Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)

[Kitharsis]

Sun Wu follows after Sir Walter and considers each word he says.  So this is why he was directing them specifically during their landing.  He was testing their skill and ability to work together.

Wu carries a grin as he replies, "I have no objections."

Once again he can be the current, surging out of sight and directing the flow of things.  He imagines the main army the leaf, and he the push they need to get their obstacles.  "I do not want to be the leaf..."  He says, mostly to himself.

[Shadow Chorus]

"Good. Follow me."

Walter led the party up the slope as Alucard disappeared into the shadows again, leaving the group alone. Though  not for long. As they walked a small group of what seemed to be elite soldiers and specialists began to form up behind the group, until the small band of about twenty men, women and monsters had completely amassed itself. None of them wore the simple attire of a normal soldier. Each of them had unique outfits and weapons, each carrying their own history and their own scars. These were veterans of war, and not a force to be taken lightly. One of them, the Nordic wizard of the Dusk Piercer, strode his way up to Walter, his ancient oaken walking stick clicking on the occasional stone on the path.  His long, flowing gray beard rested just above his belt buckle, and his simple blue robes were adorned with a similarly tinted pointy hat. Long gray hair poured out from under it in waves.

"Sir Walter, I believe the Black Crusade's preparations are complete..." The wizard said, his voice sounding as old as he looked, though surprisingly steady and strong, with no hint of tremor or cracking.

"Thank you, Seth." Walter said, nodding at the wizened old mage. "We'll begin the assault immediately."

Walter stopped in the middle of the forest. Just at the edge of the group's sight was the tall, dark gray needle of the vampire's spire, pointing high into the air. It looked to be nearly as wide across as a castle and as twice as tall. Its dark mass was covered in blackened moss and the occasional bone. Ravens flocked to the battlements, and there were faint traces of movement as skeletons that manned the walls made their rounds. The dark fortress spoke of evil and malevolence, and at its height floated a great shining orb of blackness, a magical collection of unholy energy the size of a boulder. Its purpose could not be anything but malign.

[Archdemon Stu]

The Gorger looked upon the black orb at the top, no doubt a source of power for some sort of incantation.  Whatever it was, the darkness it emanated was... comforting.  It would make a fine fortification indeed, and whatever waited within just may give him the opportunity he needed... perhaps the control of a tamer versus a vampire would once again give him the single fleeting moment of free will he had once experienced.  Perhaps - if he was lucky - both Sir Walter and the vampire would die.

For now, he set his daydreaming aside.  He would simply do what he always does:  massacre, feast, and wait for his chance to break his chains.

He looked to the sky, and cracked his neck.  Shortly after, he lowered himself to the ground and dug his claws into the terrain.  "My meal awaits me.  I'll not let it spoil."

It was time to find an entrance.

[Radobe]

As he followed Sir Walter, Rau was absorbed in his own thoughts. Thoughts of the battle, of the men and women still fighting and giving their lives. He reminds himself that he is just like all of them, doing his best to stand against the ever raising forces of darkness. The priest began a silent prayer for the souls of the departed, hopping that Lumos’ light may guide their souls safely to the afterlife.

It wasn’t until they reached a dark fortress, that his concentration was broken. With a shining orb of darkness, the fortress stood clad in unholy energies. The stench of the darkness grew ever stronger as they approached.

[Kitharsis]

A small group of elites gathers as they walk farther into the forest.  Wu can tell by the stock of his companions that the next set of trials will be of a different caliber.  The first battle was a mere ripple compared to what is to come.

He could make out skeletons tromping in the distance.  They are annoying.  With no flesh it is harder to hit them effectively.  And fists can get caught between rib bones quite easily.  Yet with no muscle, bones are easier to snap.  Breaking their backbones is quite simple given the right opening, after all.

The orb of blackness is concerning.  Surely it will need to be dealt with.

[Shadow Chorus]

Walter raised his hand and gave a signal. Seth and an Akavashi man approached. The Akavashi's hair was pulled back into single long braid and he wore a skintight, jet-black leather suit. His gaze was steely and serious as he sheathed his twin swords on his back and bowed to Walter. With a nod from the tamer, Seth tapped the Akavashi assassin with his staff, muttering arcane phrases, and the man vanished from sight. After a few moments he reappeared, crouching at the door to the spire. He was so close to the wall that the skeletons manning the battlements couldn't see him, and he pulled a lockpick from his belt and began to pick the door. As he worked, five archers stepped forth from the group and drew their bows, training their arrows on the patrolling skeletons.

