| The Emerald Dawn; Finale | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 18th November 2006 - 10:37 AM (228 Views) | |
| FatherSquee | 18th November 2006 - 10:37 AM Post #1 |
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Holder of Clan Pestilens "Most Sexiest" Award
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Two years ago… Brother Squee and his Deacon Scolis along with the rest of the half dozen the Zealots of Decay strike force that had survived up to this point ran for their lives. The word was late getting to them and they would have to flee like never before but Horned Rat willing they were going to make it out of this cursed mountain alive. “Brother! We-we are not going to make it!” screamed Scolis, the frenzy all but gone from his body. Squee looked at the Deacon, both eyes blazing with energy. “Are not-not going to make it? My-my Deacon you sound almost scared!” Squee said as he let out a slightly insane giggle. “We-we have the almighty Horned Rat to guide us! We cannot falter!” “But-but Brother!” “No Deacon this-this day, truly in a matter of moments we-we the Master Race will prove our worthiness and Inherit! Look-look we’ve made it!” Squee, Scolis and the rest of the Zealots bolted out of the cavern and into broad daylight. The flash to their eyes was blinding but they didn’t slow down. All around them battle was raging as the undivided Chaos hordes fought to the last man at the gates of the massive city. Brother Squee glanced back at the walls of Middenheim before they dove into one of the hastily dug trenches and took cover. Some of the other warriors fighting around them noticed the strange group most just stood and stared but the smarter ones followed suit. Squee took a quick look around but suddenly noticed they were short one man. He peaked over the edge of the trench to find Deacon Scolis lying on the ground, staring painfully at a broken leg. “Scolis!” Squee scampered back out of the trench and ran to his fallen commrat. “No-no Brother, leave me! It is too late!” Ignoring him Brother Squee picked up the fallen Deacon and carried him back to the trench and practically threw the injured Skaven behind cover. Squee was climbing back into the trench himself when he suddenly heard one of the most terrifying noises ever to grace his ears coming from under the mountain. The ground shook and cried and the massive energies flowed loose through its veins. The entrance before them suddenly glowed emerald and before Brother Squee could duck into cover the cataclysmic wave hit him. Brother Squee flew hard into the dirt wall then crumpled unconscious to the ground as the twisted energies melted the flesh of his face. With a blast of greenish light, the Doom Hemisphere exploded, flooding the tunnels with waves of mutating energy, though the intricate device did not fully explode. Men and Skaven were twisted inside out. Their bodies melted, and their skin was blistered by the baleful energies. The rocks themselves melted and ran, opening up new chambers and sealing old tunnels. Though its power had been unleashed, the Doom Hemisphere had not detonated fully and now sits dormant, awaiting activation once again, somewhere deep in the twisted maze of new tunnels. Present Day The sky was crisp and clear in the pre-dawn morning. The birds were happily chirping away as the bazaar shops opened for their first customers. White puffs of smoke lightly expelled from their mouths with each breath they took, which along with the light dusting of snow told of the first days of winter; all was tranquil with the world. Out on the balcony of Middenheim’s highest tower Father Squee let the calming morning air fill him and relax his tense muscles, which for the longest time he thought were strained far beyond the breaking point. He truly did enjoy the Overworld, and he though to himself how blessed he was to be able to experience it in such a leisurely fashion, truly most of his kind never saw the light of day throughout their entire lives. The old Plague Lord closed his eyes and dreamt of the long ago days; before he was a Plague Lord, before the Claws of the Horned One, and even before their was the Zealots of Decay, back to when he was just a small rat in the jungles of Lustria first learning of the glory of the Horned Rat. All the worries of the world washed away, every step towards ultimate power was forgotten and for the briefest of moments Father Squee was truly happy. A knock came from the door behind him. “No-no,” whispered Squee. “Not yet.” The door opened and Brother Scolis quietly walked onto the balcony. “Our-our guest has arrived Father.” Squee waited the briefest of moments before responding, savoring the last of it. “Bring him in.” Brother Scolis nodded to the Skaven at the door; he opened it to reveal a small unit of Stormvermin surrounding a prisoner extensively bound in a massive amount of chains. The prisoner was ragged and starved almost to death, sweat beaded off his brow as he exerted to list the chains after over a year of almost no movement. Even still every Stormvermin had their weapons drawn and were eyeing the prisoner with trained intensity, and in truth the prisoner himself was still incredibly intimidating. Despite the weight he bore he walked tall with bold strides that of a born leader. His jaw was set and his eyes held the same fury that was in them the day he was sealed away deep below the Ulricsburg. Squee turned and after a brief moment bowed mockingly before the prisoner. “Rattsu the Black” said Father Squee as he rose. “It’s been a-a while.” “Yes-yes it has,” Rattsu said in a horse voice that obviously hadn’t been used in many months. “And it-it seems I’ve missed much, last time we-we crossed paths you-you were naught but leader of a small faction, scrambling at the feet of your fellow leaders.” Squee