Prologue

Tensions ran high over the ramparts of Castle Usaki, the seat of Imperial power in Nippon overlooking the bay of Kumayama-Wan. Some months ago an elven ship docked here with ill warnings of an invading fleet headed to Nippon. Now as each day passed, those fears of Druchii conquest only worsened in the minds of the Nipponese Shogunate. Thus the watchers on this Castle and all other Nipponese fortifications kept their eyes peeled and their braziers lit out to sea in anticipation of the war that was to come.
By the time the High Elven expedition to the mountains led by Prince Tyrion of House Emeraldsea and his squire Eldyra, the Millitant Princess of Tiranoc, returned to the capital atop their newly tamed ‘Stormbirds’, indigenous creatures to Nippon wreathed in flame and electric sparks which bore a similar appearance to the rare Arcane Phoenixes sometimes seen in Ulthuani history, the Castle had already raised its concerns from serious to severe as the elven royals found Shogun Yoritomo Ieyasu in conversation with an aged samurai upon entering the Empress’ Court.
“Ah, welcome back Prince Emeraldsea. I trust your journey to the Makudo mountainside was not too taxing?” the Shogun asked upon welcoming the elves into his acting-court.
“Nothing a good drink won’t solve. I am glad to report we now have 41 Stormbirds in tow, ready to be deployed in the event of Druchii invasion. Speaking of which, have there been any updates on the whereabouts of the Witch Queen’s armada?” Tyrion asked as Eldyra bowed her head by his side, keen to not make any more foolish moments of herself.
“As a matter of fact I was just discussing this matter before you came in. Tyrion, allow me to introduce you to Lord Minamoyo Ittazen, Daimyo of Tokaido to our South-East.” the Shogun replied.
Tyrion bowed in respect before the samurai began speaking. “My sea scouts have confirmed that what your sailor said was true. Last week they spotted an armada composed of over a dozen black arks sailing here from around 200 miles off-shore. However, there was one interesting detail I believed the Shogun should know. The Witch Queen’s fleet is no longer sailing as one. They have split off and are heading in various directions. It is our belief the Witch Queen has ordered her arks to hit every coastal city Nippon has at once. That way she can cripple our entire nation and cut off our supply lines immediately as opposed to disembarking at one point and spreading outwards from there.”
“Interesting. Do you have any ideas how many arks are headed for this castle specifically?”
“Three arks were seen headed for the Kumayama Bay. We cannot be sure what the split will be between Usaki and Tokaido though.” Daimyo Ittazen replied.
“Hellebron will know I’m here. We should assume that means two here, one to Tokaido then. Where is the Empress?” Tyrion inquired.
The daimyo was about to reply when the shogun interrupted, cutting the Daimyo off mid-sentence as the Daimyo’s eyes rolled. “We decided the Empress would be safer if she returned to her own homestead in the countryside where she could be protected by her own guards rather than risk her life in a potential protracted siege. A war-zone is no place for a woman in grief, regardless of her station.”
Eldyra cleared her throat in mock amusement whereas Tyrion continued to press the point. “I think you will find there is plenty of grief going around here Your Grace and I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss large portions of your population, you may just need them. How large is the city’s garrison now?”
“My army numbers at roughly 35,000 men as of our latest count.”
“Well you can expect each Ark to have as many as twice that number on board. Are you sure you cannot grow your force larger in time for the battle?” Tyrion answered.
“I’m afraid not. One nasty side-effect of the Druchii’s multi-pronged attack is that no city can spare soldiers to another without risking its own safety from attack, thereby making reinforcements very difficult to find save for inland conscription which all daimyos will fight over. We have had some good news from the continent though. Some of your friends have been in touch. A certain Prince Dalroth of Cothique & Loremaster Kerrinath of Saphery have embarked from the City of Spires with a mixed fleet of Elven sailors and Indyan mercenary vessels. The Dragon Emperor of Grand Cathay has also dispatched his own flotilla of warships to keep the Druchii at bay… much to my own chagrin mind you. Neither fleet will be able to thwart the arks but they hope that if we are able to win any of our battles, their vessels could help chase down Dark Elf survivors.”
“I never expected such support from the continent.” Eldyra commented.
“The Eastern nations have long memories Your Highness. Just as you Elves have your conflicts, so too has this side of the world known the scourge of corsair blades all too often. I don’t think anyone wants to see this Witch Queen gain a new outpost from which to send slaving raids… well, except Khuresh perhaps since they insist on feigning neutrality for reasons that are alien even to me.” the Shogun replied. “Regardless we still have to beat them before any of that and given the numbers disparity that could be difficult.”
“Not necessarily.” Tyrion suggested. “I’ve been thinking about the shape of your bay. Now, Black Arks are incredibly imposing without doubt. They are heavily armoured, boast incredible quantities of soldiers and include various means of attacking their foes as well. However, they have some weaknesses too. Weaknesses we can exploit. Looking at the outlines of the Kumayama Bay, there are several inlets and rocky crevices which would make it difficult for the arks to navigate themselves through but we can go further than that. Shogun, how many reserves of gunpowder do you have for a protracted siege?”
“Enough to last a month I would wager.”
“Alright.” Tyrion mused. “Dump three weeks of it into the water.”
Eldyra looked toward Tyrion with a quizzical stare as he simply continued. “Those reserves are for an extended siege but we will not need to prepare for an extended siege if the Arks never land in the first place. What do you think, Yoritomo?”
“It’s a risky strategy. The arks will send clearing vessels out no doubt. If they clear the way too quickly they could land and we would like the ammunition to keep them at bay for longer than the week.”
“That’s why I suggest we dump more than just barrels of gunpowder in the water. We dump trees, we flatten houses, we cast nets – these will be especially useful if they send khraribdysses or pagowyrms ahead, we throw, we ditch old food, we create shallow waters by pilling sand, we use dead livestock and cowpats, anything, everything we can spare. The more cluttered those waters, the more difficult for the Druchii to land.”
“That would wipe out our fishing industry for decades to come.” The Shogun interrupted.
“If you don’t do it, none of us will live to see those decades.” Tyrion countered.
“Alright, say I agree with you.” The Shogun suggested. “You may hold the second Ark at bay and keep the first one from landing directly but you will not stop that first Ark from sending out smaller vessels. How do you plan to fight the Dark Elves when their soldiers do land?”
“The simple answer is that we do our best to split them up. This is your homeland, you know it better than they do. You pit them into dead-ends, you distract and confuse them, you make sure to sew as much discord in their ranks as possible. Most of all it is imperative you keep as many of them on their boats as possible. Remember that every yard you lose to them is a yard they can then reinforce when the next ship arrives.” Tyrion demanded.
“And will you join them fighting in the streets?” the Daimyo interceded.
“I have a better idea. The Witch Queen came here for me. I’m going to give myself to her… though not where she would prefer.”
“You’re planning to lure her away.” The Shogun claimed.
“Exactly. Hellebron’s position has never been as strong as Maliketh’s was. She won’t trust any commanders of significant merit to hold authority beneath her lest they go on to lay claim to her throne. Therefore, if I can remove her from the battle, the Druchii invading force will be left led by an affirming ignoramus as opposed to a true tactician. Perfect fodder for our means. Meanwhile, I will lure her away and hopefully defeat her, cementing a great blow to their army’s morale.”
The Shogun looked silently over to the Daimyo of Tokaido for a moment before both nodded to each other. “Alright, I will support this plan.” The Shogun concluded.
“What about me?” Eldyra cut in, looking to her master expectedly.
“I have the greatest role of all in mind for you… so far I’ve laid out how we can stall the Black Arks, how the Shogun’s troops can defeat the first Ark’s troops piece by piece and how I intend to kill the Witch Queen. However, this still leaves the second Ark to worry about. Eventually those clearing vessels will make enough space for it to deploy its smaller vessels and when it does, the Shogun’s soldiers will be overrun 4 if not 5 to 1, meaning outright slaughter. I need you and the Knights of Alabast to take the Stormbirds and immobilise or destroy that second Black Ark before it ever gets the chance to attack.” Tyrion commanded.
“But… is that even possible?” Eldyra enquired.
Tyrion brushed by her question as he continued. “Black Arks are incredibly powerful weapons of war but they’re also slow and above all they’re heavy. Legends say that back in the day Malekith suggested having his arks pulled by sea dragons but over time they kept dying from exhaustion.”
“So, they’re heavy. How does that help me take them down?”
“Because of their weight, Malekith suggested they rely on magic to stay afloat instead. These days Black Arks continue in this tradition. Each ark has four mage towers, one at each side of the vessel. The Fleetmaster stays on the bridge and sends messengers to deliver instructions to each tower at a time. Thus the mages take turns directing the ship. If it needs to go starboard, a message is sent to direct the starboard tower in that direction. When the vessel has drifted far enough one messenger will be sent to the starboard tower to tell them to cease navigation while another messenger will be directed to the next tower telling them to take over.You see? Black Arks are powerful but that power makes them clumsy. If you and the Knights of Alabast can circumnavigate the Ark, destroying those towers along the way, it will lose direction. Better yet, it may even sink from its extreme weight.”
“But those upper decks will be littered with bolt throwers, let alone the harpies and manticores that nest near there.”
“I know. I know it’s dangerous. If I could trade places with you I would but only I can lure Hellebron. Know that I have faith in you.”
“A moment ago I asked if this was possible. I’m still waiting for a reply.” Eldyra demanded.
“Theoretically the plan lines up-“
“Tyrion!” Eldyra yelled.
Tyrion sighed as he furrowed his brow and gazed at his boots for a moment, struggling to look her in the eye. “If you do succeed, you will be the first person in history to do so.”
The squire’s eyes widened before tensing again. “So, you’re sending me to my death.”
“Eldyra, the day we came here we sentenced this whole nation to death. We have to try, no matter the risks, we both have a duty to protect Nippon and its people… but that doesn’t mean I don’t I believe in you.”
“No, no I’m not ready.” Eldyra cried exasperated. “I barely beat Beorg and now you want me to take down one of the world’s largest warships with some random birds we found?”
“Eldyra, listen to me. All squires have to leave their knight’s side eventually. I have enjoyed your company. You were there to help me when I doubted myself, I wish I could be there to do the same for you. But sometimes we must learn to fight out own battles. My joy as your teacher… as your friend… will be to watch you soar. I know you can do this and deep down, so do you. So fly little hummingbird. The gods will show you the path…”
______________________________________________________________________________________________

