[Horde] Chapter Five: Session Fifty-Five
Appearing Characters: Altruis Shadowsong, Arthak Saurfang, Glaidalis Shadegrove, Infazzar, Lyessa Bloomwatcher, Nyxxa Murkthorn, Omnuron Highwind, Raenon Shadegrove, Rak'Symma, Sol'chi, Thisalee Crow, Thondrax Banehoof, Vaerux, Zar'Kaa
December 5th
As the battle continued, one of the Ancients turned toward the Praetor. Some of the nearby vines formed into a gnarled ball of vines and the Ancient brought his fist down. The ball of vines hurled down with it, and struck into Thondrax Banehoof, though the Praetor was able to roll with the attack.
Arthak found himself in a sprawling maze of brambles. He grunted to himself and started to work on trying to find a way out. He heard a sound. It was the sound of someone grunting, and steel attempting to carve through vines. He found an orc with a dull blade, no older than 8 at the most. He swung into the vines again and again, but he made no progress.
Arthak recognized the orc as himself. He was covered in cuts and wounds, and his hands were calloused and hurt. He asked Arthak who he was, and Arthak said that wasn’t important. However he wasn’t going to find his way out that way.
The orc told Arthak he was stronger, and maybe he could carve them a path out. The young orc’s voice was echoed in a whisper around them. Arthak told the young orc to follow him, and he used his instincts to push further into the maze.
He realized the maze was simply a mental manifestation of the maze the satyr had tried to put him in, and Arthak closed his eyes, and then opened them again. He saw nothing but the young form of Arthak in front of him, and they were surrounded by crimson and purple mist.
The young Arthak held out his hand to Arthak, who took it with some hesitation. But suddenly Arthak was back in the grove of G’Hanir. Thondrax furrowed his brow as he realized Arthak had escaped his spell, and the Praetor snarled at him.
Arthak closed on the Praetor and cleaved into him with Varg’osh. Thondrax looked at Zar’Kaa, and his voice entered Zar’Kaa’s mind.
A Taintheart Raider rushed at Symma and slammed into her with his horns. She blasted the satyr back with a crackle of lightning, and as he closed again the satyr flailed his scythe at her, but she was able to evade. A Taintheart Shadowstalker also closed and pulled a long blade from the shadows. He was able to cut her with a solid strike.
Nyxxa regarded the Praetor with fear, but Vaerux barked at her to snap out of it.
Nyxxa used dark metamorphosis, and wide bat-like wings burst from her shoulders as she became wreathed with flame. She slammed her glaives into one of the satyrs that had closed on her. Vaerux barked out warnings in her mind as she then swung around and slashed the satyr a second time. She then darted away from him, provoking an attack from him before she then channeled her own satyr abilities and used Dark Urges on the satyr.
She looked over at Zar’Kaa, who had struck the satyr earlier.
He started to run at Zar’Kaa. Vaerux asked if Nyxxa was still with him, and she confirmed, and then called him “ann’da” when she thanked him. She felt Vaerux actively flinch in her mind at the term.
A Taintheart Defiler looked over at Sol and attempted to dispel the magic. As he channeled the dark magic, he barked out an incantation and launched a spear of magic. The magic Sol had used was immediately disrupted, and the eredar tumbled from his draconic form. The feather token on his person broke, which allowed him to fall safely back to the ground.
Several satyrs closed on Arthak and tried to help peel him off their Praetor. Arthak resisted the mental assaults, but vines and thorns appeared all around him and started to pierce his flesh, but then he realized it was some sort of mental effect, and he instead wrenched himself free of the hold of the spell.
Just in time to get slammed with the magics of another Taintheart Corruptor. The satyr then disappeared from his field of vision, and shadows grew around him and warped his perceptions. He was suddenly surrounded by many different Corruptors, all of them laughing.
Another one of the Shadowstalkers ran around the sleeping satyrs and kicked them awake.
Rak’Symma used [Thunder Step], and shot into the air, leaving the satyrs that had surrounded her rattled. However, she felt all her inhibitions start to crumble as the Dark Urge took hold.
A Taintheart Deadeye shot at Nyxxa, while another Taintheart Beguiler attempted to trap Sol in a [Mental Prison]. However, the demon was able to shake off the effect as he recognized the vines wrapping around him were not real. But a Taintheart Raider that had just been woken up charged at him and slammed into an arcane [Shield]. Another satyr woke up the remaining sleeping satyr.
