The Approaching Shadow: A Change of Stance (14th Entry)

[+Veritas]

The stench of the dead filled Stelios’ nostrils as he made his way to the center of the burning town. No markings, no banners, nothing hinting his location. No landmarks could be seen, and Stelios had a complete loss of direction. He had no idea where he was. Confusion gripped him as he observed the area. There were no bodies in sight to make such a pungent reek. Most of the buildings were burned to their foundations, but some were still in flames. Uninterpretable whispers floated in the air, so numerous they were hard to focus on. However, he was the only person there. “Everyone was killed, but their suffering remains.” Stelios’ spoke under his breath. “How do I know this? Why do I feel like I have been here before?” After a few moments of looking around through the moon-lit fog, he asked “Should I be here? Am I dreaming? What does this mean?” He then began to hear the familiar clanking of armored Umbris savages and watched as the grass of the town center gradually became covered in shadow that slowly crept toward him. Backing up against a scorched building, Stelios drew his sword and continued watching the darkness advance. When it surrounded him and had only a few feet of distance to close, a blinding light appeared in front of him sending the darkness retreating to the outer extremes of the razed town. After the light dimmed, a robed figure stepped forward. Looking over the figure, Stelios could make out hand prints formed with blood scattered on the skirt of the robe. The figure then quickly drew a sword from its back, and held it with both hands on the hilt and the blade pointing to the ground.

“Are you here to kill me?” asked Stelios. In a collective of noticeably different voices, the figure said, “You will not die here. You are here to receive a message.” “Who are you?” Stelios cautiously asked. “We do not have a named, but I can tell you what we are” With a nod from Stelios, the figure continued.
“We are the medium by which the ancestors of the Gaie, Epiquen, Ssthir, Umbrian, Poumi Fei, and Tor Gurrathian interact with the realm that resulted from worlds colliding. We are the born within, brought forth and invited through the most unforgivable deed this vessel witnessed. While doubt, fear, and grief clawed their way from the deepest regions of this vessel’s mind, we stomped them back down the abyss and replaced them with resolve, will, and power. We are the balance demanded and manifested by the spirits of this world, and through the collective of the long forgotten civilizations.”
While listening to the voices speak, Stelios noticed they weren’t coming from the figure standing before him, but from the sword the figure held. The sword had light engulfing it’s blade like a consuming fire, and pulsated near the base of the blade, like a beating heart.

“What is your message?” Stelios asked while sheathing his sword. “Bael’Nefario’s occupation of your town of Britian failed due to a lack of shadow energy. His wyrms required an abundance of this energy to remain in your world. When he stopped this energy, the wyrms disappeared. He then reapplied the energy to developing a new shadow caster gateway. This gateway will not permit the transfer of single units, but will allow the transportation of entire divisions in a matter of seconds.”
“We can’t hold back entire divisions, not with our numbers.” Stelios muttered with a heavy heart. “You won’t have to.” said the voices. “All you will have to do is be willing to take a leap of faith.” Stelios looked at the sword and said, “These past few years have been nothing but a leap of faith. What is it you ask of me?” “Don’t hold back” the voices said, “Shift the weight of your people…and charge.” Stelios looked up and asked, “How?” The voices then explained “We have been traveling with Legion’s forces as prisoners of nourishment. There will be a celebration of the new shadow caster’s completion in 72 hours. The entire 7th Umbris army division will be at the celebration to witness the showing of their new creation. Legion will be there, as well as soldiers and beasts you have never encountered. I will be honest; you and your people will face unfavorable odds if you decide to act on this opportunity. But you will also have the chance to infiltrate Touria and work toward establishing operations. Your people will also have their shot at Legion.” Intrigued, Stelios commented “Bael’Nefario wouldn’t make the mistake of creating a gateway that we could also use.” “Leave the gateway to us” the voices replied. “Assemble your soldiers and prepare them to fight overwhelming odds. Also, equip yourself and your thirty best riders. Pack light. Your army will act as a distraction while you ride to cover. We will make sure the survivors make it back to Excelsior before the gateway closes.” “What do I call you?” Stelios interrupted. “My vessel was named Yaslinaa…”


Stelios quickly sits up in his bed with his dagger drawn, and the noise of him waking prompts a guard to rush in with his sword drawn. “Sir, are you okay?” asked the guard. Breathing hard, Stelios coughs a few times, shifts to the side, and stands on his feet. After wiping the sweat down his face with his hand, he orders the guard to wake the officers and inform them that they have been summoned to the strategy tent.

[+Nyx]

NOTE:

You MUST be patched for this event.
If you are not patched, you will not be able to participate!


Event time: 5pm EST / 11pm shard time, September 1st 2013.

Gather on Moonglow bank roof at least 10 minutes prior to start time.

Gear: Wear your own gear - Remember to bless / insure your items! The staff are NOT responsible for lost items and you will NOT receive a free recovery if you fail to heed this warning!
Temporary event cloaks will be provided for those who are undergeared.

Pets: No pets will be permitted, nor will any form of mount.