War is Declared on the Acolytes of the Greater Dragons

Many things transpired in the weeks following the discovery of the Nexus Shard. Morthrin, being both excited at the prospect of magical protection and concerned for the safety of others in the land, journeyed to Teri, a demon living in a desert West of the Expanse. Bringing him to Argence, he relayed their discovery of the Shard and the prospects of attunement. Julanar, a female gnome from Öldüriji, passed by during this conversation and was similarly relayed this information. But there would not be the response that either Morth or Wings had expected.  Julanar, seemingly overwhelmed by this information, shrank away and returned to their home.  Teri, on the other hand, expressed deep concern for the danger of such power in the hands of the wrong people.  He firmly warned Wings and Morthrin that they should keep the Shard a secret, and they both reluctantly agreed.

From that point on, little was spoken of the Shard.  Instead, an emphasis was put on the mysterious faction that sought to slay Wings.  Morthrin possessed a special motivation to protect his people and the rest of the land from this threat, as Mahaq had been attacked in cold blood long before he knew of the Shard.  Slowly, a greater awareness grew of this threat, especially as, on multiple occasions, scouts were caught spying on others’ land.  Whether through a sense of fear or responsibility, leaders in the land of the Nexus were starting to realize the seriousness of these cultish warriors.

Morthrin, after preparing himself and the Arads for another attack, set out to inform Cornemer, a spirit of the forest, of the growing danger.  A friend from the early days in the land, Morth had eaten, drank, and even journeyed with this spirit.  He knew that Corn deserved to be informed of the threat.  Upon arrival, he was quite surprised to see the work that had been done since his last visit.  Lush foliage, beautiful flowers, and skillful landscaping surrounded him, providing an unusual sense of tranquility given the circumstances.  Cornemer readily greeted him, and the two spent a good hour talking.  Morth explained his concerns with the attacks and requested Corn’s aid.  But the spirit would not help him immediately.  Cornemer explained that he stood for the protection of the forest, first and foremost.  If that was not in danger, his attention would be divided.  Morth looked to the ground, discouraged.  His ears perked up, however, upon Cornemer’s mention of a chief in the North - one who supposedly possessed an army.  This chief quickly became Morth’s new priority, and so he left that day with the plan to create a persuasive proposition, for he knew that no leader would expend their army so easily on a threat they did not know.

In the meantime, Teri grew restless in light of the acolytes, not from anxiety but from eagerness.  Several days prior, he had discovered an encampment a few hundred meters away from his developing civilization.  Teri understood that such an opportunity would not last forever, and the time to strike grew near.  After a discussion with the gnome, the two agreed that an attack must be made now, to demonstrate to the acolytes that the travelers of the land stand together.  They would declare war.

On September 11, the two sought the help of Wings and Morthrin for a coordinated assault on the encampment bordering Teri’s territory.  Desiring revenge and seeing the opportunity, Morth and Wings quickly readied their weapons and armor.  During their preparations, spies were caught on the walls of the Arcadian Revival.  In a panic, the four quickly drew their weapons and killed all they could see.  Knowing that the secret of their attack was no longer safe, they quickly set out to stage their assault.  Morthrin relayed Cornemer’s information about the war chief to the party, and they agreed that they would quickly try to search for this man.  As fate would have it, an individual was making his way North in the Nether tunnels as the four deliberated over how they would find him.  Introducing himself as Hog, he quickly validated the forest spirit’s story, identifying himself as the man they sought.  The party quickly explained the threat to the chief, begging for aid in light of the intended strike.  Considering the safety of his people, Hog agreed, reasoning that a threat in the lower lands may be relevant to the North one day.  So they set out together, five, against the forces of the greater dragons.

Leaving the tunnels, the party quickly realized that Teri had been preparing.  Horses, saddled for the riders, stood waiting at his stables.  Hellhounds, bred for war, surrounded the portal and quickly reacted to Teri’s command.  They knew that, with the element of surprise, victory would be achieved that day.  After a swift ride to the site of the encampment, the five looked down from a dune onto the threat of the enemy.  Vengeance would be had that day.  For Wings.  For Mahaq.  For anyone who had been destroyed by these savages.  After being spotted by a scout, Teri let out a battlecry, and the five ran into the fray.

For a quarter of an hour, they fought side by side, severing limbs from flesh of the enemy.  Hellhounds swept combatants from their feet, sinking vicious teeth into their foes.  During the fight, the party set down explosives around the encampment to detonate upon their retreat.  When few remained, Julanar gave the word to retreat, and Wings lit the dynamite.  Running from the scene of the battle, the deafening sound of explosions filled the air as shrapnel littered the landscape.  An energizing sense of victory filled the entire party as they made way for the nearby village.  Upon their arrival, they sat down, panting from the fight.  The local villagers provided water and food, to the delight of the five.  But, as they took to their glasses to drink, the spine-chilling sound of a blaring horn filled the air.  Retribution had come.

The party sprung up, raising their bows and readying their swords.  But the force that came this time was not a simple patrol.  Acolytes as far as the eye could see charged in from the distance, and the tremble of war beasts shook the ground.  Teri quickly whistled, and the remaining hellhounds sprinted towards the threat.  The rest of the party charged once more, but not with the same determination as before.  Another sweat filled clash ensued, and the five struggled to stay alive.  By the end, however, regardless of exhaustion or injury, the travelers stood victorious.  Some were filled with passionate feelings of triumph.  Others with dread over what they had done.  Eventually, Morthrin related his own thoughts to the others, explaining that they surely had sentenced the entire land to war because of this action - even those who may not deserve it.  No longer caring for the previously kept secret, he shared his thoughts on the Nexus Shard, stating his firm belief that attunement must occur to keep the inhabitants of the land safe.  His opinions weren’t met with the most optimism, leaving him frustrated with the state of things.  He left upset, Hog following close behind to see the Shard for himself.  The rest talked afterwards, agreeing to begin an open effort towards attunement, despite mixed feelings.

The next day, in a meeting called upon by Teri, the members of the strike along with Cornemer and Light, an intelligent humanoid axolotl, formed a plan for how attunement would be pursued in the coming weeks.