Post by Dae'myr the Endwalker on Feb 7, 2014 1:22:38 GMT
Dae'myr, or Tongvar the Sighted, concluded yet another pointless ritual, opening his eyes.
The Bjornung crowd sat before him, waiting for his verdict. He stopped a moment, enjoying their silence. Their reverence.
"It would be pertinent to speak before someone gets impatient." Phobos' voice rang in his head, calm but loud.
Are you implying that I am slow, brother?
"Perhaps only slightly. You know them better than I."
Indeed I do. They believe I need a moment to regain my focus in this world once I am done communing with the gods. It's been about long enough.
He stretched out a palm over the crowd. Human limbs were excellent at making dramatic gestures and he was going to be sure to add the human model to his preferred forms. "The gods have spoken!"
The warriors cheered. Several of them embraced each other, and Dae'myr waited for them to calm down. As the did so, they returned their focus to him and grew solemn and quiet once more. He shut his eyes, nodding deeply, then raised his head, leaning over the stone altar that was still slick with the blood of a sacrificed goat. "They demand we kill! That we kill more! That we kill every last behemoth we see, until they all lie slain!"
The assembly cheered once more. Dae'myr sat back, satisfied. "I will strike the first blow tonight. The gods themselves agreed to help me in this endeavor. I am to go, unarmed except with my ritual dagger, to the Pit of Blades, and slay those behemoths that live within."
The Pit of Blades was a sinkhole nearby that was rumored to contain hundreds of behemoths. In reality, it contained only a few dozen, though many more than was appropriate for his small human "army."
--
As they arrived at the Pit, Dae'myr, as Tongvar the Sighted, turned to his assembly. "I am to go alone. You may watch. Look deep into the sinkhole. May your eyes see as they do during the day." He waved a hand, casting a simple night vision spell on the Bjornung. The looked at their hands, awed.
"Be careful, brother. The behemoths are still strong." Phobos' voice was the implacable calm it ever was, though his warning was sincere.
I have fought far stronger enemies than these 'behemoths,' Phobos.
As he approached the entrance to the cave, rumbling was heard. Dae'myr entered a battle stance, though he knew what was coming. Only one thing travelled that fast.
A scornip-variety behemoth rolled out of the cave, launching into the air, trying to come slamming down on the shaman. Dae'myr teleported himself away immediately, being sure to add a flash of "holy" light to the teleport. "Behold, the might of the gods!"
The scornip seemed for the most part unamused and approached the shaman with caution, seemingly aware that it was fighting what at least appeared to be a particularly powerful human. It swung a claw towards him, trying to crush him. He caught either side of the pincer and held it open for a moment.
Had the beast been a sensible creature, it would have run away at that. Unfortunately for the behemoth, it was not a particularly sensible scornip. It screeched as the shaman spun and threw it into a nearby rock, where it fell and lay still for a moment before righting itself.
"Realize, Deimos, that your body is as fragile as a humans. Anything that would instantly kill a human will instantly kill you."
I know this. They will not harm me.
The beast approached again, stinger raised. As it struck, Dae'myr raised a hand, blocking the barb with a wall of energy. "The gods protect me, scum! You are nothing before their might!" He delivered a magically charged kick to the beast's face, which caved in. The scornip collapsed and lay still.
The gathered Bjornung cheered. The gods had truly saved their shaman. His power was clearly granted by the gods. He would lead them to victory.
Between the sound of combat, and the cheering, they had attracted the attention of a pack of kanpol. Two dozen of the beasts had gathered at the mouth of the cave, and were seemingly waiting for either the human or the scornip to fall. The behemoth being the fallen one, they balked for a moment before stalking out to meet the shaman.
As the pack approached, Dae'myr spread his arms. "Welcome, servants of darkness. You are in the presence of the gods."
The warriors began a slow chant that their shaman had taught them. It was Latin, a dead human language. He had told them it would give them power from the gods. It didn't really do anything, he just liked the way it sounded.
"Gloriam perpetuam..."
Dae'myr extended his hands, feeling his magic surge.
"Cor autem serpens..."
The kanpol closed in. Dae'myr began to chant with the warriors, magically magnifying his voice.
"Corpus hominis"
The kanpol growled. Dae'myr readied himself.
"Proelia sacra."
The kanpol pounced. The shaman closed his fists. The chant picked up, resounding off the walls of the Pit. It was part of the reason he had picked this location.
"Da robus."
Several of the closest kanpol died immediately as their hearts stopped and their muscles locked. Those further away from the deadly magic pulse were not so lucky and fell to the ground twitching, bones protruding from skin.
"Flashy."
You know me.
The magic was intentionally flashy. There were about a thousand magically-cheaper ways to kill anything than what he just did, but this was visible. This was horrifying. This was power by the human definition.
