Too Deep

[Venico]

-In the Mines of Khladesh-

"Grun! Get down here. I can barely see without your light." The two dwarven miners had been working at this shaft for a long time. Both lived in Khladesh, a city about 4 levels beneath the main hold of Giza. It was a city known for its ores and metal. With its resources, Khladesh kept the dwarven armies well armed and well protected.

With a sigh, Grun trudged down the tunnel to meet his partner, Durza. Grun held up his lantern and peered around them. This tunnel had yielded large veins in the past but it was starting to run dry a bit to his disappointment. The light poured over Durza's shoulder as he kept striking the rock in front of him. The air seemed unusually thick and even with the lantern, the light seemed dim. Strike after strike, Durza seemed to be making little progress until suddenly his pick broke completely through. "Uhhh Grun I think I found a cave." Grun looked over as an orange glow drew his eye.

-In the Halls of Giza-

The blade on the table looked really tempting as the Lord of Giza listened to boring numbers from trade routes. If I just grabbed it and plunged it into my thigh they'd have to stop the meeting. Venico thought to himself. The table was circled by intelligent people who dealt with money and kept track of the population. These were the true people who kept his kingdom from falling into misery and chaos. Or at least so they claimed. He always thought that they sincerely made their jobs up. But every monarch needed someone like them, he guessed.

"While the routes between our own cities are flourishing, the trade with the rest of Osiris has been starting to slow. We believe this is due to an increase in our isolationist poli-" WHAM! The double doors of the hall flew open and in ran Venico's attendant and a burly dwarf. He didn't know what was going on but surely it had to be better than economic talk.

Standing up, Venico began to approach the pair as they slowed to meet him. "My Lord, I ha-" The attendant was cut short by a smack to the back of the head. "Shut up with your fancy titles boy. I'm Venico to you, I'm Venico to my city, I'm Venico to strangers."

The attendant nodded and started again, this time a bit more cautious with his words. "Vuuh-nee-ko..." he began slowly. "I have grave news from Khladesh. It seems..." The dwarf backed up just out of striking distance. "It seems the city has fallen." Venico's eyes narrowed and he moved closer. "How can Khladesh fall? We are in the way of any threat and nothing has passed me." The Lord's hand went to his axe head, partially out of instinct and partially out of comfort that it was there.

This time Grun spoke. "I was there my L...Venico. I'm a miner for Khladesh and we were in a tunnel, my partner and I. He broke through into some sort of cave. Then..." He paused and looked nervously around the hall. "A claw grabbed him and pulled him through the opening. It was nearly the size of his head. I ran back as fast as I could and the tunnel seemed to get real loud behind me as I ran. Once I got to the city though, I reported in. By the time I was done those...things had breached the defenses and had swarmed the city. No one was ready...no one. I got pulled up a shaft on a mining platform outside of the city and well, now I'm here."

Venico's jaw was locked and the knuckles on his axe hand were the color of bone. He turned towards the tradesmen at the table and barked, "Out." No one said a word against him. Looking at his attendant he spoke lower, "Get him to some artist or something and have him draw these demons. We need to know what we're dealing with. Get mining crews to start collapsing shafts and tunnels that lead to cities. Start evacuating civilians either into Giza or out of the mountain. Obviously, get our guards ready and bring all of the military off of our overworld borders and start having them holding choke points. If we can hold passes rather than fight in an open area, we might be able to contain this." He stopped and looked at Grun. "How long did it take Khladesh to fall?"

"Minutes."

"Shit." He cursed, not so quietly. Ven started making his way back to his chambers before turning back to the attendant. "Send letters to all the major houses of Osiris. Tell them of this situation." He turned back even though he knew the dumb dwarf would have a question.

"For aid sir?" His voice had gotten quieter ever since he had been corrected once. Whap "No, not for aid you idiot. We don't request aid. We're warning them of this situation and letting them know that if we fall, Osiris will most likely be plunged into the darkness of this threat. If we fall so does this region. That might give them some incentive to come . But we don't request aid. If needed we will die for our region whilst they prepare." Venico walked towards his chambers to don his armor. It was time for a fight.