"Father Rau, if you would kindly bless our archers' arrows with a prayer." Walter said, leaning his massive warhammer on his shoulder. For those only now taking note of Sir Walter's weapon, it was a sizeable warhammer, the staff nearly as long as he was tall, and the head the size of a small child. It was adorned in both holy inscriptions and nordic runes, making it a deadly weapon to any monster, despite the fact that it was made of simple steel.

"The rest of you, wait for my signal to charge." Walter turned to the rest of the group, including Sun Wu and the Gorger. "We'll be inside the doors before the Vampire has even realized anyone is assaulting his keep."

[Radobe]

Rau nods and stand in front of the archers. He unsheathes his staff and begins to make slow circular motions, storing his holly energy into the arrow tips. After a few seconds a dim glow can be seen and after a few more it turns into a light. At this point the priest lowers his staff and moves away.

“May Lumos’ light guide your arrows.” Says Rau while moving out of the archers’ way.

The arrows are now imbued with holy energies and can cleanse the souls lesser undead.

[Shadow Chorus]

The arrows let fly, taking out the patrolling skeletons on this side of the tower. The holy arrows struck home on heads and eye sockets, dropping the walking skeletons immediately and leaving the battlements devoid of watchers. for now.

Walter's hand swept down in an arc, pointing at the door as the Akavashi opened it. "Move, quickly, before the next patrol arrives." Walter moved as he spoke, leading the rush towards the door to make it inside before the group was discovered. Men moved with trained precision and speed through the last few feet of wooded terrain before the open clearing that held the Tower. They moved quickly but quietly, making it into the large doors to the tower before the next line of patrolmen arrived.


Inside was an antechamber housing what appeared to be a regal throne room. it was adorned in shades of red, violet, and black that gave a menacing tone to the entire room. The room was massive, and at its very back sat a throne, empty at the moment. The entire place seemed to be empty for the time being, not even a guard posted.Beyond the doors would be the tower proper, but for now the men took the breathing room to check supplies and plan the incursion.

The akavashi assassin was sent ahead to scout the rooms, and he nodded quietly before vanishing out of sight behind the doors at the back.

[Archdemon Stu]

An empty throne room.  Vampire lords love their vanity and power; to see one's seat unguarded was unusual to say the least.  Though, The Gorger did not feel any paranoia or suspicion.  He only felt frustration that he had to continue waiting for his main course... the wight meat was not settling well.  His senses were at their peak as he scanned the room over for any potential hidden treats in store for them.

[Kitharsis]

The arrows strike true and drop the sentries.

Walter issues the command mid-stride and Wu follows, falling in line as the group quickly flows into the Tower.

An old throne room sprawls out around him.  Others begin checking their equipment and prepping for what is to come.  Wu taps his pocket where the bottle of Chi water sits, making sure it is still there. 

He performs a few quick stretches until they are ready to move again.

[Radobe]

The party quickly moves into the fortress as soon as the sentries lay dead.

Inside Rau looks at the empty throne room with curiosity. Apart from the ominous touch, probably to the likings of an evil lord but not very appealing to a clergy man, it had a fine architecture. At the bottom of the room lied a throne, the stench of the unholy energy of the lord was strongly attached to it. While everyone else is taking a moment to prepare Rau decides to have a closer look at the throne.

[Shadow Chorus]

The throne appeared to be ordinary. No doubt the Lord of this tower assumed that none would attempt to sit on his throne but he. Nonetheless, there was a faint magical aura about the massive seat that wasn't the residual trace of its owners' power.


At that moment the Akavashi returned. He approached Walter and whispered into his ear.

"That can't be right."

"It is, sir."

"Very well. Gather round everyone! We have news!"

The group formed up around Walter and prepared to listen to the battle plan. Men put their weapons in their sheaths and snapped shut spell books as they stood, collecting their gear and preparing to move. When the entire party had gathered round, Walter spoke.

