[Horde] Chapter Five: Session Fifty-Four
Appearing Characters: Agamaggan (Memory), Arthak Saurfang, Ashamane (Memory), Aviana (Memory), Blaithe (Memory), Broxigar (Memory), Glaidalis Shadegrove, Goldrinn (Memory), Infazzar, Kaz'rogal (Memory), Malorne (Memory), Nyxxa Murkthorn, Ohn'ahra (Memory), Raenon Shadegrove, Rak'Symma, Renard (Memory), Sol'chi, Thondrax Banehoof, Ursoc (Memory), Ursol (Memory), Zar'Kaa
December 5th
Swarms and armies of demons marched upon the fledgling kaldorei resistance as they sought to push back the demonic hordes and bring an end to the burning invasion. The wild gods took their own stand against the demons amassed around the doomlord Kaz’rogal. Aviana flared her wings as she launched herself back into the air, lightning crackling around her.
Renard slipped into the shadows as he turned invisible. But Aviana shrieked and released a raw explosion of life energy that washed over the battlefield, immediately destroying some of the demons and causing others to begin to flee. She then exhaled and used [Windfury] as the raw life energy whipped around her in a cyclone of fury. She rounded on a felhunter and drove her claws into it, obliterating the creature.
A felguard launched himself at Agamaggan and drove his glaive toward the side of the massive boar. The wild god snorted and whipped his head around, impaling the demon through the chest with his tusk.
One of the asura launched a flurry of attacks at Aviana. She managed to clip her in the side, but the lightning that coursed through the mother of flight coursed through the demon’s blade and knocked the multi-armed demon back.
At that moment, with a loud battle cry, Broxigar the Red launched himself on a fel lord and tore into the demon with an axe that was entwined with vines that linked it to his hand.
Another asura ran at Goldrinn and drove her blade across one of his old scars. He growled angrily and commented on the futility of the strike, and the asura scoffed in frustration as she realized she had been unable to pierce his hide. Meanwhile, a vilefiend spat a stream of acid at Agamaggan and Goldrinn, which washed over the massive beasts.
Ashamane emerged from the shadows and buried her fangs, enshrouded in shadowy moon magic, into the throat of the vilefiend that had just released its acidic spit. Its throat crunched, and the demon was left dead. Its body melted into a pool of acid as Ashamane then leapt on another asura.
A terrorfiend leaped into the air and used [Shadow Bolt Volley]. Shadowbolts rained down on Goldrinn and Aviana. Agamaggan charged by a doomlord as he headed straight for Kaz’rogal. The boar slammed into the massive demon, and an area of thorns erupted from the ground around them. Thorny vines wrapped around one of the other demons and dragged them straight toward him, raking them through the brambles in the process.
A doomguard raised his hand and used [Rain of Fire], causing felfire to rain in a line that scorched the earth and washed over the wild gods. A felguard ran at Agamaggan, but was impaled on his thorns.
An asura went to close, but Renard leaped out of hiding and dug his fangs into her. An agonizing pain shot through her mind. He then used [Mind Sear], and the asura whirled around to strike at him. However, he ducked out of the way as her blade only clipped some of his fur.
Kaz’rogal stomped his hoof down on Agamaggan as they started to face off. A felhunter launched itself at Aviana, but her lightning shield crackled around it and it yelped as it was turned away. Goldrinn snapped at one of the asura and then threw his head back in a chilling howl. An asura slashed at Ashamane, but she jumped back and evaded the majority of the blows.
A felbat slashed at Aviana and lightning coursed over its body, but its claws raked across her body. Another felbat released a spray of acid over several demons, Renard, and Goldrinn before it also raked its claws at Renard. Yet another felbat dove at Ashamane, who was just barely able to avoid critical strikes.
An asura continued to focus on Goldrinn, and she lodged her sword in the hide around his neck. His eyes flashed with rage, and he tore the asura’s arm off and whipped her blade around, slicing her in half with her own blade.
Doomlord Kaz’rogal laughed as he raised his sword over Agamaggan. Suddenly there was a booming voice on the top of the nearby cliffs.
Malorne kicked up, his hooves flashing as the White Lady emerged perfectly silhouetted between his antlers. He used [Mass Heal] across the wild gods.
Ashamane started to launch herself up at the nearest felbat to rake it with her claws. Goldrinn released another blood-curdling howl as winter winds and storms whipped around him and raked across the demons.
Kaz’rogal roared in fury as he released the ancient guardians wounds had mended and he whipped his sword through the air, releasing another [Rain of Fire] that barraged the battlefield with pillars of felfire.
Lightning crackled around Aviana and she released a barrage of crackling energy across the demons that bounced across them and crashed into Kaz’rogal. She then hurled another spark of lightning at the doomlord, and it seemed he was wearing down. The rest of the demons appeared to be getting uncertain, as they had been starting to win moments ago, but the ancient guardians had continued to regroup. Renard leaped onto a doomguard and killed it before he turned his eyes toward Kaz’rogal.