Thondrax whipped out his hands and a gale of shadowy, chaotic mist surged around him. They swept over Arthak, and suddenly he was the boy from the maze with the blunted weapon. Everything around him was so large and insurmountable. Zar’Kaa and Rak’Symma, however, was able to resist. But the Praetor then summoned a rain of shadow fire to blast over the battlefield. The fire slammed into Arthak, Zar’Kaa, and Rak’Symma.
Nyxxa sliced her glaives into the nearby Trickster and managed to stun him before she closed the distance to Sol and leaped on the Raider that had started to harass him. The satyr fell dead, and Nyxxa swung around on another Trickster. She kicked him onto his back and then finished him off as she broke his neck.
Sol held out his hand and lightning crackled between his fingers. He used [Chain Lightning], which sparked between the group of four satyrs that had fallen back together. Two of the satyrs fell dead immediately, but the Shadowstalker was able to deftly evade. He then started an intelligence song.
The Dark Urges festered in Symma’s mind, and she opted to take off into the air flying as fast as she could from the battle.
The Shadowstalker conjured a [Shadow Blade] and drove the blade into Arthak’s side.
Symma heard a voice scream in her mind. She stopped her flight, and she turned back and she saw a radiant figure that she hadn’t seen since the summit of Highmountain. She recognized the voice from the vision she had just seen. The voice called that they needed them, and she held a talon out for her to return. Symma took her talon, and something slammed into her at top speed. The figure vanished, and Thisalee was holding onto her. She used [Remove Curse] to remove the fog of the Dark Urge, and she asked if Symma was alright. Symma responded in a language Thisalee didn’t understand, but Thisalee told her that their friends and her ann’da, Omnuron, needed her.
The druid then turned and dove back into the fight, and Rak’Symma followed. Meanwhile, at the midst of the battle, Hannah Bladeleaf was able to lift some of the corruption from Arthak.
Thondrax looked at Zar’Kaa.
However, Zar’Kaa resisted the compulsion of the fiery dance. Thondrax snarled, and tripped up Arthak as Zar’Kaa resisted another compulsion. He used [Mirror Image] on himself and then backed off Zar’Kaa and Arthak.
A Taintheart Beguiler used [Hold Monster] on Arthak, but the orc was just barely able to break free of the brambled vines that wrapped around his body. Thondrax once again attempted to use the compulsion of the fiery dance on Zar’Kaa, but he was once more able to resist the compulsion.
With a fury, Zar’Kaa closed on Thondrax, green fel magic crackling around him. He whipped his spear around with a flurry of strikes, but with each one the Praetor’s mirror images shattered, which prevented any hits from landing. With another grunt of frustration, he managed to hurl his spear into the Praetor.
A Taintheart Beguiler shouted and used [Mind Sear] on Nyxxa, Sol, and one of the satyrs that was in the way. Satyrs continued to cackle as they danced around Arthak, trying to muddy his mind with confusion, but Arthak was able to resist.
Arthak informed the satyrs that he would be back in a moment, and he opted to charge right for Thondrax. He lopped the Praetor’s head off, and as the head hit the ground, he proclaimed to Zar’Kaa that he would remember him, but more importantly, Zar’Kaa would remember him, and the head and body then dissipated into ichor.
Arthak then returned to the other satyrs and started to carve through them as Nyxxa grabbed an arrow shot at her from the Deadeye and stabbed it into the throat of another.
The satyr that Nyxxa had Dark Urged ran directly for Zar’Kaa with a battle cry. He tackled Zar’Kaa, catching him in the side with his horns. Zar’Kaa rounded on the satyr.
He managed to sever the satyr’s throat and ripped his head off, dropping him dead on the ground.
Sol used [Mind Sear] on a group of satyrs. As they reeled from the magic, Sol called for them to go away as their leader was dead, but it was clear the satyrs were not going to back off.
Another satyr tried to magically paralyze Zar’Kaa, but a pulse of emerald green magic radiated from him and caused the bramble vines to wither. Other satyrs tried to weasel into his mind, but Zar’Kaa broke through the influence through sheer force of will.
A satyr leaped at Sol and blasts him with some shadowy energy with his dying breath.
One of the Corrupters started to cackle as he managed to bring Arthak low with another mental assault. He braced himself against Varg’osh, fighting against the unconsciousness.