Spoiler

Anyone can join this RP. Even if your house wouldn't lend aid and you would still like to participate, post as a character you'd like to RP as. Whether that be mercenaries traveling by who see an opportunity for making money. A captain of a dwarven unit. One of my council. Post as whatever although I'd encourage y'all to post as your usual IC personas so we can really flesh them out a bit. But let's have fun and save Osiris eh?

[Venico]

Spoiler

Dear Lord or Lady,

I fear that I must bring you grave news from the lands of Giza. It seems from the depths of our mines we are being attacked and overrun by a horde of foul beasts whose very nature is dark and evil. We have lost a city and our nation may very well be in ruins within a matter of weeks. Should Giza fall, Osiris will be in grave danger. We stand a chance in our tunnels because we have them bottle necked and are reinforced against them. On an open field, I believe their superior numbers will make them nigh on invincible.

If you'd like to support Giza in our efforts to contain these vile demons, then you may send support to aid our legions. If not, then consider this a warning to begin pulling your citizens into enclosed areas and to start fortifying everything you can. The Dwarven Legions of Giza will give you as much time as we can and as long as we draw breath, Osiris will not see this threat.

We hope our fair region will have enough preparation to weather this storm, and we hope you remember the Dwarven Sacrifice in years to come.

From the front lines,
Venico

The Lord handed that off to some quick footed dwarf for copying and distribution to messengers. As he finished, Venico rose from his chair and left his temporary quarters off of the main route to Khladesh. Roars and screams could be heard once outside his tent and he turned towards them. It sickened him to have enemies within his borders...doing Overseer knows what with his people, and there wasn't a damned thing he could do but stop them from advancing.

Three Days Later
"FOR GIZA!" the troops roared as another wave crashed upon the rubble walls. Iron bands held together the stone that blocked the path. Demonic corpses now added to the barrier after days of battle. The bulk of the horde seemed to be composed of hunched creatures with four limbs and curled horns that pointed upwards. When attacking they relied on their back legs while swiping with their arms, but when running they would hunch over and use them all as legs. Their hide was thick and dark as coal. A sharp blade would take a few good swipes to cut through it. When they stood they matched or surpassed a dwarf's height, and when on all fours their horns reached just as high. The worst part were their eyes, if you could call them that. It was as if seeing an ember amidst an abyss when they charged. Nothing more than a burning orange embedded in their face. Never blinking, all observing.

This charge was mostly stopped by spears poking out from small gaps in the rocks. There was a crash, some shrieks that sounded closer to cackles, and then came the Dwarven defenders...

Crack! BrightAxe crashed through a horn and embedded itself into a skull as Venico pushed back the wave from atop the wall. He slammed his shield into a beast to his left and swung back with his axe to the right. More guardians of the wall beat back the wave until the field of orange eyes retreated. "Bloody things..." Ven muttered as he grabbed the broken horn and wedged it into the defenses. "Maybe that will stick one."

Walking away from the battle front, the Lord approached his attendant whose name still eluded him. The scholar liked to stay as far back as he could while still being able to see his master. "Any word from the rest of Osiris boy?" Venico brushed past and pulled him along by the arm.

"Well...not exactly. To be frank no. But, I have other reports from the lands of Giza." Shooting him a wearied look, the attendant continued. "Most of the civilians on the lower levels have been evacuated to Giza. Most refuse to leave the mountain but that is to be expected. Our walls there have been reinforced and we even have several gates installed in tunnels leading up to the city." Ven grunted and nodded.

"What bad news boy?" He asked as they arrived at the tent. The inside stank of blood and sweat but that's the way the Lord liked it.

Within the canvas, the attendant's demeanor changed and he sighed. "We have heard more noise coming from the closed tunnels outside of Morgnal. We poured some liquid metal through the cracks to reinforce but that didn't seem to help. That's on top of the other 7 closed routes that have been experiencing activity. Injuries are high on the front but luckily deaths are still low enough. But you can tell as well as I can that they get closer each time. We're not prepared enough Venico..." He looked into his Lord's face for comfort but only saw tiredness and sorrow.

Shedding his armor and shield, he began combing the blood out of his beard. "How long before Giza can you guess?"

"If this line were to fall tonight, maybe a week until they broke through all the gates? If we hold, who knows. But if another entrance opens up in a closed tunnel...we're under prepared there. They'll meet minimal resistance and have our regiment down here trapped and ready for slaughter. I can't tell you how long that would take then...but you know how quickly Khladesh fell without ample warning." His voice seemed strained but the attendant knew he had to be honest here, Venico counted on it.