scowled slightly at the remark. Rattsu then turned his gaze towards Brother Scolis, it took the old Warlord a moment to recognize him but when he did he lunged towards the Priest, the Stormvermin were quick to restrain the prisoner. “You! You-you were there they day that Seer…!” The Warlord grimaced as he remembered that fateful day all those moons ago. “The traitor does not still hold my-my throne does he?” “Careful of your-your words Warlord, you-you are the traitor here.” Father Squee said. “But no, he-he does not sit in ‘your’ throne any longer; the Horned Rat has summoned him to a higher calling. My good commrat and fellow leader Warlord Wynnar now keeps watch over the Undercity. Not to worry though, we have not heard the last of Clan Virulus. But you-you were not brought up here talk of old dealings; you were brought up here to be-be witness.” “Witness to-to what?” “The end of the War.” Rattsu along with all of the Stormvermin present and even Brother Scolis all looked disbelieving at Father Squee. “Wha-?” started Scolis. “Silence Scolis; you didn’t think I-I let you in on every one of my little secrets did you?” Squee said as he glanced at his second in command. “Preposterous,” Rattsu said. “I’ve been living in a hole and even I-I know that factions are still warring.” “True-true there is still death in the tunnels, and indeed their will be much-much more before this day’s end but believe me when I say that today dawns a new beginning for the Northern Tunnels; one in which the Claws of the Horned One will be feared and respected as a true power along with being most favored of Skavenblight.” Squee pointed east towards the rising sun, “Look,” he said as the sky grew slowly brighter. “Do you-you know what is in that direction?” “Many-many things,” Rattsu the Black defiantly answered. Father Squee ignored the jibe and continued. “It-it is close what I speak of, in the mountains in fact, a great fortification.” “You-you mean the Brass Keep?” “Exactly. Even back when you-you walked the tunnels free it was a key place of power for the cursed Children of the Warp.” “Cursed?” asked Rattsu. “I thought the-the Claws were allied with the Children?” “Yes well we’ve had a bit of a falling. In-in truth the battle between we two super-powers has proven to be the most bloody of all battles, which just proves even more the Claws right to Inherit. But the Brass Keep, that is where their true power lies. They may hold the Overcity but it is the Brass Keep where they rally and gain their strength, and this morning it is that precious grip on the Brass Keep that will prove their downfall. It is obvious to us-us now that the Claws will be able to never claim ownership over the bastion and so we will deny everyone its halls, for if I-I cannot walk in them no one can. Now Watch.” Father Squee turned back to face the mountains and Rattsu the Black followed suit. A few moments passed with little happening, Rattsu was getting irritated and was about to do something about it but before he could the sun broke over the Middle Mountains and bathed the tower in sunlight. An instant later the light suddenly changed, as a colossal wave of emerald light shone throughout the sky completely engulfing it in its claws. The source of the light came from the centre of the Middle Mountains; right where the Brass Keep would have been. It was so bright that even at this immense distance it was too blinding to look at as the very sun was hidden behind its radiance. A thought tugged at the back of Rattsu’s mind but before it registered the sound wave washed over them. The defending scream of a hundred thousand damned souls couldn’t of sounded much worst than the wave of sound that smashed into them. Rattsu fell to his knees mouth agape as it dawned on him what he was witnessing, but it wasn’t over yet as next the earthquakes shook all who was left standing to the ground. Father Squee alone was the only one left standing, indeed he was laughing to himself. The Warpfire of his eye socket flared and blew on ethereal winds towards its cousin, wishing to be one with its brethren. “No…” Rattsu whispered as the blinding light finally started to dissipate, leaving a cloud of billowing smoke to raise high above the mountains. “No…it…it can’t be!” “But it is my friend; The Doom Hemisphere has returned.” Moments passed and still Rattsu the Black stayed huddled on the ground. “But-but how? I-I thought it was lost?” “It-it was,” Father Squee answered. “But your-your good friend Grey Seer Skritchit found it again.” “So that was the-the actual Doom Hemisphere?” “Actually no-no, simply a copy we-we were able to build from it. The actual Hemisphere I fear may never be freed.” “How did you-you gain the resources for it? How-how did you manage to get something of that size underneath the Children’s prized warren without them noticing?” “Ah I’m glad you-you asked!” Squee said, grinning all the while. “Once we found it Skritchit quickly went to work copying everything he-he could about it, it took many-many slaves but he was eventually able to come up with the-the blueprints for the legendary artifact. We-we knew the Children were going to eventually turn on us so-so we decided to build it underneath them, with our alliance our various clans were able to provide the necessary distractions to place it, for those who-who were a little too curious I-I also used my ties with Skavenblight to hire some Black Agents. The-the actual building was left to Warlord Wynnar as he-he has somewhat of a keen mind for these things. The only thing we-we didn’t have was enough Warpstone to power it, and then from the sky fell the great Gift of the Horned Rat. The immense chunk of Warpstone had fallen into Children’s lands but we were able to-to quickly work a deal with them to claim ownership of the meteor for a