Battle for the Deva

With the crushing defeat at the Kabal mine, the Imperials had a strong supply of Feyrock to use on High Magic. This forced the Rebels to try other measures. They had heard word of a Deva nearby. A construct of Fey origin who could channel massive energy and who could cast magics that could devastate the Imperial forces.

With this information, a scouting force was gathered and sent from Versano.

## The Shrine

The deliberations in King Rendon's war room had gone on all day. The cessation from the Empire had gone from being a matter of skirmishes to all-out destruction. It was taxing people on both sides. An end had to be found soon. A lone scout interrupted the latest planning session regarding a possible strike on an Imperial outpost. "Excuse me sire..." King Rendon looks up, as the rest of the council continues their deliberation. "We found it... it exists." The members of the war council look up, now in rapt attention. "A Deva, uncontrolled sitting at a shine. If we move fast, we can acquire it. But we have to move fast, an Imperial scout was seen in the area." The King nods, indicating to one of the generals, who immediately leaves with the scout. King Rendon looks at his council "A Deva.... With that power at our command, we could end this war once and for all.... gentlemen, we have a new possible target... Arlessa."

The Sun hung low in the twilight sky as the King and his army reached the hilltop and set up camp for the night, a few scouts returned to the king’s tent to deliver their sightings. The tent fell silent awaiting his report.

“Sire, it appears that the imperial forces have set up an encampment at the other side of the pass, it seems they seek the Deva as well.”

“Then we have less time than we thought, rouse the men, we must make haste toward that shrine!”

As the scouts of the King slid from the camp into the cover of the falling sun, the Imperial camp was ablaze with activity.

“Get your weapons! Don your armour, move it you sorry excuses for soldiers!” barked Lord Wulfric, a seasoned commander and vicious knight belonging to Grammel Plains. Men rushed from tent to tent as they gathered their equipment and fell into line, sorting out ranks between them as the scouts prepared to leave. Lord Wulfric turned and gave but a simple nod to Brenner, a highly-ranked bounty hunter from the Arlessian Assassin's Guild - and his close friend. She nodded back, disappearing in a flurry of purple cloak and black war-paint, trailing her two blades as she flew off toward the shrine followed by a large unit of skirmishers.

Meanwhile on the other side of the river, Elyssia, the Deva sat at the shrine admiring the shimmering reflection of the moons lights as they danced upon the surface of the shrines pool. Suddenly she felt the rush of cloaks, the sound of blades whirling through the air and a hand grab her arm as Brenner hoisted the Deva up to her feet and rushed her away from the shrine, as they stepped off the ground there was a blast of people the other way, she turned to see a fast and furious clash occurring between two groups of solders. Arrows whizzed overhead as Brenner tried to outrun the perusing Rebels, However Elyssia could not match her blistering speed and thus Brenner knew she had to make a stand.

At the shrine, Senior Assassins Trinovantes and Kukalitaku lead the Imperial skirmishers in trying to fend off a group of skilled Rebel rogues and rangers as they attempted to push past and get to the Deva. Trinovantes pinned a Rebel to their shield with a perfect shot as Kukalitaku circled and dropped the foe before dodging a counter- attack from another soldier, narrowly missing his ear. In his retreat after killing another scout, an Imperial rogue tripped and stumbled to the ground, scrambling to regain his feet; he was saved by a swift shot from Trinovantes and helped to his feet by Kukalitaku. The extraction was nearly complete without a hitch until the Rebel reinforcements arrived. Bur Thromordar, a knight clad from head to toe in dark plate with glimmering gold edges stormed through the shrine and gave chase to the imperialists as they cried for reinforcements. Ulrik Biekwicz,a fierce warrior from Provall heard that call first and charged headlong into both Bur and Lord Beric DeSaron, All three clashed hard and landed in a twisted pile of metal and limbs as each tried to wrestle with not only each other but their armour. Bur regained his feet and began to attack all those who stood in his way as he focused on the path to the Deva. Swiftly, from behind he received a chop to the back of the legs from a passing serf from the imperial forces, Sid the Black.