He used [Irresistible Dance] on the doomlord, who laughed in defiance, but the laugh started to turn maniacal as he was compelled to start to dance. Agamaggan backed up and then puffed as he lowered his head and charged straight at the doomlord. His tusks pierced through the dancing demon, and as the doomlord roared with his final breath, Agamaggan tore into his flesh and began to devour him.
One of the remaining doomguards charged at Aviana and was able to dispel her lightning shield as he clawed at her. Ashamane managed to drag the felbat to the ground in her claws and snapped its neck. She then turned toward the doomguard and leaped into the air. She dug her fangs into him and they tumbled back to the ground together. The massive cat landed on top of him, and the doomguard fell dead beneath her claws.
Goldrinn howled again and launched himself at another doomguard. He tore into the demon, leaving him with gushing wounds. At that moment, Ohn’ahra, the harpies, and Blaithe swept in as a whirlwind of screeching battlecries that left the remaining enemies completely stunned.
Renard blinked into view on the nearly dead doomguard and snapped his neck. The fox then turned toward the remaining felbats and sneezed at them, using [Prismatic Spray]. One of the felbats plummeted from the sky.
Agamaggan took a few deep sniffs and then turned toward the south where three demons were hovering on the edge of the battlefield. He charged, and used a thorny vine to yank one of the felbats toward him.
The wild gods took a momentary breather as they awaited the next wave of demons from the rippling, fel-scourged battlefield. All around them, more ancient guardians continued to fight back the forces.
Blaithe moved down to reunite with Aviana, but suddenly something collided with him at high speeds that blew him completely off course. Swarms of parasitic bats began to amass around the harpy flocks, and a great shadow manifested that threw Blaithe from the sky. It was a large, winged, demonic creature, and Blaithe regained his course and they began to dog fight in the sky.
Aviana looked toward the encroaching hordes of demons, and then at Ashamane, who told her to go. Ursoc and Ursol bounded into the field to reinforce as Aviana took off into the sky to help her mate. Ohn’ahra had tried to close to aid her brother, but she too was harried by the swarms of bats.
The demon had a gaunt face and long, distended claws that he was using to rake into the massive raven. Aviana launched blasts of lightning at the demon, but he exploded into a cloud of bats.
The figure reappeared over Aviana as the bats reconstituted, her claws around her throat. Aviana continued to blast lightning at him, searing black marks into his flesh. The dreadlord scoffed at her predictability, and he hurled her down with a surge of necrotic energy. Aviana slammed into the ground, and Blaithe tried to dive after her, but the dreadlord’s bats interfered.
Aviana continued to fire off blasts of lightning, but the dreadlord landed on her, and then picked her up again by the throat.
Aviana continued to claw and scratch and spark, but her energy was draining from her.
Aviana tried to escape, but the dreadlord grabbed her again. She could see Blaithe diving for her, her children amassing, the other ancient guardians trying to reach her, but they were all so far away.
Then everything slowed down.
There were flashes of memory. Agamaggan on a body of corpses, his body seeping blood and ichor, and his energy fading. Ashamane clinging to the neck of a great pit lord as it erupted, her body swallowed in fel fire. Goldrinn, separated from his pack as demons swarmed around him. He tore them asunder, but he was eventually overwhelmed.
Rak’Symma suddenly realized she couldn’t breathe.
As the others watched her, only a minute or two passed. But they all felt themselves growing drowsing. Their muscles grew heavy. Words failed them, and they all fell to their knees. It was all they could do to remain their consciousness. All their allies had also fallen, except for one.
Raenon Shadegrove strode forward to where Rak’Symma was interfacing with the artifact. He had a wide grin on his face. His brother, Glaidalis, called to him.
The druid grabbed Rak’Symma by the throat and lifted her into the air. Rak’Symma could tell something was very wrong. Her eyes opened as she was pulled from the vision. She saw the druid holding her by the throat.
It was the man she had been looking for.
She heard a thousand voices telling her to not stop fighting, and she felt an upwelling of strength. She kicked the druid in the gut with her talons and a blast of lightning magic. The druid’s eyes flared with fel magic as he realized her companions had started to restore their strength. He dove at Rak’Symma, his claws digging into the idol of Aviana and rending it in twain.
He opened a rippling portal to the Emerald Dream and stepped through. Three satyrs stepped out from the portal as he disappeared, including a very large satyr that Nyxxa believed may be a Praetor of the Emerald Flame.
At that moment, they heard the sound of battle as more satyrs poured into the clearing.
A satyr closed on Zar’Kaa, who used [Hellish Rebuke]. However, the fire washed largely harmlessly over the satyr, who cackled as he darted in and grabbed Zar’Kaa’s arm.
Sol used [True Polymorph] to turn himself into a green dragon. He reared back and released a greenish mist across a swathe of the satyrs, who started to cough and then dropped to the ground asleep.
Zar’Kaa ran straight for the Praetor and managed to break three of his mirror images, but a strong strike cut the large satyr across the chest.
The Praetor laughed
Zar’Kaa felt the dark urges worm into his mind, removing any inhibition to his flaws. The Praetor then looked at Arthak, who had prepared to charge. He laughed, and held out a hand and blew. Reddish mist was blown from his hand, and Arthak disappeared in the cloud.
What Arthak could see was only an endless maze of brambles.