short while, in that time we replaced the Warpstone meteor with a fake. Then it-it was a simple matter of waiting for the right time to strike.” Rattsu the Black stood silent for a few moments as he watched the final columns of smoke drift away on the winds. “You-you are insane.” “Yes I-I have been getting that a lot lately, but how can they possibly deny the Claws of the Horned One now?” “You-you are a fool Squee! You have just used up your one advantage and for what? You-you may have crippled the Children of the Warp but what of the-the other factions? Can you-you take them all on?” “I won’t need to take all of them on; they will all quickly learn to bow before the might of the Claws.” “What-what makes you so sure?” “Simple, that was not the-the only Hemisphere.” “…You-you can’t be serious!” “Ah but I am! You see there was enough Warpstone to make a few Hemispheres’, and once that knowledge is spread they will all bow before me. The Claws of the Horned One Shall Inherit.” It was all almost too much for Rattsu to handle; he was locked away so long only to return to a world that might go apocalyptic. “I-I wish to return to my cell now,” Rattsu quietly said. “I-I do not wish to live in a world where that…abomination is in the hands of-of an insane Lord like you.” Father Squee grinned. “No.” Rattsu looked deep into Squee’s one flaming eye but it was impossible to read. “No?” “No. I have one last thing-thing for you. For you-you see, no matter how much trouble you have caused in the past and no matter how many times you tried to undermine the Claws of the Horned One I-I and the rest of the Skaven race do owe you a debt of gratitude, for it-it was you who made all of this possible. It-it was you who lead the charge in the Storm of Chaos and helped clear these caves that are now slick with Skaven blood. Indeed it was-was you who initiated this Civil War and made it possible for-for not only myself but the Claws to rise to the height of power, and so I am setting you free.” What!?” screamed Brother Scolis, who until now was all but silent. Rattsu himself didn’t know what to think of this situation, which was rare for him. “But-but be warned, you are-are still an enemy of the Claws of the Horned One, if you are ever found within our boarders again you will be kill-killed on sight and who knows how large our boarders will be getting now.” The Stormvermin undid his chains, but before they could move between Squee and Rattsu Father Squee strode right up to Rattsu the Black stood inches from the Warlord. Rattsu could smell burning hair as Squee’s Warpfire eye burned away as his whiskers. “You-you have until the sun rises above these mountains once more to leave my land, at that time the rat-hounds loosed. If I-I were you I’d be moving.” Rattsu glared at the Plague Lord then down at his swollen wrists, the sores went almost straight to the bone but even still they felt so good to be free again. He briefly thought of jumping Squee and quickly killing the leader but decided against it given his condition and the opposition he was facing. “Well-well played Father Squee” The newly freed prisoner turned his back to the leader of the Claws and walked towards the door. He opened it and was about to step through when he turned, “You-you will be hearing of me Plague Lord,” said Rattsu the Black. “My power will grow once more. This-this is not the end, as you-you have said it is just the beginning.” Rattsu the Black grinned and stepped through the door, closing it behind him. Father Squee, Brother Scolis and all the rest of the Claws of the Horned One present listened as the laughter of the Warlord fell down the hall. It was just the beginning… |
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| Deathmaster Mik | 18th November 2006 - 11:33 AM Post #2 |
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Claw of the Shadow
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Linking it all to the end of the Storm... nice. I very much like how you managed to come 'full circle' (of a sorts), Father. Storm's end -> Dawn of the Overempire Civil War's end -> The Emerald Dawn..? Who knows.. only time will tell... “Civil War's end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the cunning this experience has instilled in us.” - Freely mutated Hal Borland quote :ph43r: |
![]() Death lurks in my cloak.................. Death dances in my footsteps;................. I am become Death. ................. Amen | |
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| FatherSquee | 19th November 2006 - 12:01 AM Post #3 |
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Holder of Clan Pestilens "Most Sexiest" Award
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Glad you liked it I figured I'd make it as open ended as I could while still making us Claws look like were comming out on top, and seeing as we were literally sitting on the thing for two years it seems only right that we bring it back and have everything go full circle. |
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| SneakyRodent | 20th November 2006 - 09:42 AM Post #4 |
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Claws of the Horned One founder member
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Lovely story Squee, tying up the 'official' fate of the most famous of the Civil War's NPC's, Rattsu the Black. My own last tale of this campaign will be up this week. |
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Grey Seer Skritchit Lord of the Ulricsberg Clan Virulus Holder of 'Best Post' Award 2007 here Took part in the glorious Lords of Decay Revolution of April 1st 2012 The complete works of SneakyRodent can be found here [/size]
(Scrivener on the Scum And Villainy2 characters of me, DamnedPrince and himself) | |
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