Malach VII - Prophecies Mission II (Fort Ranik)

Yes, Fort Ranik. Before it was mainly used as a training area for new troops. While the Searing has destroyed much of the inner buildings, the sturdy walls still stand. Cracked and broken in places, but strong for the most part.

It took several hours of running before we lost the Charr; during this flight soldiers died in their dozens by Axe Warriors' weaponry and Stalkers' arrows. It took an even longer time to reach this fortress after this. It made me realise that I really should study teleporting spells more - even my sister, my marrow, can usually only teleport under certain specific circumstances. Certainly we could've teleported back to the Hall, but returning to find ourselves behind Charr lines then isn't quite a situation I was aiming for.

After an hour rest in the Fort coupled with some plain food, though it was hot and filling, we worked up the energy to go talk to the commanding officer there - a certain old veteran noble named Lord Darrin. He stood alone, on a platform overseeing the hustle of troops, directing men this way and that.

He frowned when I approached, and began talking almost immediately, "I've seen this sort of thing before, and it does not bode well, not at all.

I nodded, "Your words are quite grim."

"Today is a dark day in the history of Ascalon."

"Why?"

"The Charr have breached the Wall again. They burn our homes and threaten to take what little we have left. The guards who man the Wall have fallen back, and the Charr army marches on Ascalon City."

"How did this happen?"

"The Charr are beasts, but it appears they are not as stupid as many think. They organized a large invasion force and simply overwhelmed the garrison at the Northern Gate. Prince Rurik is directing an organized defense. Even now, he marches toward the Wall from the capital city of Rin. Even so, Rin is far to the west. By the time he arrives, Ascalon City may have already fallen."

This was information we already had of course - after all we had been in the middle of it all. Still, it's never a good idea to tell others everything you know, and besides which there had always been the chance he might have gotten more information while we rested. Seeing there was none of that forthcoming, I decided to sound confident. I'm sure that between my family's resolve and expertise in... certain matters, we could still grasp victory from Charr claws.

"Never fear, Brother, we will rise again."

His old soldier face gave a rare smile at that, "Your words are inspiring, but I'm afraid the end of Ascalon is near. How long can we hold out against such a beastly race as the Charr? They have only one goal, and that is to see the end of us all. You've heard the rumours... even Prince Rurik thinks the time has come to abandon the cities and make for the mountain pass."

Interestingly enough I hadn't heard these rumours yet, but while my face remained impassive, my mind raced. The mountain pass? Then he would plan to take Ascalonians to settle in Kryta, since they surely would not blossom in the Shiverpeaks. Fearing I had remained silent for too long while I thought about this, my next question was one I knew he was hoping for.

"What must I do to save Ascalon City?"

"The Ascalon Army is scattered and in retreat. But small teams are regrouping and making stands against the invaders. If you can push back the Charr, force them out and retake the Wall, Ascalon City will be saved."

"I'm on my way. See you at the Wall."

"The events of the next few hours will either be written about in legend or torn from human memory by the claws of the Charr. The choice of which of these things comes to pass is up to you. Good luck."

With these wishes we gathered our resolves, shouldered our packs, paid a few of the gathered henchmen some gold to join us, and set forth on the path north from this grey, desolate Fort.

For several hours, nothing noteworthy happened. That is to say there were several smaller groups of Charr, but the operative word here is that they were there, after we had passed through. Ashen Claws and Ash Walkers actually provided us with some amusement in this trip as their harsh use of Necromancy was interesting to behold. Sabina in particular found their bestial spells and energies fascinating. The end result for them was the same though. Especially when we encountered several smaller groups of Ascalon guards who were still on their way back from the Wall. Curiously my brother recognised one of these soldiers, the Master-at-Arms Armin Saberlin. This man seemed to recognise Ateuchus in return it seemed, for he asked him a favour while he stayed behind to guard a choke point against the Charr.

"My son Deeter was carried off by the Charr after the first wave. Please find him. He's all I have left."

Grudgingly my brother agreed to this. Damn this loyalty of soldiers amongst themselves. Still, as long as it's not too far out of our way I don't have a huge problem with it. Luckily for us - or, more precise, for the boy - it wasn't. He, together with another soldier, was locked into a wooden cage which the Charr had constructed very quickly! Rosalie studied this cage and seemed to recognise this odd druidical magic. Perhaps something like this magic had been used on her guardian's estate. Something to ask about later, if they can grow wood on the blasted terrain, mayhap we could learn it too. The boy meanwhile was pathetically grateful and more than a little smitten with my little sister it seemed. Still, amongst his prattling he did divulge an interesting tidbit about trebuchets.

"The Overseers were too much for us! The Charr have slaughtered and carried off many of our friends. They must be stopped. I will report back to my father. If you can get to the trebuchets north of here perhaps there is hope."

