War with Kalladen

A cold crisp breeze sent the somber kings hair rolling behind him as he gazed out at the horizon lost in his own thoughts from his balcony in castle Havenswatch. A grim look of contemplation on his dark face, Arick Darkfist turned slightly at the sound of a boot scraping behind him. In a flash he chanted the rune words and teleported back twenty feet directly behind the noise and drew his blade across to the throat of a man standing in his room.
“Lord Arick, it is I, Silas Montgommeri, stay thy blade.” Arick pushed the smaller man away gently and sheathed his dagger as he recognized the voice belonged to the steward.
“What have I told you about using your magic to whisk about the castle like that? I have given you a seal that would allow such magic to work, only to allow you a quick travel back to the keep, not to my personal chambers!” Arick said, as he strode back to the stone railing of his balcony.
“My apologies, great king, but I heard you had summoned me, and feel I know what it is you wish to speak of, so I came as quickly as possible. My lord, I …”
Arick cut him off with a raised hand. “Yes, it is true I am not happy with the outcome of all this. I understood the entire kingdom of Kalladen spoke ill of our realm, not just one lil wretch of a page. I would not have allowed a full war to have begun but simply asked my comrade to have taught his page a lesson in keeping a civil tongue.” Arick turned to peer angrily into the eyes of Silas, “Now I must use the tax money I am collecting to fund a full scale war with a once ally simply because the war mongering of a few men.” He pulled his dagger again turning it in his hands, looking at it as if thinking to stab it into the stone railing before quickly slamming it back into its sheath.
Arick then jumped up on the stone railing to sit back against the great wall of the castle as he peered into the distance. Silas could very easily incant a shove spell to cast him hurtling to the ground below but instead stared out at the horizon before saying “What are we to do then?”
Arick watched the horizon for a bit, judging his steward from the edge of his gaze before he announced. “Its too late to turn back now. War is upon us, and these old fools wish to underestimate my power then they will be solely mistaken. Was it not us who tricked them not a month ago at their own sea battle? We beat them at their own game, and we can do it again. The tax money was supposed to buffer our low coffers and to help build new kingdom growth stimulation packages, as well as pad my own pockets a little.”
Arick leapt down began pacing, lost deep in concentration. “With this new threat we can simply divert that money into building up the defenses. Our troops will be armed with the best. Blood will spill in the fields, but it will not be the blood of Havenswatch that feeds the soil, but the blood of old fools who take us too lightly. I need you to begin practicing your battle magic, you will soon be at full power, and I need your awesomeness refined to hairpin accuracy. Go now speak to Autheron to ensure our taxes are being collected as quickly as possible! I will speak with you again on the marrow.”
As Arick closed the door behind the departing Steward a movement caught in the corner of his eye. He turned quickly, a grin on his face as his dark lover leapt from behind the curtain near the balcony door. He embraced her and smiled. “I saw you when you came in, silent one.” He whispered into her ear. Tis a good thing the wizard did not try to cast me from the wall and take the kingdom for himself, eh?”
Her smile was as dark and sinister as her kings as she murmured back “my dagger would have been gouged his throat, spilling his blood, before he knew what hit him” she nipped at his ear…
“I knew I could trust you, and I think we can trust him… he may be quick to raise the flag of war against those who were once our ally, but his heart is for king and country.”
She pushed him back onto the bed smiling…

[center]

She lethargically stretches and turns slightly towards her highness in the bed beside her. “My Lord Arick,” she says softly, “ Arick for the 98th time and yes, he replies with a smile. “ I had another reason for visiting you tonight…” “ And what prevented you from speaking before?” he asked, as she trailed off. “ You were busy, and then I was quite distracted,” She muttered staring at him through the dark, “ Now that this war is official I wonder if I ought to bring it up or keep my own counsel”
.” Arick sighed, it wasn’t easy leading a kingdom; yet far worse to try and guess a females intent, ‘Why can’t the simple pleasures ever be enough,’ he thought. “But by speaking I have already decided to tell you some anyway,” she stared out of the bed through the window at the moon and again wished it not be her who had to bring such news as this, “There are rebels gathering in the forests in protest to your tax m’lord.” Arick stilled. “Who are they?” he questioned. “ I know naught, though I have my suspicions,” she said, whilst thinking, ‘Suspicions as well as Medusa suspects her hair may be snakes’. “We’ll deal with them accordingly,” he said, “ Though this is hardly the best time for such a thing to occur…why cannot all be loyal to their king?” “You could just tell them you suspected a war, but did not allow our Champion to mention it lest it caused undue worry,” she said. “That’s why I have you,” Arick said, “ to stand by my side and counsel me.” “You could then let the non humans know the tax will affect everyone now that war has been announced, and only affected them a short while to begin to build until you were certain,” she tried once again to find the spark of good she saw in him that so changed her path. “ And that’s why I would you would be gone,” Arick frowned, “ Always by my side trying my patience.” “I would as soon go as you would let me’ “ she retorted, “ for only you keep me here undeservingly after all I’ve done.” “This again,” he said, “ I keep you here because I want you here, insidious slaugh, and no other reason. Though my crown upon it you long to stay.” “I do stay,” she near growled,” for I find a I’ve a life here, ignorant barbarian, though I feel my present and past are soon to collide and ruin it all.” “So you’d run away rather than trust those who trust you,” Arick said,” This doesn’t sound like the imp of destruction to me.” Ozzette sighed, “ We should sleep… for tomorrow shall surely be trying for us both.” With that she curled up around him and felt his arm slip around her. “Worry not, dear one,” he said softly, as he rarely did save when the façade they played faded far from his mind “ I will let no man, woman, beast, nor child harm one so dear to my heart.” Tears pricked her eyes at the choices she had made, and would have to make. Testing fate she begged to the Moon Goddess for one more day (as she often did of late) just one more day of the happiness and contentment within her life that till now she could never remember feeling. ‘ Why must I do the right thing?’ she thought, as Aricks breathing slowed’ why must I try when I am better than ever before…and not about the castle or servants damn them, just to be with her barbarian’ As he drifted off to slumber she slipped out the window gliding from shadow to shadow as well in darkness and in light. Hoping she’d be back before he woke, she wandered to the forests of the night.

