Next one.

OOC: Maybe a bit unrealistic, but everyone makes mistakes at time. Big mistakes.

Flint Ironwood.

Flint threw down the bow with a growl of frustration. His remaining arrows joined the weapon a moment later.
,,Screw this! I'm too old to do this kind of stuff. I'm going to help with the retreat. Feel free to use these arrows." He spoke to no one in particular and made his way for the stairs.

He stopped at the bottom of the breach. So far, no snakemen had crawled over the pile of rubble yet. The Breton looked at the stacked bricks and then begun to climb. At the top, he could see the defenders who had fallen.
,,I wonder why they haven't stormed over the place yet. This close to the wall, the archers can't shoot at them." He thought to himself.

At the top, an unwelcome surprise awaited him. One moment, he was looking at the cloudcovered sky. The other, he was blinded by a red flash.
,,Aah!" Flint screamed as he tumbled backwards. Somehow, he managed to fire off a telekinetic blast on pure instinct that smashed the top off the improvised wall he'd been climbing. The old man groaned when he came to a halt at the bottom. He didn't feel well. His forehead was throbbing, his right hand felt as if it was on fire and his knees weren't doing much better either. And he still couldn't see. Something was running into his eyes, something warm and liquid.

He heard a hiss. He then heard the thunderclap of air moving to fill an irregular vacuum.
,,What was that?!" Flint thought. He had been unable to see the snakeman that had first attacked him at the top of the wall, then slithered after him as he fell, finally to be teleported away by Aleatoire. Or at least, partially. What was left wasn't in any condition to do anything. Flint heard a crack.
,,And what was that?" He mumbled and used his left hand to wipe the liquid out of his face. The pain had now almost ceased as he'd become numb to it. Now he could finally see again and he looked at the hand he'd used to wipe with. It was covered in blood.
,,Oh, crap."

He looked at his other hand. The mashed piece of flesh didn't look like it could be saved. Somehow, it looked a lot worse than it felt.
,,Ugh. I'm never ever going to climb a wall again during wartime." The Breton muttered as he staggered to his feet. The archers up on the wall were too busy holding back the enemy to notice what had happened. Flint wiped the blood from his face again.
,,Ok, legs hurt, but still functional. Right hand, not recognizable as a hand anymore. Head, big bump on the back, gash at the front. Glass got split like paper. Ugh...swordslash? Oh, this is not good." He thought.

He looked around him. There was something off to his right, with what looked like a formless lump of golden scales in the center. The end result of the Aleatoire's victim. Just beyond it, there were the fallen defenders, some of which had rolled down after he'd fired that telekinetic blast. One form he felt he recognized.
,,Green-Root....Damn...Damn you. You just had to do a heroic sacrifice, didn't you? Damn you. I hope you enjoyed your moment of glory." He spat. Another snakeman reached the top of the breach. Flint struck it down with a telekinetic needle without giving it any further thought. He then turned and began to move to the assembly point, leaning on the walls of the buildings he passed. He was beginning to feel lightheaded.
,,Not a good sign. The wall won't hold much longer once those snakes get enough people across to flank the archers. I should warn some melee-fighters." He knew. He felt oddly unconcerned, however.

Flogir

Flogir nodded at his companion's words. "I'll try to hold off the retreat as long as possible. I do suggest you find whatever you need with the utmost haste though. Once you return, the retreat will start full swing. Good luck," Flogir finished, clasping a hand on the Altmer's shoulder.

Dan

After posing his question to Rann, Dan received the kind of answer he wanted. Dan smiled at hearing that the leaders of the current defence force were a former minor officer, a petty murderer and whatnot. The fact that he himself had been giving advice to the leaders of the defence showed just in what situation they were in since, in his younger days, Dan never gave his oppinion to those leading him yet always requested of them his purse of drakes as payment.

At least we're in good hands.

"Still, I heard talk of others which seemed close to you. Your sister and father if I'm not mistaken. Should we not join them?" Dan asked in a nonchalant way, not knowing of the conflict between Satyana and Rann.

Flint Ironwood.

Flint's vision was beginning to fail him.
,,Ok...not good, not good." He thought when his legs failed him as well. He managed to crawl a bit further but in the end, he passed out.

A pair of retreating soldiers unceremoniously picked him from the street and carried him away to the improvised healer's camp.


Sinyaramen Fenasim, Cloud Ruler.

Sin jumped up from his stool and held on to the desk for support.
,,Haha! I got it! I am a genius, a genius!" He shouted. Moving frantically, he began to pile all of the books he wanted to 'borrow' from the library. Once he'd made a good pile on an empty part of the floor. He grabbed his cane and walked to one side. Once there, he froze.
,,I will get these books, one way or another. Yes, an hour or two should do it. Now, let's begin."


in the Barracks, one of the Blade battlemages looked up from his enchanted axe he had been cleaning.
,,Damn it. Drained, just when I need it. Hey, Jeric! Go and take a look at that old guy in the library! See if he isn't doing his tricks again!"

Rann

"That's my mother and father walking ahead," he answered, "And we left my sister Amrita back there."

He made no mention of Satyana, preferring not to delve into details regarding his family problems at the time.

Altair

Altair left Flogir to his duties and immediately started on his own.

Voltar, he called through the amulet, Meet me at the palace entrance as soon as possible. We have work to do.

He reached the palace a few minutes later and sat on the steps, waiting patiently for his assistant.

Voltar

Voltar had been among those retreating to the next sector when Veric's message reached him. He calmly replied that he'd be there shortly and made his way to the palace entrance. Once he got there he found "Altair" waiting for him.

"What are we doing here?" Voltar inquired.


Amrita

After Flogir left, Amrita set off to the battlements where the archers were attacking. Once there, she instructed all but the few necessary archers to the northern district, leaving herself with about 50 archers to slow down the advancing horde. She also notified them that she was temporarily in command of them. By witnessing her archery prowess, none complained about the change.

"We only need to buy enough time for the retreat to succeed, fellas," she said calmly as she hurled a fireball into the enemy ranks.

The archers around her grimly nodded as they carefully launched another volley.

Altair

"Nothing," Altair replied, motioning for Voltar to follow him inside. There was not a soul present in the palace, seeing as every spare person was needed holding the wall or aiding in the retreat.

They walked a short distance through the darkness before Altair finally stopped.

"We're going back home," he said, obviously referring to his extra-dimensional pocket where he often stayed, "There is a tome in my possession that describes a spell that we could use against the Silhouette. We need to modify it to our own purposes."

Imperial Prison

One of Dunmer spearmen guarding the bridge to the Imperial Prison thought he heard a metallic thud nearby. It was difficult to tell over the noise of the crowds shouting and running down the staircase to the shore.

"Did you hear something fall?" He asked one of his comrades.
"Yeah, sounded like someone's tried to smash one of the gates open with a hammer." They both glanced back through the prison gates. "You want to check? It doesn't look like the Akaviri have taken notice of us yet."