164.1!

War bells rang over Castle Usaki as the dual Black Arks appeared in the distance, bearing their immense armies within. The Nipponese had been busy in the time it took for the Druchii to arrive, throwing everything they could muster into the Kumayama-Wan until it resembled more of a floating rubbish tip than a maritime port. Still the Druchii set upon their plans to lay siege to the nation. As the Nipponese mustered their defences and the Citadel of Desolation loomed over the bay with the Tower of Blessed Dread to its rear, the Dark Elves plotted.

Inside the Citadel sat the Witch Queen clad in a sanguine red as her handmaidens drenched her body in the blood of the weak and the righteous. For each crimson lotion they lathered on her skin, her body rejuvenated, her scars mended, her wounds sealed up as she surveyed the outcroppings of rock, looking for a point of access. Then, as she gazed at those cliffsides beyond Castle Usaki, she suddenly noticed a faint shimmer. Her eyes focussed, her sight growing clearer as she grew younger until finally her target came into view. A lone High Elf warrior clad in gold and silver armour shone under the sunlight as he waved a burning sword atop his steed. Her prey was near and her underlings went off to fetch her wargear.

By the time High Beastmaster Vykiel, commonly referred to as the Monstrous for the way he fed the losers of Har Ganeth’s fighting pits to all manner of twisted abominations, arrived on deck with the ship’s Fleetmaster, the Dreadlord Furion and a combined group of Death Hags and Sorceresses in tow, the Witch Queen was already armoured and making her way to the top deck. The High Beastmaster followed her but to no avail as she clambered upon the back of a Dark Pegasus and flew off before giving any order. With the Queen no longer on board, the remaining commanders turned to Vykiel for instructions. (Hellebron’s story continues in #lorefight 164.3)

And so the stage was set. As Vykiel gave the order to commence the invasion of Castle Usaki. However, there were many foes between him and his goals. These included:

– Yoritomo Ieyasu, Shogun of Nippon and Daimyo of Usaki.

– 4 Shugenja, Nipponese mystics who commune with dark spirits known as Oni in return for sorcerous power.

– 60 of the Hatamoto, the Shogun’s iron-willed samurai bodyguards named after Nippon’s greatest ruler.

– 4,000 Red Devils, samurai sworn to the Shogun’s service clad in red armour. These elite warriors would begin the battle on horseback using bows to draw the distance before dismounting in favour of katana-based melee warfare.

– 2,000 Onna Bushi, wealthy noblewomen who fought alongside the samurai wielding long bladed poles.

– 2,000 Kabusame, samurai specialising in archery over melee warfare.

– 16,000 Ashigaru, the city’s standing military wielding a combination of bows and pikes.

– 10,000 Conscript levies, peasants drawn from the villages and towns near the city, armed with whatever rudimentary weapons they could find.

– 150 Sumo Warriors, warrior monks taken from a secretive order who followed an unsual body-building regime consisting of force feeding and endurance routines. The results were towering masses of fat and muscle wielding giant maces known as Chigiriki.

– Atop the battlements were 6 Mangonel crews (5 men per piece) and 12 Flaming Arrow Launchers (4 crew per piece).

– Additionally, the Asur Prince and Princess had lent 20 Phoenix Guards, 60 Silver Helms and a further 2,000 Gold Company mercenary sea guards to the Shogun’s army.

Nevertheless, despite this impressive garrison boasting over 35,000 defenders, Vykiel could rest assured for he held the greater numbers. His army consisted of:

– Dreadlord Furion of Clar Karond, an early loyalist to the former Witch King Malekith and a rare male Druchii sorcerer. He had been quick to re-declare his loyalty to the Witch Queen after she ascended.

– 6 Sorceresses, all former students of the Hag Sorceress Morathi.

– 10 Death Hags

– 500 of the Queen’s Legion, Black Guard of Naggarond fully dedicated to the service and worship of Khaine and his wordly avatar, the Witch Queen Hellebron.

– 5,000 Grieving Guard, an entire legion of Black Guards of Naggarond previously under the command and tutelage of Kouran Darkhand before his untimely demise.

– 100 Blades of the Blood Queen, the Witch Queen’s most elite executioners who have stood by her since before her ascension to the throne.

– 6,000 Har Ganeth Executioners.

– 15,000 Witch Elves.

– 31,000 Hellebronai. Following her ascension to the throne, the Witch Queen chose to rename all Dreadspears, Darkshards, Corsairs and Bleakswords within her army after herself as a monument to her vanity.

– 6,940 cavalry formed from a combination of Dark Riders, Cold One units, Doomfire Warlocks and Chariots.

– 8 Kharibdysses.

– 6 Pagowyrms.

– 10 War Hydras.

– 20 Bloodwrack Medusae.

– 2 Bloodwrack Shrines.

As the Shogun watched the Witch Queen fly off after her displaced prince, the Shogun watched as the Citadel of Desolation opened its lower decks, releasing a flotilla of smaller vessels setting out to deploy the Druchii troops into the battlefield.

….