As the fight progressed the Imperial numbers began to wane, the King saw that he was near to getting the Deva in his possession, and with her on his side, they would destroy the imperial city of Arlessa! He sent one of his highest trained footmen, Felix Vernold the 3rd to attempt to break the enemy lines and cut their swelling numbers. As the masses swarmed heavily around the deva, a cacophony of arrows, axes, blades and magic covered the ground in corpses and blood. Rebels Lord Beric DeSaron and Lolin from Theron found themselves fighting off up to seven Imperial soldiers as the battle encircled them. One lunged forward, his coif sliding forward enough to cover his eyes as he snapped backward as fast as he could, but as fast as he was, Iolin was faster, the skirmisher cutting the footman down before he could fix his sight. Lord Wulfric saw this and instantly enraged, barrelling towards the scout with blade twirling overhead, the massive amounts of steel moving at an impossible pace. Lord Beric DeSaron stood in front of Iolin, lowering his halberd ready to lunge at Lord Wulfric should he continue his course, but the seasoned fighter was not so easily defeated, pushing the halberd aside with a rough stroke of his shield he cut through Beric with one powerful slice. But all of Lord Wulfrik's efforts had been in vein, As he finished off Beric, the Imperial forces he led had not succeeded in defeating the ferocity in which the Rebel armies attacked. The losses were heavy, and the Imperials needed to retreat if they were to defend their city. The order was given and the dead were taken back with the wounded to the city as they prepared for what would be the defence of Arlessa…

"For the Court!" ran the cry, as the Rebel line ran forward, charging towards the hastily forming lines of retraiting Imperials. Gregor wished he himself could charge forward with them, feeling much better from the infliction he suffered five months prior, in the Kabal mine. Yet, he knew his duty, and waited with King Rendon for the men to bring back the Deva and any wounded that he would need to heal. Sure enough, as his men captured the deva and started to bring her back, the wounded came ahead of them, asking to be healed so they could fight again.

“I, as a priest of the court of four, ask you to hear my call! Asha, grant mercy...” Gregor continued his chant as men and women continued to flock to him and the only other cleric they had. At the same time, they tried to get the Deva back into their camp,

## The Aftermath

It was now noon the following day and the Rebel camp seemed serene compared to the activity of the previous night. Men sat around fires singing war songs and drinking wine, and even a lucky few of them were in their tents with a camp follower or two, and you could hear their voices cry out as they continued their celebrations. “There you go. With a little bit of time and some magical healing, it should stay attached.” said one of the healers as they finished stitching a soldier's ear back on, smiling all in the meantime. Gregor sat on his bed drinking some wine to help dull the pain of his healing injuries. Just as he felt he could relax, a voice outside his tent shouted “Mi’lord Gregor Kalevala, you have been summoned by the King!” Gregor knew he had to respond.

As he walked he could see the smoke rising where the dead were being burned in their burial rites, he himself one of the priests overseeing their funeral only an hour ago. He was surprised to see that they were not approaching the command tent as he first thought, but towards the pyres where he could see the King, but also the deva overlooking the flames. With the battle actually over, he finally was able to look at the deva in proper detail, and though he knew that it was not a natural creature, but a fey creation, he thought she was beautiful. He finally reached both of them and knelt saying “Mi’lord King! And fair lady”

“Rise son, and listen to my command” the King responded, both of them following tradition that had been laid down for centuries. Gregor stood up straight, looking the King straight in the eye.

“This deva, Elyssia informs me that we can destroy the capital of the Imperials and win this war once and for all! However, she will need our help to do so...” he trailed off as the Deva approached Gregor, looking him up and down as if examining him.

“I need rituals of binding to be done on five nodes of power near the capital, with an incantation I shall share with you now” to which she leaned in to Gregor’s ear, whispering a spell that seemed to burn itself into Gregor’s brain, and he knew he would not forget it for as long as he lived.

“As Mi’lord commands” Gregor bowed, and walked off, knowing much of was needed to be prepared.