Age of Strife

Twelve white pods containing roughly twenty-five dredge (Dead warriors) in each
drop to surface of Lorden while in the city of Ember holes appear in the ground
the dredge climb out of their holes sealing them back as they leave about fifty of
them make way to one of the corners of the city grabbing tools and supplies
they start to build the gateway to the lower worlds

(aside) The time has come.....
***
...on the horizon something stirs...
the void creatures in every city see the same thing, something is approaching, something powerful

In each city a black shadow like figure appears, real enough, but not human.....none can really tell what it is from this distance
The distance is soon closed between the figures and the cities/void creatures
Each black shadow draws a long mighty sword and advances on the void creature armies, the ground shaking as they walk forward, no fear, no emotion, nothing.....
but they are real enough, to strike one down with their swords

The shadows grow in size until they are towering above the void creature armies, a good 30 metres in height, of swirling black shadow
(different to the clouds around Ember)

From the black shadow emerges various beasts, wolves, lions, bears, etc...all identical in matter as the black shadow figure, they begin their attack on the void creatures ruthlessly, they turn out to be quite successful in their attacks
The black shadows everywhere speak simultaneously together, "Humans are not as weak as they seem..."
***
Black shadow:
 

(aside) Now we're talking...

The Void armies rally.

The Arha at Ink heart form a tight group, Templars on the outside, Sensei in the middle. they are accustomed to fighting the worst the void has to offer.

The Deathseekers at Edge gate scatter. They each work alone, and pick off single targets. And if ever one dies, it takes its slayer with it.

The Black watch at Ashton are overwhelmed. Caught by surprise and unorganised, they are soon routed. But when the force is broken, the army abandons their physical forms and becomes a mass of shades, all rising into the sky.

At Charn, Dolgur goes berserk. He unleashes his full might as a Black Watch Elite. destroying everything around him, including parts of the city in collateral damage.
He takes hits, and wounds from the Black Shadows, but he slays so much that he is still gaining life force.

(aside) this should be fun....

The area fills with black shadow matter and everything is lost from vision, including the cities
The black shadows dominate the area, barricading the void creatures off from the cities
Every black shadow grows in size and is now 40 metres tall
The black shadows take the hits, but seem unconcerned, due to not really having bodies nor blood to draw
The sky darkens and the beasts emerging from the black shadows intensify, and more void creatures are destroyed as the beasts attack with blood fury
The void creatures can't tell what the strange black shadow is, it seems evil, but at the same time it doesn't, something very powerful is amiss here
The black shadow beasts move forward, slashing and cutting down void creatures left, right and centre, almost devouring the void creatures energy, and as a result they grow in power and number, a beast every so often growing so powerful that it splits into two separate beasts and continues attacking
The black shadow beasts manage to scatter some of the ranks of void creatures

(two hours have past)

Kassern paces, "Shard isn't back yet and it is already night fall"
Adar sighs, "There is a strong blizzard blowing, hopefully Shard found shelter"
Kassern nods, "Hopefully...."

Dolgur tears up the earth and sky.
He is still a little bit taller than the shadows, but losing the edge on the battle.
He plays his final card.
The world around him explodes, incinerating the black shadows.
Dolgur collapses.
He sees a white door.
Through the door are too figures.
They raise a hand each in a salute of honour.
The door closes.
Dolgur gets up, and charges the city.
He buys time for the other armies, with his 1000 year old life.

The Arha fight to the death.
They've never retreated, and they're not about to now.
But the Black shadows are wearing down their numbers.
A portal opens in the centre of the Arha.
Three men step through.
The three Ascetics.
The Black Shadows, if they have minds, they are crushed. If they don't they are converted and forced to fight for the Arha.

the Deathseekers resort to Guerilla tactics, they will scratch a shadow with their claws, then disappear back into hiding.

More black shadows come, more than before, as if they are multiplying
The black shadows speak simultaneously again, "The more you destroy us, the stronger we get, each time you destroy one black shadow, two are formed in it's place.."
Black shadows are lost to various void creatures, but others always take it's place
The ones who have their will altered and are forced to fight for the arha quickly dissolve into black dust as soon as their will is broken, almost like some form of concentration is broken...they then reincarnate as new smaller black shadow beasts, and continue fighting and tearing into void creatures....an unending force of black shadow
The black shadows repeat the words simultaneously, "Humans are not as weak as they seem"

Daemon finds an arrow from a hunting bow, then finds the bow cloven in two, there is no sign of Shard
The blizzard has past, and any tracks have been covered up by the fresh snow
Kassern takes Adar and heads out into the snow, "We need to find her and fast"
A voice comes from a little way off where a small fire is going, and some stew is being prepared, "Find who?..."
Kassern looks over at the person and sighs
Shard puts another log on the fire to keep it going, "How is Arca, has he recovered yet??..."
Adar nods, "The boy is fine, a little shaken up still, but fine"

