The Apple and the Eagle

Moved.

- Hey Queen Icy, I do believe you posted in the wrong place.

- Xanth's first post is up in the Walled Capital.
>KICKS Valkarie's mirror images ass.

- The last of the civilians, the surviving Overwatch, the Dread Angels, and King Horatio are evacuating Castle Feign.

- Added a picture to Xanth's character profile.

- ALL Castor aligned characters: You have drop-pod Darknut reinforcements.
> Use them as you will.

His blind idealism angered me.

"Opposite sides of the coin? Peace? Horror? What do you know of any of these things, you blasted fool? You know NOTHING. Your ideals are as false as the master you once served. What do you even know of Aleksander? You saw him as a benevolent figure. You idolized him: WORSHIPPED HIM. You don't know who he really was. You didn't know him the way I did. All that I am, all that I have BECOME is thanks to Aleksander. I learned everything I know from him. How to wield a blade, how to use magic: Aleksander was like a father to me. He taught me many things. He taught me the power of hate and how to utilize that. I am merely Aleksander's shadow: and that is something all of you FOOLS are blind to. The only people who TRULY know Aleksander are the same Demi-Gods he cursed. But whereas Xanth and Andame prosper, Isaac and myself SUFFER. Do you know what your King ordained right after the Reckoning? He ordered my exile and Isaac's inprisonment in the Isaiah Plains. Why? Because we, unlike your precious paragons of righteousness and power, bore the remnants of Aleksander himself. I, who created and wielded the Eye of the Storm in times of need, and Isaac, who kept within him the power of the Lyre itself. Unfortunately for Isaac, the Lyre could not be removed from him, so exile was not an option for the King: instead, he condemned him to eternal imprisonment. I, however, did not share the same fate. After the Reckoning, I attempted to plead to the King to use the Eye to reconstruct the Tower of Eden so that the Court could reconvene and try to rebuild what Aleksander had destroyed. He, however... he would not have it. You see, because of the Reckoning, I suffered this disfigurement of mine. I had become, in essence, the living dead. Your precious King... could not bear to have such a corrupted looking figure in his sanctuary. He believed that because Aleksander betrayed him, so too would I: and Isaac for that matter. Because I would not wag my tail and bark like the obedient dog he wanted me to be, he took everything from me. Tell me, did your King ever bring you up to par with that information? I imagine he wouldn't. For years now, he's deceived his very people, keeping the truth as his dirty little secret. When I was stripped of the Eye and made out to be a traitor, I wandered the earth for many years, searching for new allies. I have walked this earth for over a thousand years in anguish, knowing that the people I once loved and defended had betrayed me. The King I once served loyally had condemned both me and my brother in blood, Isaac. I am merely a product of his actions.

If that weren't enough, the man I, in passing, referred to as my father left me with this curse. He left Isaac and I with two of his most powerful tools. Why? I'm not entirely certain.

But understand this, wizard. Your King and your former master have brought this upon themselves. If it were not me, someone else would have risen against the Castor nations. The victims of the Reckoning have long gone suffering and dying because the Castors would not help them: because they feared the dark energy of the Reckoning had corrupted them eternally. We have been left to die, and so many of us have. I have come back to claim what is rightfully mine, and my hopes were to finally let the truth be known to the ignorant people of Feign. But instead, I have only been able to enlighten you. Don't doubt my words for a second, wizard. If I wanted to deceive you, I would've come up with something more believable.

So I ask you... am I truly as much of a villain as your King has portrayed me to be?"

And it was the truth.

The King never told his people of what happened to the other two DemiGods scarred in the Reckoning: never fully enlightened them as to what happened to us. He merely told them I had fallen and threatened to rock the very foundations of their home. He never told them how he lied to his people, making me out to be a traitor and exiling me. He never told them that I, myself, created the Eye of the Storm for Aleksander's use simply because the King told me to. He never told them that he banished Isaac because the power the Lyre provided him was so immense that he couldn't trust anyone or anything around him.

The truth... is that the King is long overdue to face the demons of our past.

Whoops, Fearless, you and I both need to move our posts from the apple and the eagle to castle feign.

- New Character!
> "Gallus" by Gallus671

- Tam the Wandering Knight has been defeated by Grand General Valkarie.
> Valkarie's prize: The Eye of the Storm and our doom.