Silently, they pushed the gates open and marched in, hands on their spears. The sun was getting low on the horizon, lengthening shadows and gradually turning the sky into a sea of blood. They slowly ascended the ramps, forming a two-man phalanx.
One of the gates leading to the other half of the complex swung slightly in the wind, hinges creaking. The two spearmen abandoned their phalanx, and continued on. As they passed beneath the archway, a sphere glinted in the shadows above...... a reptilian eye scrutinized them for a moment.

Brianna

She nodded too tired to even talk.

Focus, focus, this will be over soon

Repetedly she returned for more injured, there was no end to the amount of dead and heavily injured men scattered around. It was a picture of hell as it must look like. Suddenly she fell to her knees, swaying from side to side...

"I...I think I´ll have to start healing..." she mumbled before she passed out...

Silhouette.

The Silhouette looked at the archers that held back his forces. He was taking losses, acceptable losses, but nevertheless losses he could avoid. He thought about his options and made a decision.
,,Call back the assault, let them reform just beyond the archer's range. I'll go up personally and remind them why they should fear." He called to an Akaviri messenger who blowed the retreat signal.

As one, the wave of Akaviri rolled back, slittering around arrows, rarely getting hit. Another signal, and the wave stopped, aimed at the wall but not moving.

The Silhouette's mount moved forward, splitting the wave as it went, forming a path. With a casual flick of his hand, the cloaked being hurled an abandoned wagon at the archers on the breach. He then focussed his eyes on who appeared to be their commander. A woman, barely an adult.
,,I wonder what makes those so much more experienced than you, accept you as their leader. Is it charisma, or is it some hidden strength? Would you care to show me?"



OOC: Yeah, he's coming for Amrita. Nothing decisively, let's just play around for a bit.

Rann

Rann had barely finished his comment to Dan before he saw his mother collapse and fall on the cobblestone street. He barely knew her, but he still felt the need to help where he could.

Breaking into a run, he caught up to them within a few seconds. Rahvin had already put down the soldier he had been carrying and was kneeling over Brianna, gently trying to wake her.

"She okay?" he asked his father.

"I think so," Rahvin answered, "You and your friend here carry these two soldiers to the rafts; I'll get your mother."

Rahvin carried Brianna in his arms while Rann scooped up one of the soldiers.

"Coming, Dan?"

OCC: The Plys'Iea sent a messenger to the Sil with Intel on the evacuation, it can arrive later on thought, and it's approaching sunset...... Where's Rann (the giant otherwordly-lizard slayer) anyway?

Plys'Iea

At first it looked like a simple, albiet deadly, accident. An avalanche of misc. junk suddenly began falling onto the path the civilians and soldiers were using to evacuate. A barrel smashed upon the back of a priest as he was encouraging the scared civilians with speechs of deliverance and he was abruptly silenced.

Many people took accidental steps off the path and tumbled violently down the steep incline. Most of the rubble that struck crippled those unfortunate enough to be hit. As the already traumatized civilians flew into a panic and made disorganized scrambles for the waterfront, one of the soldiers looked up and spotted a large shape plummet down from above.

The hunter absorbed the fall in his knees, the stench of fear and blood filled the air. He turned to face those coming down the path toward him, and by extension, the shore. The nearest people to him were soldiers, guards in chainmail to be specific.
Behind them were dozens upon dozens of civilians. The masses still at the bridge and further on didn't understand why there was a hold-up and pushed against those before them. He stared into the eyes of the guards and civilians with his cold, alien eyes.

Many people yelled for those behind them to stop shoving and warn them of the obstacle standing in their way. If anyone heard or cared, the warrior would never know. Unmoved by their fear and despearate plight, he leveled his staff, head first, at the guards in front.
Shields were raised to blunt the blows, but harm was not the point, for the hunter, it was a simple matter to shove the lighter men and mer off the narrow path. Swords were useful weapons, but the greater reach his arm and staff afforded was more than a match for the longswords the soldiers wielded.

The soldiers posed an annoyance, but now that they were out of the way the civilians had nothing to hide behind.......

Vasha's Narza'Tai pack.


The meeting had to be cut short as rumours of an evacuation came. Vasha felt relieved, strangely enough, even though her proposal was all but forgotten. The task she'd suggested felt too close to that of the old Brotherhood, and it plagued her thoughts that she'd so easily dismissed the Narza'Tai's true purpose for a short-term gain.

Now, she and her group stalked the rooftops along the path of the evacuees, hiding behind chimneys. When the giant Argonian warrior came, she barely blinked. By now, she was beginning to see a pattern. This one would appear wherever it could do the most damage to the morale of the army. It always acted on its own, but the Breton also admit that any support would more likely hinder it. No matter.
,,Remain at a distance, try to get a shot in with the crossbows. Be accurate, don't reveal your location. Relocate immediately after firing, do not wait for your bolt to hit. That armour must have a weakpoint, somewhere. Try to find it. Kalsh, hand over....." Vasha looked at her group. Then her expressione grew fierce.
,,Where is Kalsh?"



Kalsh, at the breach! (big surprise, not)


Kalsh looked down on the corpse lying amids the pile of other corpses. Even she could barely recognize the Argonian, trampled and cut as he'd been. She had barely any eye for the Akaviri army waiting just beyond the range of her crossbow, nor had she any eye for the sole being that approached, sitting astride a giant cat. She only had eyes for Green-Root.
,,I must leave soon. Farewell....we'll fight the snakes for you now." She hissed solemnly and uncorked a vial whose contents she sprinkled liberally over the dead Argonian's body. She bent down and picked up the silver spear. She turned to leave, flicking a minor fireball over her shoulder. The fireball instantly grew into an inferno, fed by the flammable liquid she'd spread.
,,Farewell."



(Heartbreaking? I dunno, I don't like writing farewells for my characters.)

Amrita

Amrita grinned as the Akaviri retreat was sounded. The archers upon the battlement whooped with joy. The celebration was shortlived though as Amrita noticed that the enemy army was reforming just out of bow range.

Suddenly a column opened up and the atrocity that was the Silhouette was calmly making its way towards them. Many of the archers paled at the sight of the huge enemy leader but Amrita hid her anxiety and glared at the Silhouette.

"Stay on guard everyone, expect the unexpected. We might need to get the hell out of here really quickly," she told the archers as she studied the enemy commander, waiting to see what it would do.

OCC: It really depends on whether you want that to be case, we never delved deep into how Root got along with the 'Tai.

Plys'Iea

Most of the crowd was human, with some elves here and there. The hunter disliked the races of men and mer more than the other species of Nirm.

They were too similar to the Naryyn, a loathsome species that had been the greatest enemy of the Plys'Iea.
The last war with them, the very one he'd fought here on this world, had ended in defeat for his people.
In a way this was nineteen years of bitter hatred and anger being vented.

