Session 7: Battle and Revelation Report

The battle for the viod raged and its situation deteriorated swiftly. Duyor warriors were emboldened by the success of the first wave, and thus in great numbers hurled themselves against the walls. Thelastor held bravely with his contingent on the eastern wall, provoking the most fearsome Duyor response to destroy them. Onward they came, climbing right up the walls, but Thelastor and his warriors cast them down time and again. Oradyol met with similar success, crushing one Duyor after another on the southern wall, cutting through their flesh with great arcs of his vozar. The Eshanic energy of the Odyrzid spirits empowered him, turning his veins blue and his muscles powerful. Few Duyor were brave enough to attack this place, for most were destroyed within mere minutes.

Matters were worse in the west and north, where Yaza and Rhomod were outnumbered by the swift oncomers. Rhomod fought off two who were attempting to open the northern gate after clambering over the walls- but was severely wounded by them once they turned attention. Not to be scared away, he continued to fight and slaughtered the two enemies just as more were leaping over the walls. Yaza loosed arrows into the oncoming Duyor with deadly Atamani precision, then drew her blade. The enemies were numerous and eager in this area, however, and drove her back down into the courtyard with great fury.

Into this chaos an exhausted Xeyesh rose, immediately catching the heat of the growing inferno and stunned by the crushing din of battle. He needed to act quickly. He rushed over to a large mess table dragged out into the courtyard. Calling upon Mesian for Eshanic support, he touched the table to bring forth Eshanic light, which burst outward over the battlefield for a swift moment. The Duyor were quite stunned by this, opening them to aggressive counterattack by the party, who killed many. This was not enough in itself to turn back the horde, however, and soon the Duyor were pressing hard than ever.

While Xeyesh are stunning enemies with Eshanic light at the viod’s center, certain Duyor elements passed through the defenses without hinderance- one passed into viod’s basement where Arelastod was hiding for his life. It prowled through the interior. Arelastod was terrified and attempted to scamper away, but was clumsy and was immediately seen. The beast charged, but instead of stabbing Arelastod through he dropped the weapon and picked him up with both arm, flung him over the shoulder and prepared to leave back through the viod stairs. Arelastod kicked and screamed all the while. Somewhere above, Xeyesh heard the new screams for help and turned to help, leaving the battle above to the others.

As he stepped down the stairs, he saw a Duyor beginning the ascent with Arelastod on his shoulder. He did his best to intimidiate, and told the beast to drop Arelastod or they’d have to fight. The Duyor dropped Arelastod, but eagerly awaited the fight promised. Xeyesh stood steady. The beast charged forward, crashing into Xeyesh and knocking him back into the moonlight. There they had a brutal scrap, wherein the beast bashed against Xeyesh over and over while he attempted to channel. This saved Arelastod, certainly, but left himself in great peril! The battle developed into an even more gruesome melee around them, causing hideous wounds and slaughter between both parties.

While this was happening, Othyrus awoke from his brief moment of unconsciousness. He had survived- just barely- with the mud at the stairway’s bottom sufficient cushion to catch him. The chamber was shrouded in shadows- but the faint sound of strange noise resounded from the western corridors. Othyrus arose and limped toward it. He found there a number of strange, dark waxy-fleshed beasts gathered around even more strange mounds of similar blackish ooze. The beasts seemed to weep around these heaps, a miserable sounds cry untampered by social conventions. Othyrus approached them, and they saw him. The came forth swiftly and eagerly, wondering of his purpose and if he was related to the Way and the many Wheels of their recent knowledge. Yes? Othyrus went along with it, at least to avoid any potential backlash from these beasts. He then passed them by and plunged further into darkness.

He stumbled through the darkness without guidance until he reached a deep inter chamber where the Vojunic smoke was particularly thick. Here he began to hear voices drifting through the air. He called out to them. In response the smoke around him parted, guiding him into further darkness. Crawling forth, he witnessed a strange shape of black and purple material much alike in texture to the beasts but much greater in size. Its legs were melded into the larger foundation upon which the figure once sat. Othyrus spoke out to it, asking who it was and what this place was. It responded that it was Rhokun, here since the beginning of the world. They spoke back and forth, during which Othyrus identified himself as one of those Vozukri spoken about in recent legend. Rhokaun was delightful and impressed, and expressed his interest in learning about the Wheels and the Ways as were introduced to his people recently by those from the heavens. Othryus said he could do it- but required some help, energy as it were, sufficient to bring him back to the Upper Wheels alive. Rhokun agreed, and embraced him with his Vojunic power completely, corrupting him but unleashing his abilities to use Vojun in powerful ways. His veins turned a terrible blackish-purple while his flesh hardened in dire ways.

Now Qetukras noted previously that the Duyor were, in their primal ways, afraid of dangerous deployments of fire, and thus took many of his own increndiary devices and hurled them among the overwhelming Duyor host. It torched much of the eastern and northern courtyard, but created a disruption and broke up the enemy lines. Many of the lesser Duyorti who were already running amok in the courtyard were torched in the inferno.

In the midst of this murderous stuggle, the hideous tar-fleshed beasts emerged from the viod’s depths, stepping into the light with incomprehensible wonder plastered upon their waxy faces. The Duyor were disgusted and terrified, wondering what dreadful manner of reinforcement these were, and scattered into the night. The garrison was little better, staring wide but unmoving. A single figure among them was recognizable, but changed hideously from his original form- Othyrus. His veins ran black and purple while strips of flesh were hardened like stone. We looked over the assorted survivors and bellowed out in to the night: “Witness the power of Vayas!”