◙ Laugh React: However, any defence the Shogun and his army could muster was quickly rendered pointless as a messenger arrived at his side carrying a letter. It appeared that while the Shogun had been keen to hold onto his resolve and follow Prince Tyrion’s plan, such ambitions were to be undermined. Lord Ittazen of Tokaido had chosen to appease the invading Druchii rather than resist them, granting free access through his city to the Black Ark set to burn his dominion to the ground. Another 50,000 Druchii led by Ilyana Darkwind, Aspirant Hag Sorceress of Ghrond, had already landed and were on their way to reinforce Vykiel’s army. Combined with the threat of Lokhir Fellheart’s army should Eldyra fail to immobilise the Tower of Blessed Dread, Castle Usaki could find itself outnumbered as much as six to one. No lone fortification could withstand such power without divine intervention. Alas, perhaps diplomatic options were the better path to venture now. If Yoritomo discarded his alliance with the Asur, pledged his nation to the Witch Queen now and handed over the Prince of Cothique and Princess of Tiranoc before her arrival, she may just choose to spare a portion of the nation’s population. Yoritomo knew he would not be part of that lucky group of course. The Dark Elves would want to send a message to those who consider allying with the wrong side. But his life no longer mattered in the grand scheme of his nation’s survival. Sometimes, every Samurai must known when he is beaten.

….

The Druchii vessels neared the coastline and the castle’s battlements opened their salvos, firing hundreds of burning bolts and exploding barrels from their artillery pieces as the Druchii ships crashed and coursed over the crests of coastal waves. Once they were close enough, the citiy’s archers began to loose their arrows, sending volley after volley as crossbow-wielding Hellebronai returned with bolt-fire of their own. The Nipponese archer-loosing was relentless as a few Druchii ships caught on fire before they could make landfall. But more came… as far the eye could see, more would come.

First along the banks of the coast were scores of pike-wielding Ashigaru, standing there with sea water up to their knees in an effort to hold ground but as the Hellebronai drew near and threw themselves from their vessels, wading through waves with water up to their pectorals, there was no chance the waves would stop them. The first ranks of Hellebronai crashed into the pike-walls as devastating melee combat ensued. For every man that fell on either side, another soon took his place, as they fought over mere inches of sand. Nevertheless, more were coming.

As Hellebronai ships continued to land and reinforce the army, the Druchii began sending heavier troops, launching vessels containing crews of frenzied witch elves led by Death Hags, many of which cut through their own Hellebronai allies in order to get to the front of the battle. These cultists began tearing through the first line of defenders, hurling their daggers past their allies with reckless abandon and climbing over another with all manner of agility to bring the Ashigaru into close combat. The Nipponese pressed on however, reinforcing their pike wall with further Ashigaru and conscripted levies while archers led by the Kabusame and artillery forced devastated the incoming vessels with over-arching precision. However, this strategy crumbled once the medusae and bloodwrack shrines were deployed. These sinuous vixens hurled themselves into combat, tripping up Ashigaru’s feet and petrifying others with their gaze as they broke a hole through that pike-wall.

As soon as the first hole emerged, the pike-wall began to crumble. Nipponese soldiers attempted to fill the gap but it only grew larger and larger as Witch Elves hacked and slashed their way through reinforcers. By now the water was down to their thighs, the Nipponese pushed back so much the water barely reached past their shins. Now was the time the Druchii punched through the Nipponse defenders while their lines were weakened. The Kharibdysses emerged from the waves, hurling themselves into battle as they let off their piercing, screaming cries, followed closely behind by the albino merwyrms Vykiel had enslaved. These monsters were protected by the fact the pikewall was too condensed for the defending Ashigaru to properly ward their spears in the monsters’ directions. Thus, the great sea beasts broke through. In mere seconds the Nipponese human wall broke as thousands turned and fled.

Keen to press their advantage, Vykiel sent the Dark Elf cavalry into battle. As Hellebronai and Witch Elves pressed up the beach fighting through remaining brave Nipponese soldiers, Druchii cavalry units passed through the exposed gaps, allowing the Dark Riders, Cold One riders and Doomfire Warlocks to chase fleeing opponents down and send them to their makers – all while the chariots looped round and attacked the remaining brave Ashigaru and peasant levies from behind.

But all was not lost, for a soldier who overplays his hand in an advantageous situation is an overconfident soldier nonetheless. Suddenly and strikingly, several of the Ashigaru that had been fleeing the Druchii cavalry turned back toward their offending oppressors and removed their armoured vests, revealing satchels of lit gunpowder tied to their chests. While other soldiers fled in genuine fear, these brave Kumazawe ran headlong into the oncoming ranks of cavalry, giving their lives for their homes, friends and Shogun as they exploded upon impact, removing huge numbers of cavalry in an instant. With the Druchii’s cavalry advantage expended and a large portion of battlefield cleared by the exploding Ashigaru, this left plenty of space for a counter-attack. Thus, the Shogun joined the Hatamoto at the head of his thousands strong force Red Devils. The Samurai drew forward, ready to charge into battle, remove the Druchii presence from their backlines and reinforce the pikewall to push the Dark Elves back into the sea.

Vykiel looked on in despair from afar as thousands of mounted soldiers had been lost through his hubris. However, he was not about to let his embarrassment turn to further losses at the hands of a Samurai charge. Thus, as Dreadlord Furion came up to him, Vykiel ordered the deployment of their most elite units: the Black Guards, Har Ganeth Executioners and War Hydras.

….

◙ Wow React: Furion walked up to Vykiel, gesturing to the High Beastmaster as if he hadn’t heard him in order to come closer then suddenly, the Dreadlord pulled out a dagger and slashed at the High Beastmaster’s throat.

Vykiel gasped for a moment as a spurt of blood ejected from his new gaping orifice before falling to the floor on the deck of the Citadel of Desolation’s bridge. The vessel’s captains drew their swords but Furion turned to the sorceresses and nodded. They then jointly called on their magics and proceeded to decapitate and broadly dismember the black ark’s command structure who were charging toward the Dreadlord. As one captain fell, he uttered a simple question. “Why?”

“There is only one Witch King… and his name is Malekith.” Furion replied before leaving the captain to die in a pool of his own blood.

Down below on the lower decks, the Har Ganeth Executioners fronted by the Blades of the Blood Queen were boarding their vessels unaware of the mutiny upstairs, ready to join the battle on the coastline. However, these intentions were soon to be scuppered as the Grieving Guard emerged in its totality and surrounded their vessels, leaving no way of escape as they chopped through the ships’ boarding planks with their halberds. The Executioners were stuck, forced onto their ships without means of returning to the Citadel as the Grieving Guard brought out the War Hydras and jointly set light to the Executioners’ ships. The Executioners were thusly left there to die, with the simple choice of burning to death on their ships or attempting to swim back to deck whereupon they would be hacked to death by a halberd’s blade before they could even climb up. With the Executioners broadly dealt with, a conciliatory force of Grieving Guard watched the burning ships for stragglers while the rest marched up through the bowels of the Black Ark, murdering the Witch Queen’s loyalists deck by deck and easily overpowering the comparatively small Queen’s Legion.

Once Malekith’s loyalists had successfully purged the Citadel of Desolation from treasonous subverters, Furion and the Sorceresses took over control of the ark’s movements, leaving the late Vykiel’s army to fend for themselves in the face of resurgent Nipponese forces on the beaches of the Kumayama-Wan as the Ark set a course for the Isles of Tor Elithis. There the Ark would swear fealty to Morathi’s rival faction and await the return of the true Witch King of Naggaroth.

….

As the gates to Castle Usaki opened and the Red Devils emerged on horseback with their shogun at their fore, all while scores of vessels containing Black Guards and Executioners advanced toward the mainland, the battle would soon reach its zenith.