Generally the civilians he'd encountered were to panic-stricken and defenseless to put up any form of struggle. So when he swatted aside the last row of pitiful creatures it came as any immense surprise that something might put up any effective resistance.

No sooner did the row before them perish then three mages unleashed a combination of spells and curses.
Two curses simply didn't take affect, but the concussive force of a fireball gave pause to his murderous rampage. The hunter planted his right foot to stop himself and snarled at the mages.

Brianna

She slowly regained consciousness while resting in Rahvin´s arms, faintly aware of a somewhat familiar person...

Is it Rann? My Rann?

"Ahhh, she whispered silently, Rannie is that you?...Rahvin I..I think I´m ok now...I have work to do"

Then she faded away again...

Nooooo....I have to...have to help these men...ahhhh



OOC: Gah I have no idea where Satyana is just now, can someone tell me?

Silhouette

The warcat stopped. By now, the Silhouette was within reach of the archers, having stopped merely a stonesthrow from the wall. Yet not a single arrow had been fired yet.

The cloaked being drew a pair of curved scimitars as it stood tall on his mount's back.
,,Now, let's see who you are." It thought. A curse flew out to the archers without warning. While potent, it was merely a distraction. The Silhouette itself had leaped up, landing on the ramparts. It made no furhter hostile moves, merely standing there, to observe the reaction of the Tamriellans.

Dan

Before Rann could finish his reply he dashed off to a woman who had fallen on the ground because of exhaustion, his mother apparently. Nearby was Rann's father as well. Dan didn't exactly like family affairs, since he had lost his own family a long time ago. Seeing others spending time with their own families made Dan think about what could have happened if he wouldn't have left his village at an early age, and if he would have spent more time with his own family.

You'd have died with them, that's what would have happened. Time to help in a matter of actual importance now. The past is the past and it's best you don't remind yourself too often about it, old man.

With that, Dan scooped a wounded soldier on his shoulder and started following Rann.

Amrita

"Duck!" Amrita shouted instinctively as the curse was hurled in their direction. When she rose, she stood face to face with the leader of the enemy army. The being was massive!

For a moment, Amrita's confidence wavered but quickly her dark smirk crossed her face once more as she held her ground. She noticed the archers were backing away slowly.

Good, hopefully they won't get hurt, she thought.

OCC: Seeing as Vasha seems a little pre-occupied I'll assume the attack hasn't started yet. Rann and Dan (didn't realize that rhymed until now) will be running into a traffic jam pretty soon, nobody's getting anywhere......

Plys'Iea

The mages began hurling fireballs and clouds of ice after witnessing the ineffectiveness of curses. While the armored plating of his armor was very affective at deflecting directed energy and tolerant of temperature extremes, the hunter protected his unarmored head by using his bracers as shields.

From his limited understanding of Nirm's magicka, mages did not possess infinite reserves. Forging a helmet will the the next thing I do when this battle is over.... Suddenly, the warrior slid his his grip down on the staff and threw it at the three clustered mages.
One of the mages got halfway through a shield spell before the flail smashed into her ribs. The other two were distracted enough to foolishly take their attention away from the Plys'Iea for a moment. Before the people behind them could warn them, the hunter was upon them.

Ian

After setting a crate of foodstuffs down on the raft the vampire paused. The air carried the scent of freshly spilled blood. The fighting's too distant for the wind to carry it here. Then a slight sound came with the wind, the echo of a familiar shriek!

Ian froze, Rann had claimed to kill the champion of the Akaviri. "Apparently he wasn't thorough enough," Kirana commented.
"Satyana, Issac, you two stay here!" He ordered to them as he disentangled himself from the large, but not increasing, mob of soldiers, assassins, and civilians.

Savirien, behind the Silhouette with the mass of the Akaviri forces

After his commander had given the order, Savirien had signalled his troops to fall back out of the reach of the enemy projectiles. His superior found it perfectly suitable to loose many good warriors just to test the enemy but Savirien did not agree with his views. If he was the one in command, he would have tried to win the city without even fighting since it was always to Savirien's liking rather to keep something intact than to destroy it, even if it belonged to the enemy.

After the troops had fallen back, the Silhouette rose to confront the defence force himself. His visage was so grim that many soldiers from the ranks of the Tamrielics couldn't even bear the sight of him. Soon enough, the walls seemed almost empty, except for a few stout men and one odd woman who still faced the Silhouette. Even when his superior had unsheathed his dreaded scimitars, the Tamrielic woman still did not move.

She knows not her folly, that is plain. Regardless, she has shown good fighting spirit thus far, standing up to him. If I were the one facing her, she would have obtained the honour of having a clean death by now. Knowing him however, he will surely toy with her for his own pleasure before sealing her fate. Hopefully it will not last long for I do not wish the warriors to get roused seeing their leader in all his bloodthirsty glory.

Silhouette.

The woman found the courage to smirk. The Silhouette was amused by her defiant spirit.
,,Let's begin." He hissed in the Akaviri tonue and swun one of the scimitars in a horizontal arc, following up quickly with a vertical slice from the other.



Vasha, somewhere near the Plys'Iea.

Vasha swore silently.
,,I'll have a word with her next time we meet.The oil would have come in handy." She whispered. She saw the monster engage a few mages.
,,Or perhaps not. Whatever's the case, we can't afford to waste time. Take up positions." She ordered. The Narza'Tai scurried away, trying to remain hidden as they moved across the roofs.

Minutes later, their Breton leader had confirmed that the Plys'Iea was now covered by half a dozen crossbows. not a single bolt was without poison and not a single bolt held the same poison as another. Vasha aimed her own, aiming for its neck. She nodded and pressed the trigger. Six more bolts joined her own in flight, converging on the mysterious warrior.

Vasha didn't wait to observe the result of the first barrage. She abandoned her position and fled to the next, following a route she'd memorized.

Satyana

"Ok" she nodded to Ian, used to listen to elder people she did not question his orders. She took Issac's hand and just squeezed it...out of fear and seeking for comfort

OCC: I'll have the messenger arrive now.

Akaviri Messenger

A single snakeman slithered through the gates of the Temple District; minutes later he came within earshot of the struggle between the Silhoutte and the elven woman. At first he watched them, but then reminded himself of the news he was meant to bring.

Rather than interupt the dual, he approached Savirien, an experienced warrior and the next person in the chain of command. "My lord," The messenger hissed, bowing his head slightly. "The Tamrielics intend to escape across the lake to the north. Their refugees and troops have been stopped temporarily by the Plys'Iea warrior."

"He advises we move quickly to cut off the enemy retreat before they can move this to the open countryside and we lose our advantage with them pinned down in this place." He blinked and eyed the distant archers still present. "These soldiers are only here to keep us from setting upon the fleeing forces."