"The tower is almost empty on the inside. The only guards who appear to have been posted are outside, and our Akavashi friend has yet to find any traps. Whether this vampire is overconfident or foolish is yet to be seen, so we must proceed with caution. We'll move in two flanks, one group will-"


"That will hardly be necessary, gentlemen....." Came the rhaspy, ominous voice from the other end of the room. The group turned as one to see a dark figure sitting in the throne that they had only turned their eyes from for a moment. He was clothed in a black robe lined with red trimmings. A dark hood rested on his head, and a cowl obscured the lower half of his face, but his pale, alabaster skin was clear from the nose up, his golden eyes shining in the gloom. Red tattoos adorned his face in malefic patterns and unholy mantras. The robe cut off at the shoulders, where a pair of sharp, triangular spaulders jutted out from his person for the next half foot. His hands were adorned in black fingerless gloves, and his wrists in large bracers adorned with unholy runes. It would be impossible to see his feet through the flowing black robe were it not for the fact that his legs were kicked up in a most confident manner. His feet were unshod if not for the cloth wrapping around him, revealing toes with nails that looked almost like talons. Similarly clawed hands rested on the throne, tapping their fingers on the armrests. Aside from all of this terrifying show of power, those with a magical eye were drawn to the small red gem at the neck of the robe. It practically hummed to the magically attuned, and though its purpose was unknown, its power was frightening.


"Do we really need to kill each other right now? Mind you, I adore slaughter, but I think we could be useful to each other..."

[Archdemon Stu]

The Gorger sized up the strange warlock before him.  The man seemed to have undergone many transformations of some sort, likely magical in nature.  He was no upstart wizard, and they were in his domain.  Should they choose to fight... things would become messy indeed.  However, The Gorger was never one to back down due to differences in power, and if he was truly the owner of that throne, the ghoul would attack at the first opportunity.  He hunched over on all fours, and steadily crept around the throne in a perimeter, eyeing the robed figure hungrily.

If this was the vampire they were hunting, The Gorger cared not about the casualties that would certainly come with battling him.  It was time to instigate.  "Your men die by the hundreds on the front lines as we dawdle, Walter.  Whatever guise a mage would give their riddles, make no mistake... he means to destroy you all.  You and the holy man should know this well, do you not?" The Gorger lowered himself further to the ground, ready to lunge... "Just say the word, Walty.  Let us show him mortality."

Though what he said had some truth to it, those who had been in his recent company - Walter, Alucard, Sun Wu, and Rau - knew well his true intentions.  His enthusiasm was driven only by bloodshed.

[Kitharsis]

An interesting fellow just seemed to appear on the throne.  Wu was focused on his fellow Akavashi and Sir Walter, and was startled by the raspy, ominous voice.

Walter said he is a vampire, but he looks quite different than Alucard and the few others Wu has met before.  He suggests that they might work together, but for what purpose?

"I am wary, but I would hear him out."  Wu says, mostly to Sir Walter. 

[Shadow Chorus]

Walter stood for a moment, thinking deeply, wondering how to proceed. Should they listen to this madman, or simply destroy him? The options weighed heavily on him, he was clearly powerful. But how powerful was he? He settled for a test. Walter clicked his tongue.


From the shadows materialized Alucard, right behind the figure on the throne. A flash of silver shot out, and the man's head rolled to the floor, still shrouded by his hood. Alucard stepped out from the shadows and looked at the body, still sitting upright, and stabbed it through the heart. The vampire turned to look at his master and nodded, but then something unexpected happened.


"Was that really necessary?" The disembodied head asked. The body on the throne stood and pulled out the sword, before it began to feel its way around to his head.

"Over here, lummox." The head called to the body, and it slowly found its way over and picked him up, setting him back on its shoulders. The cloth seemed to reconnect itself magically, leaving no trace of where Alucard had severed his head. Likely the process was the same inside the mask.

Everyone stood and stared dumbfoundedly while Walter slowly nodded his head.

"What? Haven't you seen a powerful necromancer before? Honestly, you act like I'm a common vampire. There are other ways to achieve immortality that don't leave you with so many weaknesses...."

Walter was beginning to see. "A mere man like you, no matter how powerful, cannot be a respected figure in the blacklands." he said, collecting his words.

"Oh indeed. You see, that's why I want to offer you a hand. All this racial superiority among the monsters of the blacklands has me quite annoyed. I can barely leave my castle without Dracula threatening me with death. by dismemberment. Still can't believe he actually thinks that'll work..."

"You've encountered Dracula?" Seth asked, the old wizard stepping forth.

"Hm? Oh yes, many times. Ignore that rubbish about him never leaving his castle. He's actually quite the annoying fellow. But I hear you're out to do some damage. Oh, that reminds me. My name is rather lengthy, but I'm sure you'll like to hear it so you know how to refer to me. Not much stock in family names out here in the Blacklands, but we do love our titles. Titles everywhere. You see, I am Lord William, master of the dead, keeper of the army of darkness, Outcast of the Blacklands, lord of Madness, Necromancer Supreme, and the loneliest sod this side of Nocturna."