The Shogun waved his blade and the Samurai advanced followed behind by the Silver Helms, the hooves of their collective horses pounded away as they flung up great piles of sand and dirt from the beach battlefield as they made their charge, their riders launching a volley of arrows before drawing their katanas and hurling themselves into battle, slicing through scores of witch elves and Hellebronai like butter to reinforce those Ashigaru and conscripted peasants who still held the line. While Vykiel preferred to strategise from the safety of his bridge, Shogun Yoritomo Ieyasu fought on the front lines of the samurai’s charge alongside the Hatamoto and he was among the first to draw sword against the incoming Blades of the Blood Queen. He swerved and he tossed, clashing and slashing at the weakpoints in the Executioners’ sword-dance and though he soon took a bolt to the knee from a crossbow-wielding Hellebronai formerly known as a Darkshard, that wouldn’t keep him or his elite warriors from playing their part.

Behind the Har Ganeth Executioners landed the Black Guard, both of the Grieving and Queen’s variety, as well as the War Hydras but this too was countered in part as the Onna Bushi, Phoenix Guards and Sumo Warriors joined the fray. The noblewomen of the Onna Bushi went straight for the War Hydras, hoping to bring them down with their poles while the Sumo Warriors belly-flopped right into the advancing ranks of Black Guard, helping create gaps and clear a path through the Druchii’s ranks as the Kharibdysses had done earlier to the Ashigaru. But this was not all, the Sumo Warriors were covered in a strange, sweet-smelling viscous formulation… a familiar sensation… honey!

Right at the back of the advancing Nipponese troops were the Shugenja casting a ritual in honour of their other-worldly Onni, a ritual that concluded in the bursting open of a portal from whence man-sized demonic bees emerged. These bees buzzed around the battlefield before being drawn to the scent of their stolen ichor. With each swipe of their Chigirikis, the Sumo Warriors poured honey on their enemy Black Guard ranks, attracting the bees to attack them. Granted, the Sumo Warriors would be stung too by the angry insects but their large bodies offered them a layer of protection from their stingers, a protection the Black Guards were not so readily afforded as angry man-sized bees flew down and gored them to death.

Still, no matter what antics the Nipponese troops pulled the simple truth remained in place. They were hopelessly outnumbered. The Shogun and his 6,000 elite soldiers were putting in a grand effort but that didn’t mean they could necessarily take down almost 12,000 Har Ganeth Executioners and Black Guard. Furthermore, while the original wall of Ashigaru had all but crumbled save for some pockets of stalwart resistance, there were still at least 7,000 of the initial Druchii invasion force on the beach. Indeed, while the Castle’s artillery ordinances were running low on ammunition and many Kabusame & Sea Guards had already joined the melee engagement after loosing all their arrows, the Druchii were still sending out landing vessels with freshly motivated Hellebronai onboard. Thus, as the Nipponese military entered fatigue, the shogun was forced to call his soldiers back, relinquishing the beach-head to the Druchii entirely as they fell back to the safety of the castle’s battlements.

The army ran back through the castle’s gates, heading into the castle and from there back toward the central keep. As they ran back from the encroaching Druchii, the crews of the artillery ordinances loosed their last few payloads from the external city walls before abandoning their weapons in favour of sallying back with the rest of the army. As the Nipponese ventured back inside the city, they proceeded to board up the gates and look for items to hurl upon the invaders from above, all while the Shugenja prepared a second ritual before their Onni.

….

◙ Sad React: Unfortunately, Yoritomo and his army had ventured straight into a trap upon returning to the Castle. For just as they were finished letting in all remaining 5,000 or so troops into the castle and proceeded to barricade the castle’s gates shut, it transpired they were not alone. Above them in the rafters, sitting on beams, hanging from statues and standing in the eves of ceilings scattered across the castle were hundreds if not thousands of Shades!

Before anyone knew how to react the Shades commenced the loosing of their repeater crossbows, plunging every room into a sudden deluge of death by bolt. Most Samurai had little opportunities to even defend themselves as they were struck by numerous shots before they could so much as pick up a bow to answer in kind.

In the meantime, Vykiel the Monstrous had disembarked from the Citadel of Desolation and was making his way up the beach toward the castle gates with the remaining Black Guard, Executioners, Witch Elves and Hellebronai in tow, all while the War Hydras and remaining Kharibdysses were battering down and burning through every single entrance to the castle they could find.

Vykiel strode through the broken entrance to the city gates, followed closely behind by his favourite War Hydra. Every way he looked he passed statues depicting ancient beasts holding up the cities’ columns and rooftops. Moreover, those statues were invariably surrounded by the corpses of dozens of samurai felled by bolts or being put out of their misery by the quick thrust of a halberd’s tip. Some rooms held hundreds of corpses alone. As he made his way through the castle-city he was joined by more and more of his sub-commanders who’d entered from differing directions, making sure to cut off anyone who tried to escape, until finally, he entered the keep’s throne room.

There stood Yoritomo and a dozen of his Samurai, the last survivors of the Nipponese army, deliberately kept alive for the High Beastmaster. Even now the Shogun still held his katana aloft, threatening any of the many executioners that stood near him should they deign to approach. His bravery amused Vykiel but this time for good reason. There was no way out this time. “So begins the fall of the Land of the Rising Sun.” The High Beastmaster commented before making a gesture with his hand. His Hydra reared its heads and spewed forth a torrent of flame against their foes. The Shogun was dead. Castle Usaki had fallen. This same fate would soon befall all Nippon.

….

◙ Love React: The Shogun and his Samurai boarded themselves up inside the castle, sending soldiers to every entrance, every tunnel, every exit. The Druchii may be coming. They may hold greater numbers but this didn’t mean it would be an easy victory for them. Soldiers ran up to the battlements of the castle’s inner walls, chucking down streams of anything they could find upon the invaders. Rocks and debris from the prior destruction of property used to clog up the bay, shards of glass from temple windows, even chucking boiling water on the Druchii. But there were always more of them to come and as the city gates buckled and recoiled under the strain of hydra breath, it seemed death was inevitable. The gates broke and the Druchii entered, ransacking their way through the city. Outnumbering and overpowering scores of Samurai wherever they went through sheer weight of arms alone. Wherever they went, noble Samurai and surviving Nipponese troops fought tooth and nail to keep them at bay but it seemed impossible. With every moment, the Druchii took more ground until finally, Vykiel and his cadre of beasts could see the Royal Keep ahead of them.

Nevertheless, as the High Beastmaster made his way toward the royal keep, the Shugenja had one last move available to them, a ritual that would bear terrible consequences upon their own lives but given the choice between dying this way or dying at the hands of Dark Elf’s sabre, the choice was clear. The Shugenja gathered in their circle and enacted Castle Usaki’s final sanction. With each gesture of their hands their skin withered, with each word their language turned less audible, which each moment their lifespan shrank as they aged rapidly, their hair falling out in real-time until they all collapsed onto the ground, dead.

Moments later, the whole city complex began to shudder and quake, followed closely behind by the sound of falling buildings and city columns. Yet it was what happened next that truly confirmed the ritual had succeeded. The sound of Druchii… screaming. The Shogun gave the order to reopen the keep’s gates and he & his soldiers poured outside to see that the city’s statues had sprung to life in opposition to the invaders’ advances. The Temple Dogs had risen!

These statues carved from stone, marble and jade darted and galloped around the city picking off Druchii stragglers and messing up Dark Elf formations with ease. Some were in the shape of hounds, others in the forms of other great beasts but always just as deadly. The Hellebronai, Witch Elves, Executioners and Black Guards found their weapons were next to useless against these statues, their blades glancing off the rock with every blow before a temple dog responded by slapping away a dozen more Druchii. With enough strikes the dogs could go down, but it was hardly enough to make it worthwhile. Only the Dark Elves’ monsters could do serious damage to them.