Plys'Iea

As it was, fast moving projectiles like bolts were difficult to detect in time to dodge. The hunter bite down savagely on the last mage's throat, the other having his rib cage cave in. Suddenly, a sharp projectile glanced by his neck.
He felt multiple objects ping off his plate mail, hastily he let go of the mage's throat, the man was too traumatized to pose and further threat. Warily, he lowered one gauntlet to shield his head from the direction of the city.

His neck began to feel numb as he reached to feel the minor wound. A chilly sensation spread along his snake-like neck. The hunter snarled, tensing the muscles in his neck. Before the next volley, he threw himself over the side of the slope.
Rolling down the side, the alien slammed against the ground and used his momentum to spring to his feet. Fortunately, he landed close to his staff, and at an uncomfortable angle for snipers, bowman in this case. The end of the path also turned out to be in the opposite direction from the flotilla.

Amrita

Amrita leaped back from the two strikes. In response to the attack, she fired off both of her crossbows at point blank range.

"Go to the next district!" she shouted back to the stunned archers, who were more than happy to oblige.

She waited to see the Silhouette's next move.

Silhouette

,,Next district? That leaves you as the only defense of this one." The crossbows didn't frighten him. More for his own amusement than anything else, he deflected them with his scimitars. Even if he'd allowed the woman to hit him, he would not be injured.
,,I'll take care of this one. All troops, move on!" He roared. To those unfamiliar with the Akaviri tongue, it would seem to be a mere taunt rather than an order to a waiting army.


OOC: The Sil is the biggest bad after Veric. So the more uber I make him here, the more uber Veric will be. Oh, and I just think that point-blank deflection is badass.


Vasha

Vasha crouched behind a chimney and peered back at where she'd last seen the lizard. He was no longer there. She let her eyes fly and finally noticed the top of its head from behind the slope. It didn't appear to be injured. She slammed in another bolt and pulled back the string as fast as she could, which was still rather slow. While small and lightweight, the crossbows were incredibly potent. That was the main reason she'd chosen them. A bolt fired from hers could penetrate armour at a reasonable distance. Unfortunately, it also made loading a pain, as she found out now.

Savirien, with the messenger

OOC: Hm, the appearance of that messenger was pretty random, at least for me.

As Savirien stood and watched the duel between his leader and an enemy officer, a messenger came from the Hunter, as Savirien liked to call their freelance warrior. He only respected the Silhouette and acted much like a mercenary with the other Akaviri warriors, including Savirien himself. Still, the beast had considerable speed and strength which gave him great advantages, even when outnumbered by his foes.

From what he understood from the messenger, it seemed that the Tamrielics were preparing to abandon the city. From his own point of view this would have been excellent, since the city would have been in their hands but he didn't exactly know what the Silhouette wanted. After a few moments of thought, Savirien calmly responded.

"Send a host of troops around the Western edge of the lake but tell them to make sure to keep to the eaves of the forest so as not to be seen by the Tamrielics. Keep these movements discrete for we must not allert the Tamrielics. Other than that, prepare the rest of the troops to storm the city after our master is finished with his opponent. We must not let the Tamrielics suspect that we know of their retreat, thus we must maintain the facade' of trying to conquer with all our forces. Now, go!" Savirien said to the messenger, sometimes shifting his serpent gaze to the Silhouette to see how he was faring with his opponent.

The city will be ours soon enough, with or without the Tamrielics retreating. Hopefully, our troops will also cut off the retreat of the Tamrielics fleeing over the lake and hold them in place long enough so the bulk of our forces can also properly pursue them.

Amrita

Amrita was a bit surprised to see the Silhouette effortlessly deflect both bolts. After the robed figured shouted, Amrita could hear the dull thunder of the army approaching.

I think I've had my fun, she thought.

Once again she unleashed her blinding light spell, hoping to at least stun the Silhouette in order to get back to the defenses with ease. She jumped off the wall right after issuing the spell and merged with the shadows that greeted her.

OOC: If the Silhouette wishes to retaliate, a detect creature spell with still show Amrita while she's merged with the shadows.

Silhouette.

The Silhouette was momentarily surprised by the light spell. For all it was worth, he'd expected something more....offensive. When she vanished, he was even more disapointed.
,,Go on, run all you can. You're not worth my time. I'm sure a katana will find you later." He thought as he calmly turned to look over the army. He saw a piece of the army split off and slink away into the forests.
,,Savirien, up to some of his old tricks. I'll watch and see what he's got up his sleeves this time."

Rahvin

When Brianna blacked out again, Rahvin lifted her from the ground and carried her towards the rafts. Rann and Dan were still in sight, but they were still a good distance ahead.

It won't be long before you can finally rest, dear.

Rann

Rann arrived at the scene of the retreat to find that all proceedings had come to a complete halt. He carefully put the soldier he was carrying with the other wounded before walking around with Dan to investigate.

OOC: Mallet, don't forget to reply to Altair (last post with him was on page 1 of this playground)

And Griff, I dragged Dan along with Rann, but if that's not what you want I can edit.

OCC: Satyana and Issac are across the bridge, down the spiral path, around the mesa, and a brief jog away, Rann would be able to look down over the edge and see the Plys'Iea.

Ian

The people who trained agent how to fight drilled one rule above all into their trainees: Always have some idea what you're fighting before you confront it. Ian, and Kirana for that matter, forgot that one rule when it was most valuable.

The Plys'Iea was staring at the city above, seemingly distracted and completely unaware of the vampire's approach. Ian slipped in from behind, rendered invisible by the enchantment of his cloak, already bracing himself for jumping up onto the alien's shoulders and stabbing him through the back of its neck.
Suddenly, the alien lashed out with a backward thrust of his staff. The vampire recoiled, turning the otherwise major blow into a glancing strike. It struck his chest, tearing through the leather and cloth, but bouncing off the glass.

Ian became fully visible as he stumbled back and reached a hand to his left chest. "The glass blunted the bow, it might have cracked a rib." Kirana cautioned, "Be careful, That was an off-balance attack, I don't think your armor will save us from a full strike."
The Plys'Iea rounded on him, growling. Ian realized just what he'd walked into without thinking. His wrist blades were lethal to most foes, but against the nine-and-a-half foot staff and heavy plate armor, they were nothing more than metal slivers.

He breathed and the pain in his chest lessened as a minor healing spell took affect. The vampire raised his blades in a fighting position, now that the reality set in killing or severely injuring the Plys'Iea was out of the question, but maybe the civilians could make a run for it if he distracted it for long enough.

Mannimarco's Soul, Oblivion

...whispers.....agony.....nothing....