That last title seemed a bit much, but William thought it was a nice addition.

"Mhm...I am sad to say that this strange necromancer is a power even I have issues defeating." Alucard spoke up from behind. William's hand shot out, fire wrapping around it as he pointed a flaming hand at the Vampire.

"That doesn't mean I'm afraid to kill all of you." the necromancer said. His levels of insanity were revealing themselves more and more, and Walter was picking up somewhat on how to read him.

"Alright, Lord William." Walter said, raising a hand. "Let's not make a mess. You said yourself we could be useful to each other. How so?"

The necromancer turned, looking surprised. "Oh, what? Yes, yes. You see, I want Dracula dead so that I can stop being hounded about not being a monster. Well, relatively speaking." he looked around at the dark decor of his castle. "And I hear your crusade seeks to end the monster problem once and for all."

"Indeed. But you've faced Dracula. You know our odds. What do they look like?" Seth asked, looking at the Necromancer from under his pointed hat.

"Well....You, me, this Vampire over here, and you, with the big hammer and the shiny book." William said, pointing at Walter. "Have a good enough level of power to fight Dracula. But we need a lot of us, and the rest of you would be slaughtered without a second thought. You all need to be much stronger, much more powerful."

That statement cast a grim pall over the group. Only the most powerful members of the group were strong enough to have a chance against Dracula. The party began to have second thoughts about its final destination. Most of them would likely die along the way, but they were prepared for that if they thought they could succeed. Now...

"None of you despair!" Walter's voice cut through the grim thoughts forming on every man's mind. "We will fight through this, and we will be stronger for it. When the time comes that we face Dracula, I expect every one of you at my side and ready to go in, blades ready, voices raised, with the strength to fight the great monster on even terms! We do not surrender! There is no surrender here!"

Once again Walter was proven an inspirational speaker. The group gave a rousing cheer, and as one their morale restored.

"Yes yes, wonderful speech, my good man." William's voice cut in like an icy knife. "But down to business. I offer you my tower to house your soldiers, but I want to be in planning with you when we decide what our next move is..."

To all of Walter's senses, both magical and natural, and even Alucard's, this man's sentiments were honest and true. There was no debate to be had.

"Very well."

[Archdemon Stu]

The Gorger growled spitefully at the Crusade, disappointed that it seemed he would not soon be feasting.  His teeth clenched, swinging his claws violently, leaving claw marks in the walls around him.  His reddening eyes glanced at the Akavashi monk, "How the Hell do you do it, Wu?!"  No doubt, he was referring to a monk's ability to control one's natural impulses.  "You starve yourselves without batting a damned eye!  How?!"  It seemed even The Gorger sought means to control himself.  He trailed off, grumbling, "I was better off when I was eating these fools... Say, care to do some 'scouting' ahead of the main group?" He asked, his grin reviving at long last.  "We can talk while we walk... and maim... and devour flesh."

Without waiting for an answer, The Gorger turned and yelled, "Holy Man!  There is evil afoot!  Let us go forth, and slay in the name of..." he mumbled the name of the god, not knowing it well.  "It is what..." more mumbling "...would want.  Let us go forth, and do," mumbling, "bidding!"

[Kitharsis]

A necromancer.  Sun Wu has heard of such creatures.  Men who would rather play with death than truly live.  This William is an oddity, and Wu wonders what his motivations were to become such a thing as he is today.  Alucard's quick attack barely even bothered the man, but blades are not always the most effective weapon.  The vampire admits that William is quite formidable, and is met with a fiery threat.  Wu watches passively, still waiting to find out William's motives.

He can't help but smirk when William mistakes him for a weakling.

So William wants to be part of the crusade, it seems.  And this is to be their home base, an interesting proposition.  The nature of the man, what is left of him, seems true.  Wu nods in agreement with Sir Walter's, "Very well."

But the Gorger would have none of it.  Wu could see the beast's eyes reddening as it thrashed about.

"How the Hell do you do it, Wu?!" ...  "You starve yourselves without batting a damned eye!  How?!"

With a slight grin, Wu pats his stomach.

"I was taught that the pain of hunger is merely another natural part of life.  If we do not feel hunger, then how can we fully appreciate our next meal?  Do not mourn for your empty belly, merely understand that through restraint you empower yourself.  To fully control your own body is the first step in harnessing its power."