Done with his beard, Ven went to honing BrightAxe and nodding. "Pour more rubble on the collapsed tunnels. Don't reinforce this wall. They'll take the path of least resistance and if they think they can take this wall they will at least filter towards us. I'll hold the line my boy. As long as I can at least. If I fall, convene a council of the minor nobles and have them rule in my stead until another Lord is chosen. Now leave me for some rest. I need it."

After the boy left, Venico fell to his knees and prayed to the Overseer for the strength and guidance he needed...

[Severisen Montresor]

The Pharaoh was glancing down at the stack of reports in front of him on the large stone table in the Chamber of Amun. Every morning he had his advisors bring him reports from the region detailing the minutiae of the day to day business of Osiris.

Flipping through, he saw the trade reports from House Somerset, the mining reports from House BrightAxe, as well as a sundry of reports from the other houses, both major and minor, of Osiris. He heard a commotion from outside the tall wooden door. A muffled argument between the guards and a foreigner--dwarf from the sounds of it--was coming to a head when suddenly the door burst open and, indeed, a dwarven messenger stormed in and slammed the letter from Giza on the table in front of him.

"You'd better read that, Pharaoh, and sooner is better than later!" The messenger shot daggers with his eyes in the direction of the still-recovering guards. He returned his attention back to the Pharaoh. Severisen opened the letter and scanned its contents. His eyes first grew wide, then narrowed, and the lines on his face hardened.

"Messenger, tell Venico we'll send everything we can. The whole of the Sekhmet Legion shall be dispatched immediately!" At this, the Pharaoh escorted his guest to the stables, stopping only long enough to tell a servant to alert Lord Bluteisen and summon him to the barracks where the legionaires kept their quarters. "Fair thee well, Messenger, and may the wind be ever at your back. Ride swiftly to Giza, and may we meet soon on the battlefied as brothers."

The Pharaoh crossed the field and he saw Marshal General Lord Bluteisen converging on the barracks. "General, the situation is dire and requires the immediate dispatch of all available legion forces to Giza. Prepare the chariots and charioteers, and leave only a small force to protect the city walls. I fear if we are not successful in Giza, there may soon be no city left to protect. I'm not sure what it is we're up against, but the beasts are not of this world. I will personally ride to Giza with you and fight for Osiris. May the Overseer have mercy on our souls."

He called to the stable boy to prepare his Warrior Chariot, last used when he himself was Marshal General. He summoned a messenger and scrawled out instructions to be given to the Vizier who would ready the city in the event that Giza were to fall. He had hoped these plans would never need to be enacted, but it would be imprudent to be caught unprepared. Signing his name, and reading the note over one more time, he folded it in half and handed it to the boy. He checked his sword belt, and placed his hand on the hilt. He felt like he may be leading his final charge, but shook it off. His men needed confidence from their leader. He would soon be side by side, fighting with the greatest warrior Osiris had ever known. Venico: the Night Father--the Warrior Pharaoh. It would be an honor, and a privelege. He owed a great deal to Venico, and as the leader of Osiris, he had to do this.

He knew it might take everything he had in him, even the ancient secrets long hidden in his ancestry. He stopped for another moment to consider that fact. The squire called his name, shaking him from his concentration. His Chariot was ready. The legion was ready. He was ready.

He turned toward the men, and pulled his sword from its sheath, and raised it over his head and shouted "LEGIONAIRES! TONIGHT WE FIGHT EVIL ITSELF! RIDE WITH ME! RIDE FOR GIZA! FOR OSIRIS! OOOH RA!"

The men all shouted back "OOOH RA!" in unison. At this, the Pharaoh mounted his chariot and slapped the reigns, taking off to the northwest with great haste, and rode for Giza.

[Treize Dreizehn]

I look up through once dead eyes. Still dead perhaps. Something had happened to me to put my on my back but my mind felt clouded. The pounding in my head subsides as a voice pierces the haze that is my sense of reality.

Hey. You're awake finally.

Oh great. I'm hearing voices now.

Not exactly. Can you move?

I flexed my fingers and then balled them up into a fist.