Thus the Samurai of Nippon advanced from their keep to rejoin the battle one final time. For every yard they had lost, they regained five in the same amount of time as the Druchii. Vykiel was left stunned by the surrounding carnage, everywhere he looked his troops were running amok, their formations utterly eradicated until he found himself on the end of an Onna Bushi’s polearm.

The great retaliation continued, pushing the Druchii back out of the city to the point they soon found themselves fighting over the beach again. Every step they wavered, every step the Samurai retook. Eventually, the Druchii could feel the cold brush of sea water brushing against their ankles again. A few minutes later it was up to their knees… then their thighs…. then their bellies. Finally the water was up to their chests and a simple truth dawned on them. There was nowhere left to fall back to. Some Druchii managed to slip back on to their boats, some opted to surrender before the Nipponese victors, most willingly gave themselves to the sea. Their invasion was over.

Having secured victory despite unlikely odds, the Samurai and their allies cheered in celebration, looking forward to capturing every single remaining Druchii and putting them to the sword or to simply get some rest. However, the Shogun felt only sorrow as he gazed upon the great Temple Dogs. The Onni like many other-wordly beings were fickle and demanded high prices for their power. In the case of the summoning of Temple Dogs, that price came through the fracturing and imprisoning of the casters’ souls. In other words, every single temple dog roaming about the battlefield contained a fragment of one of the Shugenja’s souls, a fragment now permanently conscious and bound to these statues that would soon return to dormancy. Whereas Yoritomo hoped that many of his comrades who died today would receive a peaceful rest in their next life, the sorcerers who ensured the city’s final protection definitely would not.

When today started the Shogun had over 35,000 soldiers at his side. By the end of it, over 90% were dead… and all of this could have been avoided had his nation never made a pact with the Asur in the first place.

164.2!