He relaxed as the Bjornung slowed their chant. Many of them stared, jaws hanging open. He turned back to them and bowed, then stopped suddenly as he heard a rumbling.
They had awakened the beast. A titanothain, huge even by its species' standards, stomped out of the Pit. Dae'myr simply stared at it, though it could not see him. He opened his palms again, shouting with magical amplification. "Behold the gods' ultimate punishment!"
Black chains shot from his palms, destroying the flesh of his delicate human hands. He gritted his teeth.
That actually hurt.
"I'd rather not die, brother, so contain your theatrics to realms without as much self-harm."
The chains wrapped themselves around the titanothain's head. Dae'myr pulled his arms back, and the beast was dragged to its knees by magical force. He grinned, approaching it. As the chains grew slack from his approach, the beast snapped at him. Dae'myr realized he had to teleport away from its jaws to avoid being eaten, and did so. As he drew close, the chains retreated into his palms, disappearing into his arms.
The bindings remained tight as he drew close to the behemoth's nostril slits. It blew fetid air on him, and he blinked. He formed another chain from his wrist, and magically threaded it through the beast's nostril slits, forming a grotesque, bleeding grid as the energy dug into its flesh.
Dae'myr brought his hands together, and the chains fell to the ground, all connected. The links were complete. The beast was bound. Chains had snaked over almost its entire body. He took a step back, and looked to the gathered Bjornung.
They are in awe of the power their gods bring.
"Indeed. It would be prudent to execute this filth before we lose any more power to your continuing theatrics."
He nodded, and turned back to the helpless titanothain. Grinning, he raised a ravaged hand, and snapped his fingers.
The chains burst into flames.
The beast shrieked as its body met a similar fate, fat and muscle spitting and popping as its all too living body burned. Its nostril slits flared and quaked violently as it struggled in vain against the magical bonds.
Dae'myr turned once more, returning his attention to the now-firelit warriors. "The gods demanded a burnt offering. Look now, upon the power they give to those who serve them! I have sent word to others. They will serve the gods as their shaman. They will arrive soon."
The Bjornung cheered, roaring. The cheered for Tongvar. They cheered for the gods.
They cheered for Dae'myr.
They were so easily controlled. A simple display of power like this would secure his hold over the village. The first safe haven for Promethaen on Earth had been formed. The Exemplar would be pleased.
"Well done, Brother. I shall contact the others, for I hear whispers of their presence."
The Bjornung crowd sat before him, waiting for his verdict. He stopped a moment, enjoying their silence. Their reverence.
"It would be pertinent to speak before someone gets impatient." Phobos' voice rang in his head, calm but loud.
Are you implying that I am slow, brother?
"Perhaps only slightly. You know them better than I."
Indeed I do. They believe I need a moment to regain my focus in this world once I am done communing with the gods. It's been about long enough.
He stretched out a palm over the crowd. Human limbs were excellent at making dramatic gestures and he was going to be sure to add the human model to his preferred forms. "The gods have spoken!"
The warriors cheered. Several of them embraced each other, and Dae'myr waited for them to calm down. As the did so, they returned their focus to him and grew solemn and quiet once more. He shut his eyes, nodding deeply, then raised his head, leaning over the stone altar that was still slick with the blood of a sacrificed goat. "They demand we kill! That we kill more! That we kill every last behemoth we see, until they all lie slain!"
The assembly cheered once more. Dae'myr sat back, satisfied. "I will strike the first blow tonight. The gods themselves agreed to help me in this endeavor. I am to go, unarmed except with my ritual dagger, to the Pit of Blades, and slay those behemoths that live within."
The Pit of Blades was a sinkhole nearby that was rumored to contain hundreds of behemoths. In reality, it contained only a few dozen, though many more than was appropriate for his small human "army."
--
As they arrived at the Pit, Dae'myr, as Tongvar the Sighted, turned to his assembly. "I am to go alone. You may watch. Look deep into the sinkhole. May your eyes see as they do during the day." He waved a hand, casting a simple night vision spell on the Bjornung. The looked at their hands, awed.
"Be careful, brother. The behemoths are still strong." Phobos' voice was the implacable calm it ever was, though his warning was sincere.
I have fought far stronger enemies than these 'behemoths,' Phobos.
As he approached the entrance to the cave, rumbling was heard. Dae'myr entered a battle stance, though he knew what was coming. Only one thing travelled that fast.
A scornip-variety behemoth rolled out of the cave, launching into the air, trying to come slamming down on the shaman. Dae'myr teleported himself away immediately, being sure to add a flash of "holy" light to the teleport. "Behold, the might of the gods!"