The river was apparent. It was just within his reach. He could see all the souls of the snakemen floating down and coming to rest at the pinnacle of torment. Agony was every millisecond here, every thought evoked enough pain to tear open his soul, only to have it reformed by cackling dremora. He was chained by a magic he knew nothing about, but he quickly dismissed the notion of escape. The dremora could see every ounce of Mannimarco's soul, every synapse firing, every thought coming into being. Total defeat loomed overhead, and a dread feeling expanded in Mannimarco's inner mind. The Lord of Pain was approaching. The dremora given rights to this particular part of Oblivion, and apparently the second in command to Lord Dagon. Mannimarco felt himself fade, felt his soul loose its ethereal glimmer, felt diminished. That was the worst torment they could inflict on the soul, bringing it close to annihilation. As long as magic flourished, souls could not be destroyed, however, they could become broken down into magic itself, a dark idiom taught to Mannimarco by the Sload people. Mannimarco stopped thinking and awaited the Lord of Pain.

All Mannimarco could focus on was the river of magic streaming into oblivion, providing transport to those deemed worthy of Oblivion's agonies. What confused Mannimarco was the small breaks in the stream, small holes in the bluish tint above oblivion's tortured sky. Mannimarco realized these were the vampires and other immortals that are no longer ravaged by time. Mannimarco lost focus again and dimmed.

When he refocused, and brightened, a strange sight approached him. Orgnum of Pyandonea approached him. Mannimarco had heard rumors of this ancient king of the Maormi, but Mannimarco quickly dismissed all thought, preparing for an attack from the Lord of Pain. "Necromancer," Orgnum whispered. "Nercomancer." The voice rippled across Mannimarco's soul, sending ripples throughout his spirit. The voice was every conceivable pitch, and Mannimarco lost focus many times before mustering enough will to stand against this foreigner.

"Necromancer" Orgnum crooned, "I have been trapped here since the 110 tenth year of the Summerset's Third Era. I cannot leave, for i was so utterly destroyed that my soul cannot accept another physical form. I was given free roam among Oblivion, for Lord Dagon found my situation amusing. I can set you free from these bonds, however, you must find your own way out." Orgnum had no conceivable features, but Mannimarco knew, somehow, he knew.

"Mannimarco," Orgnum said. "You are now free from these Eternal Bonds. Take this wisdom of my Maormi and send souls for me to torment." Mannimarco felt all his ancient memories and deeds return to him, as well as the memories of Orgnum and the exotic country of Pyandonea. The last memory shocked Mannimarco. An Akaviri Dragon descending from the stormclouds hovering over a fleet of ships. Psijic casters appeared on the shore, and then the memories ended.

Mannimarco saw the dremora approaching and Orgnum turned them away with his unique voice. Mannimarco remebered from before how to access the stream of magic, and the pull of Oblivion seemed to lessen. As he ascended through the broken sky, a small tug made him turn. The face of Lord Dagon appeared level with Mannimarco's own. Mannimarco made no sound, and did not move, he lost all thought of who he was or what he did; the only thing in his mind was the hideous face of Lord Dagon.

A voice that shook like thunder said, "You may leave Necromancer, but take this gift from me." Lord Dagon's small fingernail etched a rune onto Mannimarco's forehead. "Each soul you send here will bring you great joy, but if you are somehow killed, you will be annihilated. Even the Aedra could not save you." And with that Mannimarco was cast into the river of Magic, coursing through the river in utter darkness. Mannimarco found the small cave where he grew as a boy in the first Era, and dove into Mundus. Instantly he felt the tug on his forehead, a constant nagging to remind him where he was bound. A small whisper he couldn't make out continued in his mind. Mannimarco searched the long grassy fields outside the cave for a sentient life form, and to his surprise, he found three.

Mannimarco's soul only need to be stronger than the subdued to control the body, then he could rid the body of the previous owners' soul and restore himself. The three were small dunmer, and through magical manipulation Mannimarco overheard their conversation as they sat around a small campfire. He made out their names and where they were from.

Synasus, the father, and his two sons, Logothos and Etholos. Mannimarco shone with magical energy, as he realized who these people where and exactly what it meant to the Necromancer. He subdued the father and controlled him. The King of Worms has returned.

Near the campfire

A small child was picking apples when she squeezed one and it exploded, worms wriggling everywhere and throughout. She said, "Rotten apple," and tossed it aside. Then she realized the whole orchard's apples were turning brown. The little girl ran inside her little cottage and sought the comfort of her mother. The mother looked at her orchard, and then screamed aloud. She knew this omen, her husband had been assigned to a Battalion of soldiers sent to fight a man with "Lordship over worms" or something like that. She fell to her knees and cried with her daughter.

Voltar

Voltar's curiosity was piqued. "What are we intending to do with this spell? So far, the creature had yet to be truly harmed via magical means," he paused, "Of course, no one with significant intelligence has yet to use one upon that creature...".

Dan, with Ran

Dan hurried along his comrade though his leg was slowing him down. He had abandoned his crutch some time ago since the bones started to mend but he still had the gait of a wounded man. Still, it would not hamper his skill with the sword for which he needed his arms.

By Rann's pace it was clear that he was worried about the refugees and his family. Dan thought it possible that Rann was simply leading him so they could be slaughtered by the beast just to give the refugees enough time to escape. Still, at this moment it did not really matter to Dan whether he lived or died since, in his opinion, he had no more great deeds available to him or any methods to gain fame. Except dying in a hopeless battle against a much superior foe of course, but Dan didn't really see that option as a way to gain fame since that fame would only be awarded to him posthumously.

"You go on ahead Rann, I will catch up and help with my blade if the situation demands it." Dan shouted wearily as he felt more and more exhausted. If he would really have to use his sword he wouldn't be of much use since he was quite tired by all the running.

Soon enough he slowed down to a regular walking pace, gasping hard for air.

"What is it Balmung? Do you not wish to taste blood on your edge. Come! I smell death in the air, and a familiar beast which has been all too fortunate thus far. Let us end his good fortune and send him back to the netherworld!" Dan said, almost shouting, as a way to bolster his dwindling strength and morale. Many people found Dan odd for talking to his sword and some even made fun of him because of it, but they were all silenced when they saw Dan's skill with the long sword.

Savirien, nearing the Silhouette

As soon as he saw that his commander was finished with his opponent, who had run without any honour whatsoever, Savirien's opinion of the Tamrielics was instantly lowered. He did not view those who chose to flee from battle well. He actually despised those who fled from battle in a wanton fashion calling them cowards. When the situation called for an orderly retreat Savirien had no qualms against it yet when he saw his own troops fleeing in a cowardly manner without orders he really got enraged.

Still, the current moment called for a mass attack on the now deserted walls of the Imperial City. While the Silhouette stood on the walls and watched his forces mobilize in preparation to storm the city, Savirien drew his katana and slithered his way to the front ranks.

"Advance my brethren!" Savirien shouted in the language of the Tsaesci. His shout was so loud that the troops also heard a slight echo, giving the impression that another host of Akaviri warriors awaited their brothers on the other side of the city.