With the Shogun’s army set to fight the first Dark Elf landing party and her teacher making sure to lure the Witch Queen away from the battle, Eldyra and the rest of the Knights of Alabast had a straight forward mission ahead of themselves; stop any Druchii reinforcements from landing by doing as much damage to their vessels using the newly tamed “Stormbirds”, a race of elemental avians indigenous to Nippon and rather similar to the Arcane Phoenixes of old. There were but two rather glaring issues with this plan. Firstly, the Knights of Alabast were a cavalry regiment and so had little experience in aerial combat and secondly, any vessels set to land would be supported by their flagship, the black ark known as the Blessed Dread – the pride and joy of the Fellheart dynasty and their latest heir who had recently received a promotion from the Witch Queen. Any attempt to succeed in their mission would inevitably mean going up against all the firepower it had to muster, a seemingly impossible feat for a single regiment to accomplish.
Still, her teacher’s words rang in Eldyra’s ears. If Nippon’s capital fell it would mark an unstoppable tidal wave of Druchii victories; morale would crumble, Nippon’s fleet to the North would fall into desertion or worse, disband into piracy and the Dark Elves would go on to erase this whole nation from history before doing the same to all other Asur-aligned regions in this part of the world. Defeat was not an option.
And so, with explosions going off below by the docks as the first Druchii force clashed with the Shogun’s army, the stormbird riders took off from the rooftop of Castle Usaki to prevent further reinforcement.
The phoenix squadron flew in formation first, finding little difficulty in navigating around the first ark as its crew were much too preoccupied with deploying its army and firing its bolt throwers at the castle’s defenders. The second ark, their target would be a whole other matter however.
Meanwhile, over on the Blessed Dread black ark.
“Lord High Fleetmaster on the bridge!” a retainer announced as Lokhir Fellheart, the Krakenlord himself entered and sat atop his throne carved from semi-igneous rock. “Soon our invasion will be underway. We have all planned long and hard for this great conquest. The people of this nation signed their death warrants the moment they brokered a pact with the Asur. Let the Nipponese extermination commence!”
“My lord, our clearing vessels are well underway removing traps and blockages in the bay.” a captain informed him.
“Good, in the meantime ready our bolt throwers, prime our sorceresses. Until we can land, we will bombard the Castle from afar!”
“My lord, unidentified flying beasts approach… their riders bear the banners of Tiranoc.” another fleetmaster informed Fellheart.
“Then it would appear our Asur Princess wishes to play a game. Oh how I would hate to disappoint her high standards. Loose all bolts on that squadron! Scramble the harpies, unleash the manticores!”
The skies darkened for a moment as an immense swarm of flying creatures teamed out from the top deck of the arkship but even then this was far from the worst as a two meter long metal rod suddenly passed one of the riders, missing him by only a foot or two.
“Bolt loosage! Break formation!” Eldyra commanded as the stormbird riders spread out to mitigate damage they took. “Brace for impact!” Eldyra yelled as the swarm of harpies intermingled by ferocious manticores pounced into battle.
….
Sad React: Eldyra and her squadron never stood a chance as the harpies collided with each one of the Knight’s mounts, flocking around them and tearing at their riders or simply breaking their harnesses such that the harpies could drag the knights off their mounts and send them plummeting to their deaths in the frigid ocean waters below.
This was just the beginning though as the manticores followed, engaging the stormbirds head on in melee aerial combat, striking at the phoenixes with such speed and ferocity that many birds become overwhelmed and fell from the air so quickly they could scarcely defend themselves with their elemental abilities. As more and more stormbirds fell, it became more and more difficult for them to function together. preventing them from stirring the vortexes they were meant for. Eventually, all but one were plucked from the sky and mangled or merely dropped to their deaths. As for Eldyra, she was ripped from her saddle and carried back to the Blessed Dread, her arms held aloft by the clawed feat of the harpies, to be interrogated and executed by the Lord High Fleetmaster.
(If this option wins, add 5 votes to whichever Druchii-leaning outcome is winning in the main Nippon vs Dark Elves battle.)
….
◙ Angry React: The Dark elf monster swarm collided into the Alabast knights and their storm-driven mounts with unparalleled ferocity having been supported by the spellcasts of the Ark’s mage towers where nefarious sorceresses cast despicable spells to empower these fiends to ever greater levels with additional limbs and sharper claws.
One by one Eldyra watched as her fellow riders were plucked from the air and sent tumbling into the depths below. The stormbirds were hopelessly outnumbered by the Druchii’s air forces. Eldyra considered alternative courses of action including retreating and regrouping at the castle for a second offensive yet this possibility grew less and less likely every second as her company were surrounded and slain.
Eventually so many of her company had been killed that the odds of delivering a successful bombing run against the mage towers seemed nigh-on impossible.
And so as Tyrion’s words rang in her ears, Eldyra made an executive decision. She may not be able to take this behemoth down, but cutting off its head would surely help diminish its power. Therefore, Eldyra reformed with what few remaining riders she had at her disposal and commanded them to deliver one final desperate charge straight into Fellheart’s bridge.
As Fellheart rose from his basalt throne to gain a better overview of the battle he instead became alarmed when he saw a group of birds wreathed in flame and lightning flying straight for his deck. He turned to run to safety but it was too late. Eldyra and her riders crashed into the bridge, their mounts erupting into a blazing storm that fried both their riders and the leadership of the Blessed Dread.
The mage towers still stood of course and the immense black ark could sustain the structural loss of its bridge thanks to its grandeur. Thus the remaining armies on board the ark were still able to reinforce the primary invasion force once their waterways were cleared. However, without leadership these reinforcements were less well directed and suffered from lower morale going into the battle on the mainland.
(If this option wins, add 2 votes to whichever Druchii-leaning outcome is winning in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf battle.)
….
◙ Laugh React: The Dark Elf air force engaged the stormbirds and their High Elf riders with all the ferocity they could muster. However, despite the Alabast elves having comparatively little experience in riding their mounts, they found the Stormbirds had natural advantages in this contest. They were faster than manticores, allowing them to outmanoeuvre those clawed beasts well enough. Meanwhile, the elemental trails left by the stormbirds had an immediate psychological effect on the harpies with their poor morale, for no harpies wished to see themselves burnt or electrocuted. As such, the Harpies could only hope to take a rider down by plucking them from their saddle.
By the time the stormbird riders delivered their tempestuous torrents into the first of the mage towers only four of their company had died, with one rider knocked off his perch by a harpy’s talon while the other three were all nailed by bolt fire emanating from the Ark itself. The deaths continued to mount only gradually as the second tower was taken out before suddenly rising sharply once Eldyra learnt that the third tower was located right next to the harpies’ nests, thereby spurring the winged she-beasts to swallow their fears and strike more furiously in defence of the tower in case its destruction damaged their dwellings. By the time this third tower was down only 13 of the stormbirds and their riders remained. Nine had been shot down by bolt throwers or the towers’ magics, one was savagely mauled after being forced to break formation and being caught within the jaws of a manticore and 14 Knights of Alabast had been torn apart by the ravenous harpies seeking to protect their homes.
With less than a third of the company left, Eldyra knew getting to this last tower would be difficult as more and more harpies neared, now angry at her for destroying their nests. However, if Eldyra gave up now it would only mean her soldiers died in vain. Thus she continued.
The stormbirds soared, ducked and dived, scorching the battlements of the black ark’s bolt-throwing batteries as one by one the bolts’ trajectories grew more accurate and riders continued being picked off. Still Eldyra pressed on and neared the fourth and final tower before smothering its occupants in whitish blue storm-fire. With the task completed and the black ark immobilised thanks to its lack of organised sorceresses capable of steering the vessel, Eldyra and her handful of remaining knights flew back to the mainland to help the Nipponese army by dropping their burning projectiles on the oncoming dark elf infantry that were already assaulting the mainland.
Meanwhile, Lokhir realised that without his mage towers to steer the ark and provide magical protections for the behemoth, the Blessed Dread was effectively a sitting target at risk of receiving more cannon-fire from the mainland than their bolt-throwers could possibly return. Lokhir gave the instruction to abandon the Blessed Dread and to instead sail all lesser vessels they had to the other battle going on over at Tokaido. At least there the bay wasn’t filled with sea mines.
(If this option wins, add 4 votes to whichever Nippon-leaning outcome is winning in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf battle.)
….
….
….
(Prelude to Wow & Love React)
“Halfwits! I’ve seen Bretonnian snail catchers direct beasts better than this!” Lokhir yelled angrily at his captains and fleetmasters as he pointed at the oncoming stormbird-riders who were successfully evading his air force. “As usual, I must mend your mistakes. Get me a mount!”
“Aye m’lord. We have procured a manticore ready and waiting for you on the 12th starboard deck.”
“Do I look like a man who flies atop a paltry manticore?! I’m taking the dragon on the lower deck. See that it has been saddled by the time I arrive.” Lokhir instructed as he rose from his chair.
“With respect m’lord” the underling replied, “High Beastmaster Vykiel has not finished rearing the black drake Maelstrom. He submitted it for further conditioning after it attempted to kill its last rider. It would take a master tamer to steer that dragon now.”
“Bah! Nary an excuse for Vykiel to claim the beast for his own stables. It was my corsairs who captured the creature and it is I who will ride upon it. As for its behaviour, the cruel visage of the Krakenlord’s stare will teach it obedience. That I assure you…” Lokhir concluded as he stomped off toward the stairs.
Meanwhile the Knights of Alabast were flying steady, having just taken down the second mage tower. 28 out of the 41 pairings of rider and stormbird remained with Eldyra at the head of their formation. The riders continued their attack, assuredly pressing on toward the third tower and its harpy nests. However, just as they were about to begin their assault, a great roar sounded as the mighty black dragon Maelstrom rose up from the decks below, there to protect the tower while ridden by the Krakenlord himself. With the harpies and manticores pursuing the stormbirds and their riders from behind, there would be no opportunity to retreat or take a different route. Destroying the tower would mean flying straight on into the dragon’s path.
….
◙ Wow React: The great Maelstrom unleashed its fury as the cascading waves of its roar tore through the air, unseating four riders from their mounts before the fight had even begun. Still, the remaining 24 stormbirds and their riders continued their journey as the dragon’s roar grew and climaxed with the belching of a humongous ashen clouds of noxious gas that killed a further ten riders. Thus the dragon took flight and swiped its claws at the riders, narrowly missing Eldyra as she took an evasive ducking manoeuvre but still slashing through another two riders as the dragon made its turn-about.
With 16 of the 28 riders dead in the matter of a minute, Eldyra and the remaining riders had no choice but to ignore their impending demises and focus on their targets at hand. They were ultimately successful, unleashing their storm-flurries on the third mages’ tower but to no enhanced safety on their end as the circling dragon came in for another attack, swiping another 2 riders from their saddles and fulminating a further 5 with its toxic breaths.
As Eldyra circled around the Blessed Dread, the final mages’ tower came into view though she could not help but notice that only 4 Knights of Alabast still flew by her side. There was however one thing she couldn’t notice. Lokhir and his dragon. As she and her knights looked behind them they saw the ravenous manticores and harpies enraged at the loss of their nests following behind them with great fervour but the great drake was nowhere to be seen.
They continued with their mission, however few of them still remained. They hoped even a single gust of a stormbird’s wings would be enough to break a tower’s seal. They approached the tower, the radiant light of the sun glistening on the High Elves’ armour in this final assault but then, the light vanished and shadow proceeded to loom over them. Eldyra looked up to the sky for a moment as she saw Maelstrom descending down from the heavens, flying straight above the remaining stormbirds. The dragon let out one final foul discharge and Eldyra and her companions were engulfed in the Black Dragon’s maladies, followed mere seconds later by all their stormbirds dropping into the sea as they coughed up blood and sank beneath the waves.
With the High Elves vanquished, Lokhir made his way back to the Blessed Dread. He had just completed a successful test run for his new mount and was now keen to get on with deploying his troops to the mainland without further delay.
(If this option wins, award 6 votes to the winning Druchii-leaning option in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf battle.)
….
◙ Love React: The dragon arched its neck over the third tower and roared at the oncoming squadron of Stormbirds. Eldyra commanded them into a looser formation, hoping that if the dragon did unleash its breath it wouldn’t have a large enough arc to kill them all.
Nevertheless, Lokhir had a different plan and ordered the dragon into a melee advance. The dragon dashed forward, using the High Elves’ loose formations to its advantage as all four legs were granted a target to slash in place of just one side of the dragon attacking. Similarly, the dragon was able to liberally swing its tail at the enemies as it zoomed by them.
As Eldyra watched seven of her cohort tumble to their deaths after being unseated by the Dragon’s attack, she feared for her mission’s odds of success. But fortunately… or unfortunately depending how one looks at it, a surprising development arose. Instead of circling around to pick off more Stormbirds, Maelstrom had instead charged into the flock of manticores and harpies that were previously pursuing the Asur.
The enslaved dragon displayed its hunger, crunching down on whole manticores with its gaping maws while it swatted the harpies away from it as if they were annoying flies. Meanwhile, Lokhir was angrily trying to regain control over the dragon as the High Elves neared the third tower. Over and over the Krakenlord demanded obedience from his mount but it continued on eating its allies without care until finally, Lokhir resorted to desperate measures and plunged the smaller of his Red Blades into the dragon’s back. Maelstrom screeched in anguish as sundering Indyan steel pierced its scales. reminding it who was in charge. Nevertheless, by the time this happened the High Elves had already destroyed the third tower.
The Stormbirds and their riders made their last assaults, flying toward the fourth tower with a significant lead over the pursuing Black Dragon and surviving aerial bestial denizens. Maelstrom was faster than the Stormbirds thanks to the high wind resistances at sea. Where a single flap of its great wings could carry the dragon dozens of yards, the Stormbirds and their shorter wingspans needed several strides to cross that same distance while travelling against the headwind. Nonetheless, onwards the birds flew, batting away as their lead over the dragon diminished but not quickly enough to stop them from reaching the fourth tower first. The Stormbirds unleashed their volleys of lightning and fire, eager to destroy this citadel once and for all.
Nothing. They barely dented it.
It appeared that throughout all the commotion of the battle overhead and the black dragon’s involvement, the sorceresses in this final tower had gained just enough time to cast a protective ward over the tower, temporarily sacrificing the Black Ark’s mobility to boost their own defences. The stormbirds circled around and came in for another strike. This one did some damage but the seal continued to mitigate most of it. Had this all been in vain? Even just one surviving tower would be enough to keep the Ark afloat and mobile.
Then just as all seemed pointless, Eldyra had an idea as she directed her allies to return to the mainland fight the oncoming dark elves that had already made landfall. Then, Eldyra turned her stormbird and proceeded to fly straight toward Maelstrom and Lokhir Fellheart.
The dragon neared and opened its maws for a noxious breath attack but Eldyra and her mount ducked into a divebomb, moving out of the breaths way and tempting the dragon to follow them as it swooped down, almost unseating its rider through its sudden whiplashing movements. Eldyra proceeded to take the dragon on a joy ride past the lower decks of the Blessed Dread. Though the wind pressure meant her bird was technically slower in crossing all-out distances, it was able to take sharper turns than the dragon. Meanwhile, the winds made the dragon’s breaths increasingly inaccurate as Eldyra ducked and weaves her way around the dragon.
Maelstrom and Lokhir became so fixated on catching up to Eldyra that they soon lost interest in all else, barely taking in their surroundings until finally, the Stormbird directed the dragon straight into the path of the 4th mage tower. Eldyra and her bird ducked out of the way but the dragon was less manoeuvreble, forcing it to ram straight through the tower’s architecture.
As the dragon smashed into the warded stone structure, Lokhir desperately flung himself from his saddle only for disaster to strike as Maelstrom’s reins coiled round his right leg and pulled him into the wreckage. Down Lokhir and Maelstrom tumbled, smashing through deck after deck as Lokhir’s mask wore against the black ark’s structure, scraping across its battlements like a hand across barnacles. The mask chipped away in realtime and soon Lokhir’s own face was being dragged along and mangled beyojd recognition. By the time Lokhir and Maelstrom finally hit the sea, the Krakenlord was long dead with half his face shredded in the process.
As the magical bindings over the Blessed Dread failed, a general evacuation was called as the Ark began to sink. Some Dark Elf vessels headed for land, many of which were blown up by the mines in their way. Others decided to sail away, opting to head toward Tor Elithis where they would request to join Morathi’s rival faction as opposed to continue fighting under the Witch Queen’s doomed banners. Eldyra made her way back to the mainland to help the Nipponese defenders in any way she could, having secured a successful mission. The Blessed Dread was no more.
(If this option wins, award six votes to the leading Nipponese option in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf conflict)

