Dethys smiles warmly and places a hand upon Fenwick’s shoulder. “Soon, lad, soon. As soon as we check in with the General, we’ll have plenty of time to talk. Come on, lads.”
Dethys bids you to follow him through the main corridor, which leads to an expansive, wide-open, grand reception room. All of the Blood-Warden décor is done in vibrant hues of red, bold blacks and glittering golds. Their flag is suspended over the entrance to the reception room and depicts a clenched, gauntleted, black fist closed over the hilt of a sword. At the top of the staircase is an immense gold and ivory shield that is adorned with the image of a tower upon a hill. You correctly surmise that this is the symbol for The Bulwark of Heaven.
Dethys leads you up the staircase to a room that is situated at the top of the stairs. There are two heavy, massive, crimson doors that stand like sentinels in front of this room, but as Dethys snaps his fingers, they swing inward quite easily, as if they were willed to do so by a slight breeze.
This large room is not nearly as grandiose as the reception room, but it is impressive in its own right. The black, marble floors possess an eye-catching sheen, and several of the crimson walls are occupied by retired weapons that, despite their pristine condition, were once used quite heavily. A fire burns at the far end of the room, further illuminating the watchful figure that is seated at the handcrafted obsidian desk.
The figure is flanked by two familiar ones and you see Dennan and Corvus give a slight nod of acknowledgment at your arrival. The woman before you rises from her chair and you realize that General Fury exudes an aura that commands respect. She is nearly 6’3’’ and wears a suit of heavy crimson plate. Protruding from the pauldrons of this suit of armor are large, black spikes. You see smaller versions of these upon her finely-made gauntlets.
Her expression is stern, but not unkind. She does not speak right away, but looks towards you with a single, dark brown, penetrating eye. Her death wound is obvious. She wears an armored eyepatch over her right eye to protect the source of her weakness. Despite the fact this wound is so apparent, you correctly guess that someone would have a difficult time getting close enough to inflict a second wound there.
“Gentleman,” she greets in an even voice. “Dethys.”
“What? I’m not a gentleman?” quips Dethys.
The General frowns at her friend, but you see a hint of amusement gather at the corners of her lips. “Rarely.”
Dethys smirks at her reply. “How are you, dear?”
“As good as can be expected. As the boys have likely told you, we are still waiting for further news from the front lines,” informs Fury.
“Lads.” Dethys turns to the three of you. “This is General Fury, she is the leader of The Blood-Wardens and the head of The Bulwark of Heaven.”
Fury gives a polite nod, then begins to walk towards you. She stops in front of Sembas first, her gaze panning from you to Faile. She extends her hand to you in greeting.
“Sembas Filden. I am honored to meet you. I hope your journey went well.” After hearing your response, if any, she turns her attention to Faile and her expression softens considerably. “Welcome back, Faile.”
She goes to Fenwick next, and as she stops before you, the rune upon your forehead erupts with light. Fury glances at Dethys who merely responds with a knowing smirk. Fury appears amused and pats you upon the shoulder. “Fenwick Hux. We’ve been looking forward to your arrival. Cleo has told me much about you.” Fury gestures to an obsidian orb in the back corner of the room. It looks a great deal like the one in the Seer’s possession. “It is a pleasure to meet you. If you are even half as capable of Cleo mentions, you will get along quite well here.”
Finally, Fury stops before Faran. “Faran Beshral. I heard you had a bit of trouble acclimating to Avalon. ‘Tis a pity, but I see that Muse has aided you in that regard. The fact of the matter is Avalon simply isn’t for everyone.” When she meets your gaze you feel as if she is staring right through your soul.
She glances back to Sembas. “But I assure you, Sembas, the sand is not often a concern, though it seems the Seer often prefers warmer climates.”
You’re not quite sure how she knows about your previous statement, but as you ponder this, she offers you a good-natured wink before leaning against her desk.
“I trust Dethys has told you the reason for your visit here. I will-” She suddenly stops speaking and looks towards the door. Her eye widens and she shares a look with Dethys.
Moments later, another woman enters the room. Her chocolate brown hair falls past her shoulders and her hazel eyes are firmly set upon General Fury. She is quite beautiful and her movements are graceful. There is a certain wildness about her and she looks like she would be very comfortable in a forest. She is clad in dark brown leather armor and there is an impressive bow slung over one of her slender shoulders. You can also see several pouches and a knife attached to her belt, and as she moves forward, you see a second, larger knife strapped to her calf.
Most curious, perhaps, is the companion that rides upon her shoulder. He is a large falcon, only slightly larger than Faile. His gaze, too, is firmly set upon the General, but as he passes by Sembas and Faile, his head whips around and his gold-rimmed eyes seems to grow wider. He almost appears to shake his head in disbelief and reluctantly turns his attention back towards the General.