As soon as the order was given, the Akaviri host all started advancing in an orderly manner, as one single body. Soon enough the pace was hastened on Savirien's orders so as to reach the walls before a Tamrielic counter attack. When his troops finally reached the breach, he linked up with his leader.

"My lord" Savirien hissed with a deep bow, almost reaching the ground with his long serpent snout. "Your troops are here to command. They will kill at your orders and they will die at your orders. Speak your will."

Savirien put a particularly annoying accent on the word die showing his dislike for the Silhouette's methods of sacrificing his troops rather pointlessly at times. He also sheathed his blade as he presented himself to his master.

Silhouette.

The Silhouette waited till Savirien had reached him with the request for further orders. He noticed the hidden disaproval in the Tsaeci noble's voice, but he did not react to it. It didn't matter, as long as his troops would perform efficiently.
,,What is the current situation? I assume that you have kept track of it?" He merely replied.

Mannimarco

Being animated felt different than existing as a soul. Mannimarco was wrestling with the father's soul for control of the body, and the father was remarkably strong, or maybe Mannimarco was becoming weak. No visible effects showed on the father while the owner of his shell fought with a foreign entity. The father managed to say, "Boys, can you find me some water?" Before closing his eyes and laying down. The two boys, Etholos and Logothos got up and raced back to a small crick they had seen while on their outing with their father.

When the boys arrived at the crick, they smelled rotten fruit and heard sobbing sounds in the distance. They ran to the crest of a nearby hill, and saw a whole orchard devastated by blight. The boys were taken aback, because in the middle there was a Bosmeri woman weeping on the grass, a small girl by her side.

Mannimarco was nearing control of the soul. If he could access the bodies's magic, he could win the struggle. As soon as the magic was within reach, Mannimarco set up a complex binding spell matrix to seal the soul inside the shell, a prisoner inside its own body. But before the spell was cast, the father's soul dispersed the magic field and Mannimarco was spiritually assaulted again. Mannimarco was running out of ideas, and the father's soul was complex and had a deep understanding of magic.

The boys ran to the woman, but before they got there, the woman pulled out a small dagger and cut her finger open. There was a crazed look in her eye, and the woman tightened her grip on the dagger. The boys prepared spells their father had taught them, spells to stun animals if they got too close. They fired on the woman without a second thought and ran to retrieve the little girl from the crazy woman. The spells struck the woman and she fell over onto her back, unconscious. The boys took the little girl with them and ran back to the campsite.

Mannimarco was going to get expelled for the first time in his whole existence. He had nothing left, everything he tried was dispersed or resisted, and the father's soul was gaining strength. Visible signs of effort were apparent on the physical shell's face, as it would appear to have a stomach problem. Mannimarco mounted his final assault. He made the father's soul aware of the existence of Patholos, and the father's soul shattered into a smaller weaker form. Mannimarco pounced and absorbed all the small shards that once was the resolute father's soul. Mannimarco now had control. He absorbed the control of the body and set a spell up for the boys and the little girl approaching over the crest of the hill behind him. Balling up magic in his hand, he formed a spell learned from Orgnum of Pyandonea. It was a stasis spell that put the victim in a small plane of oblivion in stasis, like an extra dimensional prison. Mannimarco smiled as the father's previous flesh peeled off to reveal the owner's self image. With a simple flick the spell was cast, and now Mannimarco could find that undead vampire that caused him so much pain......

OOC: Planning on taking him to SLOAD ruins to regain former strength and reform Staff of Worms, then goes after vampire.

OOC: Hope you don't mind me giving a few details about the Sil Jack. It's not something special, just things to make him more palpable.

Savirien, with the Silhouette

"Yes, to the best of my abilities. The Tamrielics are preparing a ruse, a plan to trick us and evade capture or death. While a host of their warriors still defends the city, the rest of their forces and the majority of the civilians and refugees will try to flee the city by using the lake surrounding it. They will use a make-shift fleet of rafts my lord. I have already been informed of their intentions and have dispatched a company of our finest to scout out the forests to the north, north-west and north-east of the lake and prepare an ambush." Savirien said as he prolonged any words which contained the letter s and lashing out his forked tongue. "As they set out I ordered the rest of our forces to behave as normal so as not to alarm the enemy. As I like to say, strike where you are not expected."

After he gave his report he looked intently at his master to see what his wishes were. Despite all his faults the Silhouette knew how to motivate and rally his troops. Whenever he appeared on the battlefield his troops fought much better but not because of any love they had for the Silhouette. His appearance instilled great fear in both the enemy and his own troops, which fought much harder because of their dreaded master.

A side effect of the fear instilled in all by the Silhouette was that, when he fought, he carved a path among his enemies both by skill of arms and by use of the fear and dread he caused in enemy troops. His skill at arms was also supreme among the Akaviri. Savirien could not hope to defeat him even in his prime, let alone at his current age. Still, Savirien held the belief that the Silhouette wasn't all powerful. As far as he was concerned, his master was flesh and bone like any other mortal creature. In truth, none really had any real knowledge about the Silhouette, none except the Silhouette himself.

Issac, Flotilla

He returned the squeeze and rested a hand on Satyana's shoulder gently. "Don't worry, the Akaviri don't know what we're doing." Issac said reassuringly, many of the Narza'Tai stood motionlessly as torch-weilding sentinels while the soldiers passed supplies and helped civilians got onto the rafts.

"We'll make it, and the others have the same chances we do." He smiled slightly in the torch light, as the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon.

Karn, overseeing the retreat

The only illumination now was the light given off by the torches of both the Narza'Tai and some of the officer in the Morrowind and Bruman army. That was too unreliable for Karn's tastes, therefore he and many other assassins relied on night-eye to keep things organized.

The Dunmer could see that, while the civilians generally did as they were intructed, they looked at the assassins with fear. In the dark they looked too much like the Dark Brotherhood or some demonic spectres. Many civilians, men and women, made obvious effort to remain at arm's length from the Narza'Tai, no mean feat in the crowd.
Karn was glad that there were few children, most families had the sensibility to leave even before the Imperial Legion and Morrowind Army arrived. As important as children were they hindered the already chaotic retreat.

The Sensei spotted to familiar people standing together near a raft. Issac and Satyana, Karn knew Ian had to be somewhere nearby, but could not spot the vampire. After three minutes of scanning the crowd, the Dunmer gave up and noticed that the flow of newcomers had subsided.

Patholos, near the flotilla

Muttering to himself, Patholos nudged his way through the crowd, muttering apologies and the like as he continued to find Karn. Patholos had tried to meditate throughout this whole ordeal, staying away from the battle and from his Sensei, Karn. Patholos had neglected his duties as a member of the Narza'Tai, but his anger at Rann seemed to justify his abscence. Patholos had emerged to find the whole city evacuating, but to where they were going, he knew not.