- Chapter one will be concluded with a scenario change as soon as I get response from Fearless.

- It is suggested that all Castor Characters find Judas immediately.

[Scenario Change]

King Horatio sat in his IronClad Wagon. Looking through the pressurized glass screen behind his seat, he saw his city. He saw the black cloud that covered the entirety of Feign. He saw the suffocating swift wind of the Eye and he felt a twinge of fear within him. Horatio had just left a complete stranger one of the most powerful weapons in all of existence. "Horatio you fool." He said to himself, disregarding the listening ears of the his escort. Alanis Ventra, his personal bodyguard had seen the entire scene unfold, in the darkest corner with the best view. She thought the kings decision was fool hardy, but she would never say this out loud. She was a renown assassin turned soldier. She was the best with pistols and short bladed weapons.

Along with Alanis, three of the larger Dread Angel Templar and General Craven also sat in the large heavily armored vehicle.

The General had shed himself of his armor not including his leggings. The Mannifesta sat at his side. The screaming had abated for now. Looking at him, you could see his eyes were deep pools of doubt. He looked beaten, but he still had his king to serve, and this convoy gave made him tense. He trusted Alanis, but he didn't believe that he would survive without his most trusted General at his side. He sat with right arm up on the long seat, sipping at a wine glass.

The captain of the guard, Leland Arrolds, was just as old as General Craven. Just as powerful. He had led the Dread Angels for decades without fail. He was willing to go to the ends of the earth for his King. His holy vengeance rivals every dark being who threatens Horatio and the kingdom of Castor as a whole.

"Craven..." The King began, still looking back at Feign, "Where are we headed?"

Craven set his glass down and regarded his king, "To our sister city. Argos."

"Ah... Yes." A fire was burning in the King's eyes, but he didn't know it, "Send an envoy ahead of us. Convene the City Counsel. We're to find out why we reinforcements were not sent to aid us."

Craven looked at the ground now, "Yes your majesty." Craven stood and spoke to one of the lesser guardsmen a the front of the wagon.

[King Horatio, Grand General Craven, Alanis Ventra and Captain Leland Arrolds are out of the story for now.]

Back in the city, the remaining soldiers who refused to leave were stuck. They were all doomed.

Mengsk and Mia were heading toward the recently emptied castle.

Marlan and Markus were down while a seemingly immortal Recoiless hunted them down with the relent of a hungry dog.

But hope was not lost all together.
______

Judas Renais raced through the city searching for survivors. Using the last reserves of his energy, he targeted every soldier he saw and teleported them away.

Then he encountered Mengsk and Mia. He landed in front of them and made a portal in the ground, "Get in if you want to live." With that he summoned a flying cloud and sped off again. He did the same with Markus and Marlan. He made a large enough portal for Iskiera and her dragon. He found the writhing body of Tam, cauterized his wound and forced him into a portal.

He hoped his words got to everyone, Get in if you want to life, it pushed his point far enough. He didn't have time for pleasantries. He was a man of the cloth, and his sole purpose was protect the lives of those he served. For it was said by Evan, the God of Harmony.

After all that was said and done, he fell onto his knees and cursed. He looked up at the sky and saw Valkarie hovering, his monstrous hand extended into the air, the brilliance of the Eye glistening in his hand. He faltered and lost consciousness.
______

"For too long..." Valkarie began, "... For far too long have I waited for this moment."

With one tiny, microscopic twinge in the grip of Valkarie's talons, the Eye was activated.

______

The wrath of the gods had been unleashed. A horrible storm was conjured up using the power of the Eye. Fueled by his lust for vengeance and for power, the strength of the winds was being orchestrated by the demigod's will.

Beneath Castle Feign, something stirred. The earth cracked open and sent a massive earthquake throughout the entire city. The Castle being the epicenter of it all, the crack widened. Small obelisks began surging out of ground. Followed by larger ones. And the larger obelisks didn't care for property. Didn't care for the loss of infrastructure, all they did care about was that they come up from the earth and breath the air that has been denied them since the beginning.