Making our way further north, we encountered a grizzled old veteran captured by a band of Charr. After we made short work of them, it failed to surprise me that my brother seemed to know this man as well. Did he memorise every fighting man in the Ascalonian army, just because we signed up to the Vanguard? Regardless, this Siegemaster Lormar had a plan and the know-how to help us:

"Damn Charr snuck up on me while I was repairing this trebuchet. It's missing a release lever, restraining bolt, and an arming crack. Search the other wrecked trebuchets to find those three pieces, and bring them to me. If you do we can fix this little lovely, and we'll give those Charr a taste of their own filth. To activate the trebuchet after it's fixed, pull the lever once to load it and once to fire it. Anything under its blast will get blown to bits. But hurry. More Charr come through the Wall every minute."

And this is what we did - finding the parts wasn't that hard, and afterwards these huge trebuchets proved surprisingly powerful. Not quite as thrilling as using a fireball in the midst of a Charr attack, but close enough. After we blasted the area which could be reached by this one to cinders, we moved on to one of these nearer to the Wall. While not an army man myself, I have to confess these trebuchets are both easy to use and quite effective. With this latter one firing blast after blast we managed to drive the Charr back through the Wall once again. Still, we could not drive them from the Wall itself, only make sure they stayed there.

We stood guard here for a few hours, blasting any Charr daring to show its ugly face, before Prince Rurik arrived at the head of a company of soldiers. These quickly took over the trebuchets and troops were ordered to clear the Wall of Charr and drive them further north. The Prince meanwhile bade us to follow him while he inspected the countryside from a high vantage point.

"The time for action has come. No more cowering behind this wall. From now on, we take the fight to our enemies."

Bold words, but before we could react a shout came up from below, "Prince Rurik! Prince Rurik!"

The prince stepped to the wall and looked down, "What is it?"

The guard's armor was torn and burned in places, his face bloodied and tired, "Prince Rurik. We are victorious, but it has cost us greatly. During their retreat the Charr took prisoners. Several of our wounded have been carried off."

The prince growled at this, hitting the wall in front of him with his mailed fist, "Ascalonians will live in fear of these beasts no more. We march to the north, to free our brothers and take back that which has been taken from us!"

And so we moved.

Malach VI - Prophecies Mission I (The Great Northern Wall)

"We fear the Charr General Bonfaaz Burntfur is planning a mass raid on the Wall. Head north into enemy territory and find out what that mangy beast has planned."

This was the comment with which captain Calhaan of the Ascalonian army commanded us forth. Hmm, I have to say my family, perchance it was a mistake to accept the Prince's invitation to join his Vanguard. While it did give us access to sources of information we did not have before, it also makes most officers feel they can order us around now.

Not something which I signed up for. Somehow I could sense how my brother barely managed to keep himself in check. Not a surprise, that. He commanded vast armies - more men than this little officer ever saw - and yet here he needed to obey this Wall captain's orders. I told him that the information about the Charr army would be interesting to us personally as well, and that seemed to satisfy him. At least, he stopped glowering at the captain too hard.

A handful of henchmen for mundane tasks we took with us. A fighter, a monk, an archer and a mage. Not in our league, far from it, but they were useful. The first part of the trip was uneventful. Certainly, there was an assortment of various scruffy or scaly monsters, but between axe, flames, dominance and necrotic power they were nothing more than just a little diversion. Suddenly my sister, my marrow, stopped and gazed at the entrance to a tomb. Her voice echoed strangely between the blasted hills and the heat of the ground was momentarily dispatched.

Then, a ghostly apparition appeared garbed in full armour. His voice echoed hollow as he addressed us, "In life, I was known as the Champion of Surmia. In death I am but a restless spirit. Please help me. The enchanted armour that sealed my tomb has been stolen. Find it and return it to me, so that I may pass into the Rift."

For a second I thought I could see something in the eyes of my sister, the younger one. Recognition perhaps? Did she know this Champion of Surmia? Interesting perhaps, for another time.

The armour parts were easily found, someone seemed to have hidden them in wreckages here and there. Most likely to sell it at a later date. Not surprising that, it was in excellent condition and quite clearly magical. At another time I would have kept this for myself, to study the lattice of magic and metal combined.

"Thank you! I will remember your kindness when we meet again in the Underworld."

With these words of thanks the ghost disappeared once more after he was presented with his armour. He did not have time to see the faint smiles on some of the faces in front of him. This promise might've been a hollow one to anyone else, but we Scarabae remember debts and debtors... and we know the Underworld well.

Moving further along the road now we suddenly observed the Charr army, being whipped into a frenzy by a speech of their General. My brother clinically observed the army, calculating strengths and weaknesses, numbers and formations.

Then we were spotted! Just the one scout we had missed. Hellfire! The Charr General - and I have to give him points for quick thinking here - used this to direct the frenzy of the Charr troops against us. So we ran, followed closely by hundreds of Charr. Once in a while I threw back a fireball, to gain us some distance, and some of the other ones who could cast did the same. Arriving seconds before them at the Wall the captain was warned and observed the arriving army. Then he made a good call.

"There are too many. We'll never hold them back. The Wall is lost. We must fall back. Retreat! Retreat! Regroup at the bunkers just north of Fort Ranik. We can't let the Charr make it to the capital."

And this is what we did.