Shard and the others hear it, "seems like Daemon might have found my bow, it snapped when I took a tumble out there, I quickly found shelter from the blizzard"

Adar laughs, "He's just like Cythnar, beating something up all the time"
Kassern stares at Adar, warning him that Cythnar is right behind him
Adar swears, "He's behind me isn't he, Cyth....I didn't mean any disrespect"
Cythnar grabs Adar, "Time I beat something up this morning"
Kassern tries really hard not to smile
Adar gets thumped by Cythnar, and staggers over to Shard when it is over, and collapses by the fire, "Everything hurts..."
Shard chuckles, "At least you still have feeling, Cyth is known to crack spines"
Adar shudders, "I know"
The rest of the Twelve come outside, and watch what is going on
Arca cuts through his ropes on a large sharp rock
Arca heads out the other opening away from the Twelve, and runs as fast as he can into the undergrowth, his presence disappears....and he heads for Ashton
Kassern notices something strange, "The prisoner is running off again, and this time he has a good head start"

Shard sighs, "The boy's getting away"
Calkara smiles, "Just giving him a head start....that's long enough"
Calkara goes after Arca
Arca hears Calkara coming and Calkara is gaining on him
Arca quickly takes cover and hides
Calkara stop and looks around but can't see Arca
Arca gets his knife from his belt, and aims carefully straight for Calkara
Calkara sighs, "Come on out boy, you won't get far in this weather, I know your here somewhere"
Arca raises his hand ready to throw the knife

Arca spots Daemon, "Drat, now there are two I have to deal with"
Arca throws his dagger straight at Daemon, it hits Daemon square between the eyes, going straight through Daemon's mask
Arca whips out his bow and fires an arrow at Calkara, which hits him in the arm
Arca fires two arrows into Daemon's arms, they manage to go straight through
Calkara comments, "A good arm this boy has"
Arca's golden eyes glow with power and he sneaks across the clearing undetected
Arca, a good distance from Daemon and Calkara races off, and is heading alongside the road to Ashton, at a fast rate

Calkara looks at the sky, "Weather is pretty bad, chance is he'll get cold soon, and his pace will slow down"
Adar and Shard quickly spot Arca and head off in pursuit stealthily following him
Arca slows down a little and shivers, the cold seemingly to finally become apparent to him, his teeth chatter involuntarily
Shard contacts Kassern via telepathy, and tells him Arca's location
Kassern hears the message and raises a crossbow looking device and points it in the direction Shard said and fires
A rope device with weight on the end flings out from the crossbow device and head for Arca
The ropes catch Arca around the legs, and wrap around his body tripping him up, and sending him sprawling in the snow
Cythnar walks over to Arca, having caught up and brings his sword hilt down on Arca's head
Arca blacks out
Arca wakes up seated against a tree, still tangled up
Calkara is glaring at Arca, "You're lucky the beast has said not to kill you yet boy, because if he hadn't you'd be dead right now!"
Arca smirks, "Must follow orders do we Cal"
Calkara gives Arca a good strike across the face with his gauntlet-gloved hand, which results in a nice black eye, "That should weaken those eyes of yours a bit"
Arca winces but glares over at Daemon, "I see that sparky there, survived my dagger and arrow attacks, a shame that..."

rope fired from crossbow looking device:

the Reliant flies up (if it safly can. let me know if it cant Hikari) to Ember

Arca glares at Daemon, "And don't you forget who attacked your eye that day, a nice shot that was...."
Calkara sneers, "Shut your mouth kid, before I black out your other eye!!"

there is a great rumble around Edge Gate. and the clouds burst open. the Titan's engines roar as it hovers high above the battlefield outside Edge Gate, facing straight down. it slows down, stops, hovers, then slowly starts moving backwards and vanishes into the clouds again. about thirty seconds pass, then there is a rumble, and the black clouds catch alight as a huge amount of energy engulfs the sky and roars into the ground outside Edge Gate. the Titan has fired one of it's planatary/space station guns, but since it is so close, the area of effect is smaller.
the shot causes huge amount of violent energy to the both the death seekers, and the shadows (although i guess they then multiply). the army of Edge Gate is inside the city, so none of them get caught in it. this leaves only a death seekers that survive (your call Kiaser) and a few shadows outside edge gate. a decimated blackened and dented ground, and a number of death seekers still fighting inside the city.

(aside) no they wouldn't multiple, not after that, but there is enough survivors and plenty more where they came from to keep fighting and they do so
*grins*