The woman stops in front of Fury and gives a slight bow. “Fury, I bring news from the front.”
Fury appears anxious for a moment, but her nervous expression is quickly expelled from her serious visage. “Let’s hear it, Archer.”
“We’ve managed to send the Forsaken running for the hills. At least for the time being. We have endured some loss. Dignity…” Archer offers a sympathetic look to Corvus as she utters the name. “I am sure you already heard about.”
Fury puts her hand upon her son’s shoulder. “Yes. Please continue Archer.”
“And Shameless. His Death Wound was struck shortly before I left. Respite has also left our ranks. She died bravely though, just as she always said she would.”
Fury nods, processing the information she has just been given, and there is a hint of sadness in her expression, though you get the feeling she is repressing far more emotion than she will let on. “Have you had any contact with my husband?”
Archer shifts uncomfortably. “No… Not in several days. He ordered us to hold position while he and his company pursued the fleeing Forsaken. We have not seen him since.”
Fury nods slowly and chances a look back at her sons, both of whom appear crestfallen. “Is Bran with him still?” she asks.
Archer smiles widely. “No. He is quite well, actually.”
Right on cue, a young man in his early teens enters the room. There is an enormous broadsword strapped to his back, along with a very impressive shield that depicts the silhouette of a raven. He is clad in heavy plate armor, which is quite unusual as he does not appear large enough or strong enough to carry it. However, he wears it well and comes tearing across the distance between him and the General. He effortlessly closes the gap and launches himself at Fury who receives him with open arms. A rare smile comes to reside upon her face as she kisses the top of the boy’s head.
The twins come forward and you see Corvus take the young man into a headlock and mess up the young man’s shaggy, black hair. “Welcome back, little brother,” greets Corvus warmly.
Even Dennan smiles as he scoops the boy up into his arms in a brotherly bear hug. The boy lets out a slight “Oomph!” as Dennan squeezes a bit too tightly.
“Sorry,” apologizes Dennan, releasing the boy from his grasp.
The boy looks up at you and you see that he has the same, piercing blue eyes as his brother Corvus, but the same calm, serious demeanor as his brother Dennan.
“Ah!” Dethys looks to the three of you and speaks quietly as not to disturb this reunion. “That is Bran Thane. He is not an Ageless… Yet… But if he follows in the footsteps of his family, he very well may be. You see, the Archon and the General, in all their years, have only ever borne three children, all of whom are in this room. Corvus and Dennan became Ageless when they reached 25. That is a story in and of itself!”
“This lad is the youngest son, Bran. Because he is not an Ageless, he has retained his father’s mortal surname. A good boy, and well-loved. Though he’s mortal, he’s quite capable. He’s been serving upon the front lines, under the watchful eyes of his father, of course.”
Fury takes all three of her sons into an embrace and speaks gently to them. “Boys, it is getting a bit crowded in here and I have some matters to attend to. Corvus. Dennan. Will you please take Bran back down to the armory and have Smith repair his belongings.”
The two elder boys give an obedient nod before escorting their younger brother from the room. As he passes you, Bran gives a polite bow to the three of you and hugs Dethys, before disappearing through the doors again. Archer, too, departs, but not before glancing in Sembas’s direction and offering a sweet smile. The falcon upon her shoulder flaps his wings and calls out to Faile in their native tongue.
This must be Besnik. It appears a challenge has been made!
Fury regards all of you quietly for a moment, before continuing on with your original course of business. “I am sure that Dethys has already told you a bit about our organization, but I will tell you what you need to know about the intentions of The Bulwark of Heaven. Simply put, we are humanity’s first and last line of defense. While the Adversary and all of those under his command, including the Forsaken, endeavor to destroy our human cousins, we find it is our duty to protect them. The strong are obligated to protect the weak, and thus we do all we can to protect others.”
“The Bulwark consists of Ageless who are of this mindset, and allies who have joined our cause. We have representation from several human organizations, and we are even in works with the Chosen of Alviss, a people that humans often refer to as dwarves. There are others as well, but you may have the opportunity to meet them in due time. Though we hail from different backgrounds, we are all unified by our need to squelch those who would intentionally harm others.”
“That is the primary motivation of The Bulwark of Heaven. We thrive upon cooperation, and each member is willing to lay down their life for their brethren. It is dangerous work, as we are very proactive in ensuring the security of our people. However, I would hazard to say that the protection and peace of mind we bring to others is easily worth any danger we face.”
“Our particular branch is composed predominantly of Elder Ageless, but upon occasion, we accept members of… exceptional ability. Childer Ageless such as yourselves still have much to learn, but we shepherd those who are willing and aid them in reaching the height of their potential. I will speak with each of you individually to determine your aptitude, and if I determine you can hold your own, I will offer you entrance into the Bulwark, should you desire to aid our cause.”
