.  Her skin is almost a pure white color, at first glance one could almost think she was a Seraph if not for the fact that her eyes were normal looking, a deep blue color compared ot the glowing orbs of light that the Seraphs posses.  Her hair is pitch black and cut short and swept backwards.  Over her chest seems to be a metallic chestplate of sorts, much of it concealed by her long black leather coat.  Her legs clad in a simple pair of leather pants while a pair of thigh-high metallic boots cover her feet.  On her hips rest a pair of holsters, the butts of two guns visible within them though the coat hides much else beyond that.  Drawing closer to the table she smirks slightly, her gaze drifting over each of the Companions in turn.  Her lips, painted a dark shiny black color part after a moment.

"Well, so these are the Companions you spoke of then eh?"

She crosses her arms over her chest.

"Certainly an eccentric sort for sure, that greenskin one especially."

Jharm looks over his shoulder at the woman and gives a slight nod.

"Yes, these are them."

He turns his attention back to the others

"My friends, this is Veldanya Venalla.  I encountered her during our time apart and, like the rest of you, have found her abilities to be quite formidable and have thus called upon her assistance."

The woman smiles and gives a small curtsy.

"I suppose that is certainly one way to put it.

The Seraphim looks at the woman and seems to scowl slightly before turning his attention back to the glowing display on the pedestal.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand.  What we are needing to do, and what I am needing all of your assistance with, is that we get from where we are now, to the, for lack of any other real designation, the Citadel of Darkness."

As he speaks he gestures at the one large square at the one end of the map and then at the second large square at the other end.

"This almost certainly sounds incredibly easy at first but trust me when I say it is far from it.  The entire area in between is a series of forts and defenses almost constantly fought over between the forces of Light and Darkness.  Then to actually gain access into th Citadel will almost certainly require the full force of Light to be present.  That means all of these forts in between must be claimed."

He gestures at 3 slightly smaller squares positioned throughout the middle of the shining landscape.

"While any sort of recon has been almost impossible for any beyond the first fort, we can almost certainly anticipate one of the leaders of Darkness' forces to be present either in or near it." 

He stands up, his expression dour.

"Basically we will be looking at a veritable slog as we must fight through enemy forces to each battlement, take them in turn before reaching the Citadel and then finally defeating Darkness itself.   This will give my people renewed time to either find our Lady of Light or for her to return on her own."

His gaze shifts between each of the companions as he speaks.

"I know this isnt quite the same as many of the situations we have involved ourselves in previously.  Trying to help save an oppressed people or defeat a clearly evil, malevolent force that we all know.  Darkness though IS such a force I promise you.  For ages now we have fought against it, and for the first time now I truly am unsure if we can succeed against it without your assistance.   I know I already basically asked it before, but now that you are more aware of what is at stake and is required, I ask again.  Will you stand with us?"

He then turns his gaze to Gulgrim before speaking further.

"Can I expect your...."boyz" to reliably fight alongside my people without gunning them down in the process?  Your peoples penchant for bloodshed can certainly be useful against the Darkness but I need your assurance it wont lead to slaughter of my own people when your troops get out of control.  If you can truly offer such guarantees then I ask that you call them in at once and...."

He hesitates for a moment as if he ponders about his following words.

"I give you full authorization to unleash your "Waagh", as you call it, upon our enemies."
90
Board Battles / Re: The Three-Edged Sword: Rallying to War
« Last post by Shadow Chorus on October 27, 2022, 12:33:31 AM »
Gulgrim was pulling the head off a Zoanthrope when he received Jharm's message. He stopped what he was doing and looked around to take in the sights, observing the carnage surrounding him as the angel made his request of the Warboss. Letting the Tyranid in his other hand flop limply to the ground, Gulgrim tossed the severed head of the creature over his shoulder as he turned around to face the Inquisitor Furael Faust and his Deathwatch retinue. He pulled Mork's Teef off his back and fired it blindly behind him into the horde of Tyranids as he spoke.

"Sorry ladz. I'd love ta stay an' keep krumpin' dese bugz wiv ya, but somefin' came up. Wot's dat fing you lot always sayin'? Duty calls? Somefin' like dat. Me boyz'll stick around a bit longer ta finish up dis scrap an' probly be along aftah me latah."

The Inquisitor raised an eyebrow at the Ork as he leveled his bolt pistol at a Tyranid warrior and laid it low with a hellfire round. "Really, Captain? Taking off before you've received your payment?" The Deathwatch space marines around him muttered something about not seeing the xenos filth off fast enough, but kept their focus on the Tyranid swarms around them.

"Yeah, sorry bout dat. Was really lookin' forward to da chance ta scrap wif yer best, too. But I'z been waitin' fer dis call fer a bit now. 'Sides, we'z both know ya didn' really wanna 'ave a go at me; ye'd just lose some o' yer boyz, an you 'umies can't afford ta spare 'em like we Orkz can." The warboss offered a sly grin and a wink with his biological eye, before he turned and shouted into the air "Alright ya sparkly git, open da way!"

Even while he waited for the angel to open his portal, he took a few last pot shots at oncoming swarms of creatures while his boys continued their mercenary action, reinforcing an Imperial Guard front against a Tyranid Hive Fleet at the employ of this Inquisitor who Gulgrim had worked with previously.
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