The scornip seemed for the most part unamused and approached the shaman with caution, seemingly aware that it was fighting what at least appeared to be a particularly powerful human. It swung a claw towards him, trying to crush him. He caught either side of the pincer and held it open for a moment.
Had the beast been a sensible creature, it would have run away at that. Unfortunately for the behemoth, it was not a particularly sensible scornip. It screeched as the shaman spun and threw it into a nearby rock, where it fell and lay still for a moment before righting itself.
"Realize, Deimos, that your body is as fragile as a humans. Anything that would instantly kill a human will instantly kill you."
I know this. They will not harm me.
The beast approached again, stinger raised. As it struck, Dae'myr raised a hand, blocking the barb with a wall of energy. "The gods protect me, scum! You are nothing before their might!" He delivered a magically charged kick to the beast's face, which caved in. The scornip collapsed and lay still.
The gathered Bjornung cheered. The gods had truly saved their shaman. His power was clearly granted by the gods. He would lead them to victory.
Between the sound of combat, and the cheering, they had attracted the attention of a pack of kanpol. Two dozen of the beasts had gathered at the mouth of the cave, and were seemingly waiting for either the human or the scornip to fall. The behemoth being the fallen one, they balked for a moment before stalking out to meet the shaman.
As the pack approached, Dae'myr spread his arms. "Welcome, servants of darkness. You are in the presence of the gods."
The warriors began a slow chant that their shaman had taught them. It was Latin, a dead human language. He had told them it would give them power from the gods. It didn't really do anything, he just liked the way it sounded.
"Gloriam perpetuam..."
Dae'myr extended his hands, feeling his magic surge.
"Cor autem serpens..."
The kanpol closed in. Dae'myr began to chant with the warriors, magically magnifying his voice.
"Corpus hominis"
The kanpol growled. Dae'myr readied himself.
"Proelia sacra."
The kanpol pounced. The shaman closed his fists. The chant picked up, resounding off the walls of the Pit. It was part of the reason he had picked this location.
"Da robus."
Several of the closest kanpol died immediately as their hearts stopped and their muscles locked. Those further away from the deadly magic pulse were not so lucky and fell to the ground twitching, bones protruding from skin.
"Flashy."
You know me.
The magic was intentionally flashy. There were about a thousand magically-cheaper ways to kill anything than what he just did, but this was visible. This was horrifying. This was power by the human definition.
He relaxed as the Bjornung slowed their chant. Many of them stared, jaws hanging open. He turned back to them and bowed, then stopped suddenly as he heard a rumbling.
They had awakened the beast. A titanothain, huge even by its species' standards, stomped out of the Pit. Dae'myr simply stared at it, though it could not see him. He opened his palms again, shouting with magical amplification. "Behold the gods' ultimate punishment!"
Black chains shot from his palms, destroying the flesh of his delicate human hands. He gritted his teeth.
That actually hurt.
"I'd rather not die, brother, so contain your theatrics to realms without as much self-harm."
The chains wrapped themselves around the titanothain's head. Dae'myr pulled his arms back, and the beast was dragged to its knees by magical force. He grinned, approaching it. As the chains grew slack from his approach, the beast snapped at him. Dae'myr realized he had to teleport away from its jaws to avoid being eaten, and did so. As he drew close, the chains retreated into his palms, disappearing into his arms.
The bindings remained tight as he drew close to the behemoth's nostril slits. It blew fetid air on him, and he blinked. He formed another chain from his wrist, and magically threaded it through the beast's nostril slits, forming a grotesque, bleeding grid as the energy dug into its flesh.
Dae'myr brought his hands together, and the chains fell to the ground, all connected. The links were complete. The beast was bound. Chains had snaked over almost its entire body. He took a step back, and looked to the gathered Bjornung.
They are in awe of the power their gods bring.
"Indeed. It would be prudent to execute this filth before we lose any more power to your continuing theatrics."
He nodded, and turned back to the helpless titanothain. Grinning, he raised a ravaged hand, and snapped his fingers.
The chains burst into flames.
The beast shrieked as its body met a similar fate, fat and muscle spitting and popping as its all too living body burned. Its nostril slits flared and quaked violently as it struggled in vain against the magical bonds.
Dae'myr turned once more, returning his attention to the now-firelit warriors. "The gods demanded a burnt offering. Look now, upon the power they give to those who serve them! I have sent word to others. They will serve the gods as their shaman. They will arrive soon."
The Bjornung cheered, roaring. The cheered for Tongvar. They cheered for the gods.
They cheered for Dae'myr.
They were so easily controlled. A simple display of power like this would secure his hold over the village. The first safe haven for Promethaen on Earth had been formed. The Exemplar would be pleased.
"Well done, Brother. I shall contact the others, for I hear whispers of their presence."