In castle Havenswatch…

The bright sun shone over a cold clear day. Arick Darkfist stormed back in forth in his chambers. How could the guards have let some bandits loot the gold? He had sent a sizable force to discourage any bandits from even attempting to attack. He would have to do something about this. It was difficult times, and he knew there were very few he could trust. The only one he was sure of was the sluagh, Ozzette. The Orc, Kruntz, was behind the bandits, of this Arick was sure. If he could perhaps capture the beast, then he could have him publicly executed and show the rest of the bandits there would be no quarter given. Then they would surely disperse and the tax money could then be collected to prepare for the upcoming war. Now he just needed to find a way to capture him…




Many miles away…

Nepheebious’s dry lips cracked and oozed puss as his lips pursed into a wretched smile. His red glowing eyes brightened as he peered into an orb before him. Worms wriggled through his nose slits as he turned to his undead assassin, Sheethil. “I have enough power now, before my brothers awake I must strike. The kingdom of Havenswatch will fall before my dark magik and I shall raise their pathetic corpses to destroy the world as my minions… and now this kingdom of Kalladen will also be crushed adding only to my power!!!

Weeks before,

A stranger had sold Kruntz a collection of sea charts, promising they were the key to crossing the Uncharted Seas and setting foot on the homeland of the Stormrage Orcs, Kruntz's tribe. Turns out, the charts were true, and for the first time in his life, Kruntz walked the ruins of the ancient cities of his ancestors. Kruntz had found his answer through his ancestors, literally. While traveling through the ruins, Kruntz came upon his clan's sword Stormrage, and upon grasping the hilt, Kruntz was struck with vision of his ancestors, and they gave him his answer. "Follow the Bloodlust" they told him, and with that Kruntz took the ancient tool of slaughter, and departed back to Havenswatch, his mind set on one thing, ending the tyranny, whatever the cost.

Earlier that day,

Kruntz used this knowledge for a vicious ambush against the carriage containing the taxed emeralds. After crushing through the sizable defenses of the carraige, Kruntz and his group of highwaymen made off with the emeralds. After divvying up the looted emeralds, Kruntz tried to protest the keeping of the emeralds to themselves, claiming that the emeralds belonged to the people, and was not theirs to keep, however, Kruntz was ignored, and could do nothing but watch as his fellow bandits pocketed the emeralds for themselves.

In a private brothel room,

Lying in his bed, Kruntz studied Stormrage, something was special about this sword, with it's softly glowing hilt, a bright shade of blue, and it's thick, iron blade, for such a seemingly low quality weapon to have survived so many generations with as little as a small scratch on the bottom of the pommel. As far as he knew, he was the last Stormrage alive, his grandparents grandparents grandparents were the some of the last defenders of that ancient civilization. He felt something more than steel in to sword, there was some sort of power, power that he wanted to harness, power just out of his reach. He sighed and set his sword next to his bed. "What's next? More carriage robbing? No, thats not enough, soon we've got to take the fight to the tyrant Arick himself... But who do I have? Those bandits seemed to only care for themselves, as far as I know I'm alone in my intentions of ending this tax."
Kruntz toyed with his growing tusks, they seemed to be growing a little long, maybe he should whittle them down.... "No," he decided, his voice resolute. "I'm a warrior, I will wear my tusks with pride." He chuckled from the sounds coming from the next room. Someone was getting their money's worth.