Patholos looked around for the Dark Elf commander, but instead saw small rank officers leading the escape. It suddenly dawned on him, they were attempting to bluff the Silhouette to evacuate the civilians. Patholos stood still a moment, and then focused his vision through the stone wall surrounding the city. Patholos saw small rafts being loaded with people and supplies. Patholos felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach, and tried to look around the perimeter of the rafts. Patholos knew he wouldn't be alive if it weren't for his paranoia.

Patholos found Karn near some Narza'Tai members, and approached the Sensei. Patholos paused before speaking, collecting his tactical knowledge from a previous member of the dark brotherhood and his union with the darkness along with his suspicion of the Silhouette, then spoke to Karn, "Sensei, this does not bode well. You as well as I know the mobility of the rafts. If they are discovered, the blood of innocents will be spilled and it will taint this water for all time. You must realize this?" Patholos grew angered, not at Karn, but at the situation. He chose to keep his voice down however, he did not want to cause panic. "The city is no longer safe, and I realize that. What about this idea, it may take a little more time, but you may be able to get some from those valiant warriors at our backs. The plan is simple. We create ten times the rafts needed to transport the civilians off to the other shoreline. The first rafts will be empty, as well as some others sprinkled in throughout the escape. We put Narza'Tai healers on every third raft, an archer and a combat type to accompany the healer. When the Narza'Tai reach the opposing shoreline, then can form a protective crescent for the escapees. Sensei, this is beyond morality, this is beyond good and evil."

Patholos paused, noticing all the little scared faces of the children and mothers. A single red tear rolled down his cheek, then he said, "How will we be remembered Sensei? As brigands? Rogues? Bandits?"

Another single red tear, and then, "Or shall we show them that the Narza' Tai are Heroes!?"

Karn

The sensei turned to Patholos with an expression of..... sorrow? "Patholos, even if we had the time, we still don't have the resources or manpower to build that many rafts. Our healers are exhausted as it is, and we have to move our own interests."

Karn studied his second in command, watching the red tear go down his pale cheek. "If you wish to protect the civilians, I can afford to give up three assassin groups and two rafts for you to scout out the northern shore."

Silhouette.

The Silhouette turned back to face the tower that rose up at the center of the city.
,,Very well, then commence the attack as you see fit, Savirien. But do know that I desire that tower to be ours as soon as possible. I believe that its roof would be quite suitable as a scouting position."

The Silhouette, His City


The Silhouette looked over the city with indifference. Emotions were not something he liked to use and with the faintest look of admiration he leapt off the wall and landed onto a building far below. He mad no sound as he worked his way towards the flotilla. He stood on top of the wall and shouted down in his hissing voice.
"Take no prisoners, I want the heads of all Cyrodillian citizens piled in the Green Emperor Way" he said in Akaviri. "Set fire to everything!" he hissed as he sent a large fireball shooting towards a large group of panicking citizens on one of the flotilla ships.
The cries of despair from all sides seemed to encase the Silhouette in a frenzy of glee, if anything actually did touch his emotions it was the joy of hurting others. He was Akaviri immortal, he had done magic that no other could do. He had avenged Akavir's failed attempt to take over.

Karn, Flotilla

Karn's gaze flicked over Patholos' head, the fireball's light reflected off his crimson eyes.

"Get down!" He shouted, civilians and soldiers turned to look. Before Patholos could speak or turn his sensei knocked him down with a kick to the chest.

Karn threw himself down beside his XO, water splashed into his face. Three times his heart beat before a wave of heat blew past.

Flint Ironwood.

Flint flexed his hand. The healer who had seen to him had already moved on to the next patient.
,,Note to self, never ever again approach a position likely to be stormed by katanawielding snakes." He muttered. His eyes grew big and he threw himself off the raft into the water.
,,For that matter, never take a boattrip in the middle of a warzone either!" He continued and spat out a mouthfull of water.
,,Now I'm beginning to wish I was born as an Argonian!"


Sinyaramen Fenasim, Cloud Ruler (Just so we won't forget about him)

Sin laughed.
,,I am a genius!" He howled and bent down to scoop up the pile of books, none of which was any larger than a fingernail.
,,Travel-sized books. This is pure brilliance!" He said to himself. Someone cleared his throat behind him.
,,Yes, very impressive and all that but you are going to return those books to their original size and put them back on the racks where they belong, won't you?" A Blade muttered in a very bored tone. Sin sighed.
,,Yes, sir."



OOC: I just counted. In all but one post, Sin has said that he's a genius at least once. He sure loves himself.

OOC: Um, wasn't the Sil's last action a bit...random? Anyway, I'm shouldn't be one to judge. He is your character afterall and you know what's best for him. Anyway.

Savirien

Before Savirien could properly answer his commander, the Silhouette had already leaped off the wall and landed on a building nearby. He then started making his way to the North of the island where the population of the city had gathered to prepare an evacuation.

Ever the hasty one. So be it.

Savirien soon called one of the higher ranked captains to him so as to organize the host properly and take the city in as little time as possible.

"Take three quarters of the army currently inside the city and lead it towards the docks of the city where the Tamrielics are preparing to evacuate the city. Protect our lord and master and support him in whatever tasks he might choose to undertake. Once you find him, you will grant command of your forces and resume your role as captain." Savirien said. The captain seemed slightly confused.

"And what will you do with the rest of our forces, general?" the captain asked after a short while in which he thought over his response. He remembered that Savirien was a reasonable man and that he did not have a temper akin to the Silhouette's fury.

"Our master's bidding of course." Savirien said, sketching a smile with his long, narrow, snout. "I shall proceed in conquering the great tower. Now go out and see to your duty! When we see each other again we will have either conquered the city or been defeated and expelled from it."

With grim determination he then set out to gather his troops and attack the White Gold Tower of the Imperial City.

Patholos

The stunning color scheme blazing overhead startled Patholos, and with his unique vision, he could see the traces from where the spell came from. Muttering a curse under his breath for the first time he could remember, Patholos unsheathed his special dagger and released the paralysis enchantment upon the blade with a small drop of his own blood. Patholos looked at the wasted bodies of three civilians crack and sizzle in magical torment, and a small fire grew in his soul.

For the first time since he had met Karn, Patholos thought him to be cunning and decisive with few personal emotions ever involving themselves in his plan. The Sensei looked burned, and Patholos wondered what the merciless Karn would have done before the Narza'Tai, before the End of The Dark Brotherhood, before the Silhouette... war changes everyone....

Patholos ordered three standing Narza'Tai to his side and like fluid shadows they immersed themselves into a battle formation. A squad of Tactical Akaviri were on the heels of a family running for the shore. Patholos didn't have to say anything, as the four together struck the squad. There was relatively no sound heard as the snakemen dropped to the ground, and the four Narza'Tai stood victorious. Cleaning the blades ritualistically and heading for the next squad, the Narza'Tai became a masterpiece of war, each in his own personal Requiem. There was tranquility on the Narza'Tai's faces, and they were at peace with the world.