164.3!

The Dark Elf queen soared high above her subjects and their battle with the Nipponese army in pursuit of the Asur prince riding away from the battlefield upon his shining steed. Over hills and down through the valleys the chase went on until finally, Malhandir stopped leading her dark pegasus on.
Prince Tyrion, the Defender of Ulthuan and now the Warden of Nippon dismounted from his steed’s saddle and stood below the shade of a Cherry Blossom tree, waiting for the Dark elf to land which of course Hellebron eventually did.
“Did you think you could run from me?” Hellebron asked as she jumped down from her saddle and drew her two blades, the Deathsword and the Cursed Blade. As she approached she noticed some changes to the Asur prince’s appearance. There were Eastern furnishings and red rune carvings added to his traditional gold and silver armour. Furthermore, in addition to his burning longsword Sunfang that he always carried with him, Tyrion had a shorter curved blade sheathed to his waist-side. This short sword was akin to the Wakizashi blades that traditionally accompanied the katanas used by local Samurai. Yet even greater than these material changes to Tyrion’s appearance was that of his demeanour. Hellebron sensed a state of calm, a serene feeling eminating from the prince as if he had recently fought some of his daemons and come out on the other side as a stronger man. One thing was certain. Tyrion was in no mood for fleeing. “So, where is your ambush hiding then? Don’t think they will keep me from claiming your life young princeling.”
“No reinforcements. No ambush. I led you away from the battle so we could settle this once and for all. You and me, man against woman, Asur against Druchii, this feud ends today. You may call yourself Witch Queen but in my eyes you will always be nothing but a Crone.”
“I see…and whatever made you think I was gullible enough to allow a fair fight in return, O Prince?” Hellebron taunted as a pair of Khainite Assassins appeared only a few yards behind where Tyrion was standing. “Did you really think I wouldn’t send agents out ahead of my invasion? Just as you have been collecting information on my whereabouts no doubt, so too have my Shades been creeping across these isles in search of a tactical advantage. Speaking of which… did the Shogun ever tell you who suggested moving the Empress to the countryside?”
At that moment one of the assassins reached into their pocket and pulled out a dismembered hand, a noblewoman’s hand.

Tyrion’s mood dropped for a moment as Hellebron decided to continue. “I’ve had informants in the Shogun’s inner circle for months now. We’ve kept an eye on their every move and helped steer their views accordingly… that widow never stood a chance… so tell me, do you really think the Princess of Tiranoc has a chance at taking down one of my flagships or are you so blind in your own hubris that you sent her off to die knowing she stood no chance of ever coming back?”

Tyrion raised his expression anew, forcing a neutral expression onto his face as he replied. “I have faith in my Squire.”

“Then let us see if your faith in her exceeds my own god’s faith in me. You were right about one thing however, O Prince. Our feud will end today… end with your head mounted on my ship and this nation in flames! Caldath, Jahama, let us show this city-slicker what happens when he finds himself surrounded by Har Ganeth’s finest!”
….
(Prelude to Laugh and Angry React)
Hellebron let out a fierce warcry as she whipped out her blades and darted toward the High Elf prince. Tyrion responded in kind, igniting Sunfang and drawing his own second blade while the assassins charged at him from behind with their poisoned daggers.

Hellebron led the attack, slashing at the High Elf prince with both her swords as he deflected one with his longsword and evaded the other while using his short katana to block Caldath’s first strike. The three Druchii struck in fluid synchronized motion, almost getting a slash in only for the Prince to evade all three again with a dodge and roll. However, Tyrion knew as well as they did that in order to stand a chance at victory, he would need to attack at some point.

Thus he did exactly that, creating a burning arc with his longsword while he attempted to thrust the katana toward Hellebron’s body during the confusion the flame would call. However, the assassins predicted his move, thus as he reared forward to stab the Queen, Jahama lunged forward and perfectly stabbed one of their daggers through the back of Tyrion’s left hand, causing him to drop the katana and relent in pain. But the Witch Queen was not one for idle mercy for as he drew back, she doubled her efforts, slashing a further four times with her blades while Tyrion focused on parrying each one with Sunfang, a focus which led to his further undoing as Caldath leapt behind him and slashed at the binding of his greaves. Tyrion dropped to his knee in shock and in one final move, Hellebron drew her deathsword and thrust it through his chest, right between the gap between two of his breastplates. Tyrion fell dead.

Except he didn’t… well he did… except he didn’t because in that moment the Heart of Avelorn came to his rescue, cracking open with a bright green mist which rejuvenated his body once more. Tyrion stood up and grabbed Sunfang, instantly decapitating Jahama then tackling Caldath to the ground and plunging his fiery sword through the second assassin’s chest while they were all still reeling from his sudden resurrection.