My name is going to be hard to pronounce... and hard to think... you can call me Kl'ick. We're going to be spending some time together

And with that it all comes flooding back. My name is Lukil Dreizehn. Daughter of a second cousin of Treize Dreizehn and a member of his personal guard. I died two nights ago in my sleep when somebody slit my throat. I reach instinctively for my throat but I can't even feel a scar.

Aha. Yeah. You know about the perks of being a Dreizehn family member. You die and you get to come back with a passenger from the other side. You can pass control of your body to me if you want, but you can always take it back... and of course the added benefits of being demon possessed. Strength, Speed, resistance to injury. I could go on... but it's always more fun to let you find this stuff out on your own

What do you get out of it?

I get to leave hell. And when your lord and master Treize dies... we switch positions. I control the body and you're just along for the ride

With that I try to stand and the fatigue falls away like cobwebs. I feel great. Better than I've ever felt before. I look around at the other bodies on the slabs around me. Most of them are still dead... but...

I can see a dark orange light in all of them. For some it's working it's way outward from their torso... others are shaking a bit as the light concentrates in their heads.

You're the first one to wake up. But that's mostly cause I'm a bit more powerful than the average demon.

I can hear a voice in the other room. It's Treize's voice. The other voice sounds intimately familiar but I can't put a name to it.

That's the demon lord R'aak. Well that's not his name anymore than I'm "click" but you recognize it because he's a good friend of mine.

I'm acutely aware of the several feet of stone between me and the conversation that is taking place... but somehow I can still hear the conversation plainly. They're arguing.

"The last group?" Treize's voice rang out. I'm leaning against the wall to better hear them but I probably don't need to.

"Yeah. How well have you been following the Dwarven Folly?" The demon's voice was low and gravely, but it almost sounded like multiple people were talking at once.

"Well enough. I know they're going to be overrun. But that doesn't affect our agreement,"

"It does and it should. Why would I keep putting my people into human bodies when we can just walk in the sunlight?"

"We have a deal." Treize starts with a rising indignation, "That should be reason enough for something like you,"

"Our deal that was supposed to have an expiration date. We negotiated this deal 200 years ago to conclude with your natural death. You haven't aged a day since,"

"It isn't my fault that you failed to read the fine print on your own contract"

"Yeah. Maybe that's true. But this is the last group who wanted placement in human bodies. The rest are going to wait and see how long the mountainhomes take to fall,"

"When this is all over... you'll need to deal with me again. The contract is clear on that,"

"When this is all over, I'm going to stroll past the thousands of dead dwarves, find you, and bring about that natural end I was promised,"

Treize lets out a slight chuckle before saying "Good luck,"

"Samewise,"

A sound like one hears outside during a windy thunderstorm gained in volume before it ceased suddenly. A sense that I didn't know existed told me that Treize was now alone in the next room.

I bet you a day of control that he'll be sending a detachment to Giza.

Nice try Click.

[Venico]

Four Days Later "HNNNNNNNGG!"

Morton (the attendant) stood outside the "Shit Tent" as his lord had come to call it, and tapped his feet. He had urgent news to present him. "Venico...?"

"Blast it boy! I spend all day dispelling the demons on my doorstep. You can give me five minutes to disperse the demons in my belly!" His voice raised a bit at the end. Morton had to tell the Lord of Giza that reinforcements were here...

"The errrm...Pharaoh has arrived sir. With the entire Legion." Venico walked out of the tent without pants. Just his chainmail shirt and the linen beneath covering his torso.

"What? Where? Praise the Overseer! Lead them to me!" Morton cleared his throat and nodded towards the Lord's groin. Venico grunted and shrugs apathetically and went back into the tent to dress.

---

Morton led the Pharaoh down the depths of the tunnels and into the heart of the swarm. Around them was a constant scratching and skittering. As if even the walls were possessed by dark spirits. As they walked a deep roar gripped the tunnel and shook it around them. Loose dirt and stone sprinkled from above as the party had to halt. "Those are the new ones..." The attendant muttered.

"YE BASTARDS! AHHHHHHH!" was heard and soon the rumbling stopped.

Morton cleared his throat and said. "Venico may be in a slightly bloody state to meet you my Pharaoh. I do apologize."

Spoiler

Sorry for the wait guys but creative juices have been being diverted to other projects. Should be able to keep this up though.