[Radobe]

Sir Walter gathered everyone and began explaining his plan. Before he could get into detail he was interrupted by what seemed to be the lord of the fortress, who had just appeared at the previously vacant throne. His appearance was horrific and his unholy aura was spreading everywhere. Rau was dumbfounded, how couldn’t he sense this dark magician, how did he appear out of nowhere, but no, there is something more important than that, what are his goals? A monster doesn’t just face a group of monster hunters, unless he is either extremely powerful or extremely stupid.

While the priest was trying to figure out the monster’s intention, Sir Walter gave a signal and the next thing Rau saw was the lord’s head rolling on the floor and Alucard stabbing the monster’s chest.

"Was that really necessary?"

The monster removed the sword that was embedded in his chest and retrieved his head. A short verbal exchange with Sir Walter followed and much to Rau’s dissatisfaction an agreement between the party and the necromancer was reached.

"Holy Man!  There is evil afoot!...”

Rau was a bit surprised to see The Gorger turning to him but that just served to show to what heights the creature could be driven while yet again trying to satisfy its hunger.

“Unfortunately it is not up to us to decide the fate of this necromancer. Believe it or not I would be glad to help you eat his soulless vessel of a body.”

Rau didn’t waste more time on The Gorger and quickly moved to Sir Walter.

“Sir Walter, a moment of your time please.” The priest paused for a second to run what he was going to say trough his head and then began. ”I don’t doubt your decisions, but please accept a word of advice. A necromancer’s goal is only one and that is power. Whatever happens, we must never depend on him. At his core he is human and that means he has the potential to be more evil than any other monster out there. That is all I wished to say.”

[Shadow Chorus]

"I appreciate your concern, father Rau, and believe me, trusting him completely is far from my mind. But one thing I've never seen priests do well is read a person. this Lord William can't defeat Dracula on his own, and under his rule he is marginalized. He won't betray us and ruin his only chance at freedom."

"Sir Walter, if I may." Came William's call from across the room. He had conjured up what appeared to be a war table from the floor of the room. It rested in the open area before his throne, and appeared to be crafted from bleached white bone, skulls and spikes adorning the four posts that held it up. On its surface was a detailed map of the Blacklands, something no-one on the crusade's side of the world could ever have acquired.

"Have faith, Father." Walter said to Rau before turning and walking over to meet William at the table.

"Before we begin, I seem to have noticed something peculiar about your unit."

"Yes?"

"It is nearly two-thirds composed of monsters. And I don't see anyone else who looks quite imposing enough to be a tamer, and none of the monsters, save that large ghoul, seem to be wearing inhibitor collars."

"Ah yes. That question. You see, our unit is twenty-five strong. ten men and fifteen monsters, counting myself. None of them, not even the nuckelavee in the back of the room, are under anyone's control, with the sole exception of the Gorger, the ghoul you noticed. All of them have been trained, shown the way of self-control, compassion, and been given the righteous fire of retribution. All of them are loyal to the cause; good, pure souls whose only fault is the misfortune of being a monster."


"A wonderfully sickening cavalcade of snowflakes you have, Sir Walter." William said, smirking at the group.

"I think you'll find their only unique trait is their varied and exceptional skills. These are the best men, women, and monsters I could muster, but their loyalty to the cause is not unique. The Order of the Tamer doesn't just leash monsters and set them at foes. It trains them, teaches them to feel human emotion. Teaches them to control themselves, and finally releases them back into society once they have been deemed recovered into the realms of sanity."


"Speaking of women, that one has a lovely ass." William said, pointing across the room to a woman whose back was turned to them. She bore a greathammer on her back and was adorned in obviously feminine, but still effective plated leather armor.

"Don't let her hear you say that." Walter said, chuckling when he realized who he was indicating. "Shani the Dragonhearted named her hammer the nutcracker for a reason."

"Ouch. On to the planning then."


"Right."

[Archdemon Stu]

The Gorger became visibly angry when Sir Walter spoke of the other creatures, who had shed their collars long ago.  Words like "all of them have been trained" and "teaches them to feel human emotion" and "deemed recovered into the realms of sanity" stuck out in his head like a gushing wound through which his rage burned.  To him, in his constant state of vehemence and hunger, it could only be perceived as brainwashing a creature that formerly had its own will.  To The Gorger, the leash was preferable. 

He glared at Sir Walter's back as he strategized over the map before him, his teeth clenching.  He put his weight on his hind legs beside Sun Wu.  "Perhaps you are correct, Wu." he said, his calm demeanor somehow discomforting.  "I should save my appetite."