[Zsolaith]

Oath of the Dragon Blood

Several horses mounted by armed soldiers and mystics navigated the lightly forested lands, feeling the warmth of the sun overhead as they journeyed deep into Acolyte territory. A message of formal truce had been proclaimed to the Acolyte nation to allow a small band of dignitaries to travel unhindered the long distance to the mighty front gates of the impregnable fortress of Caelnach... the citadel of Hiezu. It had been days since Sook Dukar had shown up in Tesso to review the small garrison that had been placed under the command of Zsolaith, and all hell had broken loose within the walls of the township. When order was regained for the night, Sook discussed his desire for an informal visit to Caelnach, and that he wished the Silver Dragon Emissary, Zsolaith, to lead the approach.

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At his side rode a powerful mystic, Xocotli, who made it his business to be in attendance to such important negotiations. His expanse of knowledge led so far back into the mists of history that some wonder at his true age... or motives for that matter. At times, he had a darker side to him that required his full focus and determination to keep in check, but with that said, it was known in times gone by that Silverar himself could ask for no better follower of the true ways.

The land was cold and devoid of life, the bright blue sky amplified the glow from the sun making the reflections off of the scattered snow more troubling to the eyes. Zsolaith signalled a halt, then turned to his followers.

"Men and women, a moment of your time."

He trotted around them as he spoke. "Now that we are free of the civilized lands, I have been requested by Dukar to speak freely amongst you. There is some possibility that these Acolyte dogs will turn on us while under a flag of neutrality and have our heads delivered to the Dragon Paladin. I will say that I do not feel this is likely as they are very preoccupied with their apparent captive. Our objective here is quite simple. I have been granted autonomy to fully speak on behalf of our order, and if the conversation does not bode well, i will have no other choice but to declare war as discussed amongst our Silver Dragon council of officers. Trust me though, I will give them every opportunity to persuade us otherwise."

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"In regards to this captive, i will request to see him for we do not know his identity and with so many members of our order that travel across this realm, it is a daunting task in itself to find out who he could be. For all we know it is an Acolyte farce conjured by their dark casters to cause confusion amongst us. We are always weary for such trickery." Looking ahead, "Dukar has placed his trust in us to determine the actual truth behind all of this. Leave the negotiations to me. Xocotli, as always, Dukar has requested your attendance at my side to whisper reason when chaos surrounds us. Please hold your head in the wisdom of Silverar.", nodding to Xocotli, who in return, nods back. "Once inside, hold they weapons, under no circumstances must we break with our traditions while under a flag of truce."

Turning his horse hard towards the direction they must continue to travel, "If we cannot determine a route of escape, we must not allow each other to stand before them as captives. You know what must be done.", he whipped hard against the horse forcing the steed to ride swiftly forward. The dragons followed closely behind.

* * *

Hours passed as the traversed the serene lands, passing many homesteads and animal herders who just stared at them snickering boldly. A thick fog had rolled into the lands, nearby landmarks appeared then disappeared whimsically. No one dared to strike at the small band of Silver Dragons quietly moving through the territories of the Acolytes, a fear of their Overlord Hiezu was deeply embedded within them all. Draxorian felt the dead silence fall upon the land as they came within close-proximity to the outer gates of the massively fortified gates of Caelnach. "There, up ahead, it moves from within the rolling fog like a ghost upon this land... the walls of Caelnach."

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Up ahead could be seen massive pikes stretching from the thick fog, remains of rotting corpses upon them as dried black blood was permanentl splattered in all directions. Beyond that was a mighty front gate that stretched so high that its true length disappeared into the fog. Massive bolts of iron held it in place, ensuring noone passed through unexpected. Silverboots rode up closer to Zsolaith, a chill had run along the length of her spine. "Only trouble can be found within those wall, zsolaith. I hope we are ready for the evils that are about to be unleashed." Zsolaith peered at her for but a second before looking forward again. "Aye, my friend."

Many ghostly figures could be seen amongst the top of the walls, quickly shifting around calling to each other in an unknown dark tongue. Zsolaith raised his arm to the others as they halted their advancement, while Zsolaith trotted forward slightly ahead of the them.

Shouting loudly to the walls, "Hail Acolytes! Hold your weapons! Hold your weapons! We are no forward movement for an assault force... do not strike! I am Emissary Zsolaith. We approach your walls as representatives of the Order of the Silver Dragons, and we come under an Aquilonian white flag of truce to seek an audience with your Overlord Hiezu regarding matters of grave importance. Do you allow us entry?"