Castle Feign's integrity failed instantaneously. Being made of stone, the structure began to break as the crack widened beneath it. But Valkarie would not have such a small tragedy befall the castle, He would make Feign a ruin for ALL to remember.

The winds picked up at terrifying speeds. Some would say maybe... A few hundred miles per hour. The ground betrayed the holy city as it failed to defend against the will of nature itself. Smaller building were picked up from their foundation and hurled into the sky. An enormous cyclone began toe dance around the city, it's building being it's accessories. Valkarie swayed along. He threw the Eye in one direction, and all seven miles of the Outer Wall was blown out instantly. He threw it another and it failed to reach the Kind's convoy, but it's impact was surely felt. While this all happened, Valkarie laughed like the evil man he was. Like the monster he had become.

Xanth could not stop this. With the Eye, Valkarie would obliterate her. She phased back into the AmostGrad, and opened another wormhole out, toward the Elv capital of Acreholm
______

"By Evan..." The King gasped, grasping onto the plushness of his seat. He looked back at Feign. Alanis noticed and turned around. General Craven had ran to the back of the wagon and Captain Leland followed his example. They all looked through the window, the capital city was nothing more than a speck on the horizon. But what happened next would send the King into tears.
_____

Back in the city, Valkarie hovered above the ruined castle now. He was determined to make this a day that no one would forget. He gripped onto the Eye and swung his hands up to the blackened sky.

The cyclone rumbled on but all went silent for a moment. The earthquake had abated, but something worse was about to befall the city. The ground shook. It was angry. And it was obeying...

As if a god himself was pulling something out of the ground, an obelisk unlike the world had seen before, burst from the ground beneath the castle. It's girth increased as it was ascended into the sky. The castle was destroyed and sepulchered away. The peak of the obelisk met Valkarie's feet and he stood atop the machination. He continued to laugh. He continued his endless laugh while he sent a thought to the last of the Horde Army.

"Package secured. Return to Trenya and begin operations to head back to Locust."

With that final word, he lowered his head and the cyclone ceased. Anything that was within it was sent hurling across the country side. Houses, market stands, trees... corpses were now raining down upon the landscape. When everything had calmed, he phased into the darkness and left the city - the ruin - behind.

Judas was no where to be found.

[Lets all assume that all Castor Characters made it into the portal and are now on their way to their destination. Refer to the OOC]

This Concludes Chapter One

"You're a fool Valkarie," I said in anger, "Aleksander is with our Liege Of Darkness, Father Armanies now. He has become more than you could ever possibly comprehend. You may be more than what you once were, but you're still mortal. Unlike Aleks. He's become a god. What hopes do you have against a Divine?"

Father Armanies was the original creator of all things shadow blessed. The original cathedral erected in his honor on Plato was once where he gave people like us breath. But that thousands of years ago. He has long since reached divinity. He birthed an Avatar that could control all shadow fiends and beasts before he passed, but as to where that grotesque thing is now, is anyone's guess. Certainly not commanding the undead legions of the Horde, the army that Valkarie took up mantle for. The original shepard who was given this daunted task, the avatar, has failed our Father's plea.

Perhaps it is better this way. Gerard was not a spiritual person I'm sure, perhaps he didn't believe in this avatar of our lord, maybe he didn't even think of Father Armanies as such, since we were all turned into what we are, not born... Aleksander; however, is probably more than Evan, Renae, or Father Armanies ever were. Thinking about it brings a cold shiver to my old bones. He'll scour us all from the face of the planet and begin his cruel plans again.

((Sorry about this late update. A lot of things have been happening. Nearly forgot this tab existed.))

- Conclusion: Chapter One: The Siege of Feign has been completed.

- Beginning: Chapter Two: The Calm Before the Storm has begun.

- Lord Augustus Warwick introduced.

- Alanis Ventra introduced.

- Captain Leland Arrolds introduced.

- The two above characters along with King Horatio and General Craven are headed to The Ageless City of Argos to discuss what went wrong in during chapter one.
> IMPORTANT: I will be making the Argos City place soon enough, in which a critical story arc will take place. While all characters are in either in Ragnos or Acreholm at the moment, it should be assumed that the King is still en route.

I need a consensus: Do you, as in your characters, want a part of the debate in Argos, or shall I keep to NPC's talking? Please Refer to the OOC.