Nyxxa attempted to stun one of the Shadowstalkers, but he was able to turn the initial attack away. She punched him again, and this time the Shadowstalker reeled from the attack, which gave her an opening to carve into the satyr with her glaives–successfully killing him.
She rounded on one of the Beguilers, who attempted to turn invisible to evade her. However, Nyxxa closed on him, cackling, the invisibility doing little to save him. She slashed into him, and the Beguiler attempted to use [Hold Monster] on her, but she was able to carve through the vines. He moved to run, but Nyxxa dove in on him and pinned the blade into his back.
She drove the glaive through him, and he dissipated. Meanwhile Arthak continued to cleave through other satyrs. He felt the pain of the Corruptors pierce into his own mind, but he continued to push through.
Rak’Symma had returned to the battlefield, and she dove down to the cluster of satyrs that remained. She used the channel divinity that had come with her renewed strength, which caused several of them to flee. The satyr that remained was critically wounded. Rak’Symma then used [Mass Healing Word] over the group.
Zar’Kaa managed to finish off the Corruptor, and Arthak finished off another satyr. The remaining satyrs started to flee the scene, but the warband and the rest of their allies were able to hunt down the remaining demons. Omnuron manifested out of his storm crow form, and he called that they needed to pursue the dreadlord into the Emerald Dream. He asked if they were still good to fight, and amidst several pants, they agreed.
Zar’Kaa asked if they were all okay to go, and he looked at Nyxxa, and Omnuron confirmed that what little damage Nyxxa’s presence could do would pale to the rest of the demons. Sol suggested they wait for a moment so they could heal up, and Omnuron said they had 60 seconds before he started to open a portal.
Altruis informed them they would ensure everything was secure in the grove.
Nyxxa approached Rak’Symma and whispered for her to hang in there. Omnuron finished his spell and called for the Dream to answer his call. Glaidalis fell to his knees.
Glaidalis nodded and expressed it looked like they had been headed toward the sanctum, and Omnuron nodded that it looked like he had been going for the Branch of G’Hanir. Omnuron barked at everyone to go as he opened the portal, and he said they would watch their back.
As they entered the portal, they saw a great stone that had been completely split and collapsed. The Dream itself had already been altered, and there were things about it that were wrong. Nyxxa felt her own presence was not doing it any favors, as her hooves left the grass under her withered and dead, but she knew it would pale in comparison to what the other satyrs did.
They arrived at a pool filled with moonwell water, and they saw Raenon Shadegrove on the far side of the moonwell. Held in his grasp was a kaldorei woman. Her entire body almost looked like it had been wrought of wood. He had a robe that had grown into the bark that had covered her form, and her face and head had vines draped from her hair. She had a mask over her face that was fused to her flesh.
Her essence was being drained by the disguised dreadlord, who was grinning wildly.
Then he noticed the group and he cursed.
Rak’Symma fired a bolt of electricity at the dreadlord, which interrupted his focus. He scoffed and threw Lyessa Bloomwatcher, the archdruid of the grove, into the moonwell. As she hit the water, there was almost a visual glitch. The land itself twisted and shifted, and Lyessa gasped and started to try and swim, but she was dragged under the water. The moonwell water turned blood red, and the entire sanctum was bathed in crimson, the illusion over the area broke.
The twisted location came to life, and the branches and vines started to lash out at them. Treants sworn to protect the grove were turned against their purpose, and they started to shamble towards them.
Sol took Zar’Kaa and Arthak and teleported them directly to Raenon. Zar’Kaa closed on the possessed druid. His spear battered against the heavy bark-like defenses.
Nyxxa ran and dove straight into the corrupted moonwell. As she hit the water, the sound of the battle above grew muffled. She swam deeper and deeper into the heavy blight. She searched for the druid, and the suffocating weight of the water was beyond anything she could describe. She felt as if the blight wanted to help her. Nyxxa rejected the help, and the weight of the water became oppressive. It was like swimming through mud and sludge, and she felt as if she was swimming against a waterfall.
She felt around, and suddenly her hand touched wood. The wood grasped around her hand. It was the archdruid. She teleported them both to the surface, and they were both covered in the bloody muck.
The archdruid coughed and she said they needed to banish the dreadlord from the Dream. An immense amount of magic started to pool in her hands, and she tapped into the innate magic of the wood that made up her body.
The blight was pulled back into the pool, and Nyxxa felt a deep chill in her heart.