Patholos was cleaning his blade for the third time when horror struck him. His split soul, the part devoted to Sithis eternally and the Changed Patholos, began to feel whole again. This sudden change meant either of two things; he was becoming a tool of Sithis again, or he was healing and he had grown strong enough to break a pact with a deity. He was astounded when a small shadowy hand came into view with strikingly similar features to his own. An akaviri necromancer had torn his shadowy soul out of his body and incarnated it into a dead host. Patholos's heart sank as the Battle Posture of the Black Hand was taken by his shadowy self. With a grim determination, he made ready to end the wrong he put on the world.

OOC: I gave Patholos a Baptism by Fire, taking what he had done in his life with regret and getting a chance to face it, what is going to happen i wonder....

Flint Ironwood.

Wasting no further time complaining, Flint crawled back onto the raft.
,,Get the rafts clumped up together!" He shouted at the boatsman. The Imperial looked at him as if he'd gone insane.
,,Those are area effect fireballs, you moronic Breton! You want us all to get wiped out in one shot?!" He shouted back.

Flint nodded and a shimmering dome appeared over the raft they stood on.
,,And this is an area effect barrier. The closer together the rafts get, the more compact and dense I can make this thing." He said. Now the Boatsman simply nodded and began to row with grim determination. His collegues, those that hadn't panicked, realized what was going on and moved to rendezvous with Flint's raft.

,,Anyone who knows how to put up a barrier, no matter how weak, no matter how small, do it! Every little bit is another layer between us and fiery death!" The old man ordered. Absentmindedly, he bent down and picked up Aleatoire.
,,Now let's see. Any barriers in this thing?"

OCC: This is getting chaotic, I don't think Veric will have much backup other than Dalrus.....

Issac

"Satyana, come on!" Issac said as he helped her onto the nearest raft. The fireball had hit far away enough that the heat that reached them was not harmful. He glanced back at the place where the fireball struck, the grass and soil beneath it was as black as the ashlands of Vvardenfell. It extended many meters, and thankfully, had not been an explosive shot, the fire and heat simply spread upon impact.

Most of the people who'd been caught by the fire had died on the spot, the air within them igniting and searing their lungs. Everyone who wasn't dead that close enough to be harmed was so burned that their wounds didn't resemble flesh anymore.
Issac saw a shield dome materialize nearby on another raft, which manuevered to get closer to the others. The Altmer summoned the last of his waning magicka reserves to create a protective dome of his own. The Aegis would keep spells and projectiles from entering, but people could come and go freely.

He leaned against Satyana, sitting down on the raft, his eyes shut with concentration; ensuring the shield remained up was more about focus that magicka right now..... Issac clenched Satyana's hand comfortingly.

Ian

The screams of the civilians seemed distant to the vampire's ears. Everyone coming down from the Prison paid him and the Plys'Iea little heed, except for giving them a wide berth. Akaviri seemed to slither from everywhere, but they ignored the battle and pursued the civilians.

Ian's continued survival was more on his vampiric reflexes, instincts, and Kirana's support. The alien's staff whoosed at his chest once more and the vampire's movement came without conscious thought. He flowed around the hunter as he followed through with the thrust with a tackle.
"The flotilla isn't going to loiter around much longer, get going!" Ian grabbed the retreating staff and used the Plys'Iea's momentum to throw himself back in the direction of the rafts.

Amrita

When Amrita reached the walls to the next district, she found them abandoned. It appeared that the retreat was in full swing now with the direct attack made by the enemy commander. The sounds of the Akaviri horde were rising quickly and Amrita knew she had to get to the flotilla. She continued on the path until she saw Ian facing the beast she had thought killed. Anger at leaving something unfinished rather than worrying about the safety of the vampire, Amrita launched a lightning strike at the beast.


Flogir

Flogir frantically waved on the civilians as they got onto the rafts. Behind him two large squads stood as a last defense for the people before they would sail to safety as well. Flogir cursed the Silhouette for ruining his defensive plans, but it appeared that they'd still have enough time to get everyone out of here without many more losses.

The sound of the approaching army was a frightening clock, warning that the city's time was soon to end.

"By the Divines, I hope they don't find Altair," Flogir muttered. Hopefully the resourceful politician and his powerful mage retainer would find a way out of the city.

Dalrus Varus, Gold Road

The smoke could be seen for miles. It seemed to rise up out of the valley from a great furnace. Wildlife and citizens alike looked on in mesmerized panic. Eastern Cyrodiil lay all but destroyed, the reletively unscathed west awaited the outcome of the battle. Bandits of course had been raiding over the countryside of Collovia, and who could blame them? All the soldiers and guards had gone off to fight in The Imperial City. Only the walled cities of Collovia could be counted on for safety, though since the siege of The Imperial City, raids had halted. A deer stopped gazing towards the Nibinay Valley and bent by a pool to drink.

Suddenly it sprinted off as a ball of energy seemed to appear out of no where, followed by around thirty more balls of energy. They soon materialized into fairly ordinary looking people, despite their odd clothing, which consisted of forest green robes for the men, and rosy pink robes for the women. In the center stood a breath takingly attractive young woman with dark, wavy, long brown hair tied up in a hasty pony tail. She smiled at the intense looking mages surrounding her and a few of the men seemed to be dumbfounded. This was of course Dalrus, new Archmage of the reformed Guild of Mages.

"Well I am surprised, more people have come than I would have thought, it seems all of the eastern guild halls were not completely wiped out," she said in a voice that seemed to hypnotize the listeners. But that was just Dalrus's way, she seemed to have a voice that made the listener think they were alone with her. As if she was their for them and only them. This was a Dalrus who was very different from the one who had been held by vampires for a year before, she was emenating a goodness, a power that was stable. She had succeeded in gathering up the other mages, the mages who the Guild had forced exile on. The Mages who felt the guild was unfair, the mages whom practiced in solitary, self imposed exile. All the masters were hear, all the former members of the mages guild, the threat that had destroyed most of the empire had united it's magic people.

"Now I cannot guarentee we will all surive this, as a matter of fact, I can guarentee that quite a few of us will die, but we are not doing this for us, we are doing this for the innocent none magic folks, the ones whom are being slaughtered as we speak. I see our Guild Guides successfully got us to the outskirts of the valley, now let us do our part in the war effort." she smiled, though this was not a happy smile, it was a smile of determination, of sadness but one that reassured her collegues. The robed group did not walk in any order, mostly scattered and prepared, the Warrior Mages (Destruction and Conjuration) leading followed by the Support Mages (Mysticism, Illusion) and in the back the Healers marched, and with these came most of the priests whom Dalrus had convinced in coming.