A stirring of warriors could be heard above the wall, with more approaching to see who was at the gates. Heavy laughter echoed across the fields as the Silver Dragon steeds became bothered by the fog constricting around them. A voice could be heard above the walls. "Go back an' suck on yer muthars teets..." Laughter broke out amongst them all as they were clearly quite thrilled by this occurrence at their walls. Zsolaith pulled back on his reigns to control his steed. "Do you so fear the warriors of truth and justice that a mere handful of our soldiers creates anxiety and awe? Show courage man, Open the gates."

The laughter stopped as angry gestures and sounds were heard. "Come up 'ere and make me, fool!"

Zsolaith looked back at Euranthan and Tharashk, a pursed smile upon his face. Calling out loudly to the walls yet again, "Show my people that there exists a few of you that do not tremble in fear like many other Acolytes have willingly done so in the past..."

Screams of outrage rang in their ears as a spear whistled across the distance between them, embedding itself a short distance from Zsolaith... his steed buckling slightly out of fear. Xocotli whispered over the shoulder of Zsolaith. "I'm not so sure we wish to stir them up to this degree..."

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"Aye, but we must do whatever is required to gain entrance to Caelnach."

When the screams of hate and death were at their loudest, filling the valley with evil curses, a loud horn blared from deep within the fortification, its sound pearcing to the ear as it vibrated from all iron and steel equipment. Silverboots covered her one ear, unappreciated of the level of the sound. The furor ceased upon the wall and order took over immediately. Metal scraping sounds could be heard, then various clangs and other internal mechanism sounds. The door shook for a moment, kicking off debris and dust as several decayed corpses broke apart... falling to the ground below.

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A massive crossbeam began to shift to the side as wooden beams could be heard to crack under the sheer pressure of the load. Several moments went by as the door locking mechanism was released. Voices could be heard shouting orders as dozens of men pushed open the massive gates... revealing the fogged interior beyond....

All was quiet.

Euranthan spoke. "I guess it's a tad too late to turn back now?" Laughter broke out amongst the Silver Dragons as smiles pursed their lips. They had forced the hand of Pandora herself to open her own box. Instead of unleashing its contents, they were going to proceed to step inside.

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Darkness swirled around as Zsolaith felt unsure of what was to occur next. There was no release from this new direction and they all knew it. Compassion was a powerful motivator, it drove seemingly normal men to act out of desire to produce a more desirable end result. They would not be within this monsters cave if it were not for the missing dragon, the catalyst that had systematically played out the events that have unfolded. Silver Dragons were definitely compassionate warriors, risking the many... for the one. It was a good day to die.

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Dismounting his horse, with the others following suit, Zsolaith eyed the dozens of Acolytes that surrounded them, forming a haphazard pathway the length of the courtyard to an unknown end. "Be weary my friends, do not raise your weapons. We are here to make demands for the release of our fallen comrade. Let us hold our heads high and keep our families within our hearts. Whatever happens, even in death, we will always be a Silver Dragon."

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Steadily walking amidst the caterwauls of nearby Acolytes, laughing at the sheer outrage that Silver Dragons were inside of Caelnach, they spotted several prominent figures approach from the west. Slowing himself, Zsolaith turned slightly to Xocotli who signalled the rest to stall their advance. A short distance ahead could be seen three figures, their garb was overly representational of the Acolytes, deeply imbued with jewels, gold, red satin and blood-drenched materials swung around their bodies to represent the hundreds of innocents they had murdered.

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Zsolaith did not recognize the woman on the right, however he did fully recognize the man on the left. It was Cach, the Acolyte Commander who had delivered the bloody ear to him a few moons ago. Turning to peer at the muscular dark-skinned man between them, he noticed a scalp of horns upon his head, dripping with blood. Zsolaith focused. "You must be Lord Hiezu?"

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The man did not move, a look of lust upon his face.

"I am Emissary Zsolaith, a representative of the Order of the Silver Dragons. As stated earlier, we come under an Aquilonian flag of truce to seek an audience with you."

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The man eyed Zsolaith, his unrelenting gaze was known to weaken many a warrior before they were battered to death. He motioned to Zsolaith with his hand ever so slightly. Nearby, an Acolyte hissed between clenched teeth.




CONTINUED NEXT PAGE



Zso

[Zsolaith]

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST

Zsolaith cleared his throat, then continued. "With honor and conviction of mind, we approach the mighty fortress of Caelnach, the stronghold of Hiezu, with but one sole purpose."

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Hiezu spoke in a raspy voice that had be hardened from years of driving assaults at the top of his lungs. "Your purpose?"

"Across the last few moons you have struck at the heart of the power known as Circle of Iron, sieging their Aquilonian stronhold of Burnheim, burning it to the ground."

A small smile pursed across Hiezu's lips. "Yes, that was a great experience."