As Hellebron watched Tyrion’s miraculous return she pondered her own mortality, her haggard body, her ravaged age, her endless need to consume blood to keep herself alive… perhaps this was a cure, a way to finally reach immortality. Thus, she went into an almighty frenzy motivated by the notion of her final salvation. She spun and she wove her blades into dozens of slashes until they looked as if they were moving of their own accord. He tried to keep up, he tried to match her speed and attack but every time he did so she only grew faster and faster as if becoming fully possessed by some innate spirit… the Bride of Khaine indeed. She struck high, then low, then ducked right, stabbed left, slashed upward, hacked downward, thrust right, dropped leftward, and slashed again and again, until finally, one of her attacks finally reached its target as a quick thrust sent him falling onto his back.

Tyrion laid down, his sword discarded, as the Witch Queen pressed her boot onto his chestplate and she waved her sword over his throat. “Tell me how to use that trinket of yours and I may let you live!” Hellebron spat in contempt.
….
◙ Angry React: The defeated Tyrion decided to play along. It’s not as if Hellebron realised the significance of the Heart of Avelorn. Allarielle’s teachings had always meant nothing to her. Still, if she believed it could still work, perhaps that would buy time for someone to rescue him depending how the rest of the battle went. Consequently, Tyrion agreed to cooperate. Hellebron took him back to the Citadel of Desolation as a prisoner.
(If this option wins, Tyrion’s capture will have a small blow on the Nipponese army’s morale. However, it would have a bigger effect on Eldyra’s confidence in her aerial battle with the Tower of Blessed Dread. Thus, award 1 votes to the leading Druchii-favouring option in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf battle and award 2 votes in favour of the leading Lokhir-favouring option in #lorefight 164.2.)
….
◙ Laugh React: Tyrion stared upward into the Witch Queen’s hateful visage, her red-lit eyes narrowly masking her true feelings but he saw through her nevertheless. Fear. Behind all her bluster, beyond all her rage and her rituals and her love for the God of Murder, Tyrion saw through to the enfeebled elderly she-elf underneath, the old queen terrified by her own mortality.
Tyrion lied on the ground, a sword only inches from his throat yet in this moment all he could do was snicker.
“What’s so funny?!” the enraged queen asked.
“You are!” Tyrion responded, his snicker turning into an almighty belly-laugh.
The queen stood there incensed, demanding he tell her why.
“Because you think you can be saved… that heart was a one-time use, Witch Queen. No power in this world can save you from your destiny. So, you may as well send me to Heg’s purgatory because I will see you there soon no matter what you do!”

The Witch Queen threw herself onto the Prince of House Emeraldsea and proceeded to stab his face over and over and over again… perhaps over thirty times in sheer exasperation before finally crumbling by his side, her raged devolving into a wailing, sniveling mess.

The Witch Queen had won. Why didn’t she feel like a victor?

(Regardless of her own feelings on the matter, Hellebron’s army will surely feel a great swell of sadistic pleasure upon learning that the Defender of Ulthuan is no more. Thus, if this option wins, award 4 votes to the leading Druchii-favouring option in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf conflict.

….

(Prelude to Sad, Love and Wow React)
Hellebron and her assassins descended on the lone prince, their six blades drawn against his two. Hellebron led the charge, leaping up with an overhead swing of her Deathsword while the Cursed Blade went for a low stabbing motion. Tyrion evaded her attack, using his own parrying blade to guide her Deathsword away from himself and toward its first victim as the tip of her sword stroked against the assassin Jamaha’s throat, prompting a spurt of blood that poured itself onto Hellebron’s face whereas Tyrion ducked and rolled out of the way of Caldath’s daggers.
Tyrion let out a feint smirk before regaining his composure, temporarily sheathing his parrying katana and gripping his burning longsword with both hands. Meanwhile Hellebron fumed, Khaine may not care who died in his name but his champion certainly did. Caldath led the second attack, pulling out a pair of small crossbows and loosing them at the Asur. The bolts flew, Tyrion dodged one while the other planted itself in his side-lower torso, far from fatal thanks to his armour but painful nevertheless. Still Tyrion resisted his own understandable anger, knowing that in a contest of rage Hellebron would be unmatched. Instead, Tyrion thought back to what he’d learnt, the honour of Kawasaki, the serene taming of the Stormbirds, only by remaining in control would he prevail.
Hellebron grew tired of this however, yelling barbarically as she charged forth again, launching a flurry of attacks with both her swords followed closely by Caldath’s daggers but Tyrion simply avoided their trajectories, adjusting his foot placement or brushing her attacks off with the simplest of sword strokes, for every attack he resisted, she only grew more furious until finally in a fit of rage Hellebron lashed out at her subordinate when he got in her way and stabbed Caldath through the chest for his failure!
“I am the Queen of Naggaroth! You will not toy with me!” Hellebron screamed as she smeared her own assassin’s blood across her brow before delving headlong into another charge. Hellebron’s bloodlust made her strong, Tyrion’s serenity made him wise.
Tyrion avoided her attack and moved on to the offensive himself, removing his katana once more as the two dual-wielders took each other on for one final clash. The cursed blade parried Sunfang, the katana kept her Deathsword in its tracks yet the Queen continued hacking and slashing in a desperate attempt to draw his blood, an effort in vain as he continued to out-duel her, keeping her at bay while she tired herself out. Finally, her brash anger meant her undoing as in a final charge she overextended herself and the Prince tackled her to the ground with a sweep of his greaves before firmly grabbing her in a headlock, his katana pressed against her navel. “You’ve fought well, now know when you’re beaten. Surrender.”
“I would rather die!” she yelled, slapping at his armour in an effort to free herself, her own swords restricting the range of her movement.
“Your people have lost enough already… yield Crone!”
….
◙ Love React: Hellebron continued to resist, violently shaking and reaching to slash with her Deathsword and so, Tyrion decided to put the Mad Crone of Har Ganeth out of her furor, twisting his grip and breaking her neck.
(The death of the Dark Elf queen will have an effect on her army’s morale just as Tyrion’s return to the fight will bolster his soldiers’ courage. If this option wins, a total of 3 additional votes will be awarded to the winning High Elf/Nippon leaning option in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf battle.)
….
◙ Sad React: Tyrion’s grip tightened as the Crone continued to resist until finally, she let go and tapped on his armour, indicating her intention to surrender. Tyrion lessened his grip before dragging her up onto her feet where he proceeded to tie her wrists with some rope found on Malhandir’s saddle. He then rode back to the battlefield, the disarmed Queen of Naggaroth being pulled along on foot as her blades were left behind.
(Hellebron’s capture will have a slight effect on her army’s morale just as Tyrion’s return to the fight will bolster his soldiers’ courage. If this option wins, a total of 2 additional votes will be awarded to the winning High Elf/Nippon leaning option in the Dark Elf vs Nippon conflict.)
….
◙ Wow React: Tyrion’s grip tightened as the Crone continued to resist until finally, she let go and tapped on his armour, indicating her intention to surrender.
However, just as the Prince began letting her go she dove into another warcry, kicking her way loose from him as she darted over toward Jamaha’s corpse. She picked up his crossbow and turned to loose its bolt, Tyrion doing likewise as he drew Sunfang one final time.
Aenarion’s sword erupted, sending forth a torrent of fire that engulfed the Hag Queen once and for all, scorching her body until nothing remained but black ash. However, in her spite Hellebron did get one last bolt off the crossbow which struck true though Tyrion’s throat. The Prince gasped for a moment before planting his face down into the grassy meadows below him, proceeding to die before the Heart of Avelorn even had a chance to save him.
The Defender of Ulthuan laid dead by the charred remains of the Witch Queen of Naggaroth. Two mighty warriors consumed by this eternal rivalry underpinning the Asur and the Druchii, neither left as the clear victor.
(If this wins, no additional points are awarded to either side in the main Nippon vs Dark Elf conflict.)