"In an assault on our Cimmerian outpost of Stonehammer fabricated by the warriors of Imperium, you provided a contingent of warriors and mystics to ensure we bled, however true to our lore, our dragon scales held strong and we overcame the onslaught."

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His eyes darting to the side, Zsolaith spotted an Acolyte woman nearby who was overcome with pride, her face glowing abruptly as she felt his words and were happy. Her face caused him concern as he felt he had seen this woman before... possibly in Tesso. Quickly taking note of her features, he quickly vowed to take note of her for later.

"As of late, a member of your tribe... clan... whatever it is you call yourselves, delivered a small present to our attention in Tesso. The severed and bloody ear of an unknown Silver Dragon warrior, with the statement that more was to come. That message was delivered by none other than your High Commander Cach."

Cach crossed his arms, with no look of care upon his face.

Zsolaith stepped forward slightly. "All of these atrocities cannot go unanswered... I have been granted autonomy to prevent war, so we are giving your people one last chance to prove thyself." The girl that Zsolaith made note of raised an eyebrow upon hearing his words.

"Our order does not act rashly upon offending powes without realistic motivation, and honestly you would not want to see the full power of my order unleashed upon your stronghold. So we give you one last chance. Bring forth this supposed Silver Dragon that you have captured. We wish to see him with our own eyes to determine the validity of your claims. If you cannot show him to us, does this not say a bluff is upon us all this day?"

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Grumbles of outrage were heard across the courtyard as steel could be heard sliding through leather as weapons were drawn by the surrounding Acolytes. Hiezu turned to Cach and spoke in an unknown tongue, his words like acid from his lips. Other Acolytes nearby them spoke out as well in a similar fashion.

Xocotli whispered in his ear as Zsolaith spoke. "Would it not be more beneficial for us to instead meet in the field like real men of valor and conviction, then to hide behind pathetic dogma and propaganda? Just release this man... Do not play games. I highly doubt even the mighty Acolytes could hold onto a warrior of the OSD for any length of time. If what you say is true, and you truly have one of our own, he is no doubt dead." Zsolaith became agitated at his own words, seeing defiance amongst his opposers. "Truly, we do not wish to ... waste our time. What say you, Acolytes?"

Cach spoke loudly. "Your pathetic dragon was caught trespassing. He has been given reasonable accommodations, food, drink, companionship."

Xocotli grumbled loudly under his breath, "BAH".

Zsolaith chuckled to himself. "Reasonable accomodations you say?"

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Another Acolyte smiled at Cach while one further away calls out loudly, "These strutting peacocks are serious?"

Waving his hand slightly, demanding immediate silence, Hiezu spoke. "You have wasted your time, dragons. We are not going to release our prisoner." Blaring out loudly for all to hear, "I cannot allow the release of our prisoner, he stays with us. His trespassing must be dealt with in a way we see fit. He will be made an example for all the realm to witness. Before the next full moon we will proceed with a public execution!" At this glorious Acolyte statement, the entire stronghold lit up with cheers of strength and fortitude, weapons flailing above their heads. The word HAROO used over and over.

Zsolaith gripped his pommel tightly, unsure of how to proceed next...his mouth had become dry and parched. Taking note of this, Xocotli stepped forth, whispering councel in Zsolaiths ear. The other Silver Dragons watched for a few moments as the two of them secretly discussed their next move, being careful with their next response.

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Zsolaith nodded to Xocotli, then turned to face Hiezu. "We wish to know the name of this unknown dragon warrior. What is his name?"

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An Acolyte nearby verbally let out, "Ever the pompous fools, these knights. Once you look past the finery, they are but buffoons with swords, hugging an ideal that has no place in the world." He mockingly laughed. Turning to Cach, Hiezu spoke again in an unknown tongue, the response from Cach the same. Finally he turned back to face Zsolaith. "His name is... Maark, but he has now taken on a new name... we have chosen the name of Meat while within our walls."

The woman on the right of Hiezu suddenly spoke. "Is he the one you are missing? Are lost warriors common to your order?"

Images raced through Zsolaith's mind, orders dispatched and received, distances travelled, other Silver Dragons he had met along the roads throughout the years far across the realm. An image of a bald seasoned man with a white moustache leaped into his mind, a Silver Dragon who had requested a leave to return home for a short time. A shocked look upon his face, he turned to Xocotli who grimaced. "Aye, they do have a Silver Dragon." Angry, Zsolaith turned back to face the Acolyte leadership, but instead, Hiezu spoke. "Do not take my kindness for this meeting lightly, Zsolaith. There will be a public execution and nothing your pathetic order can do will stall that."

Warriors surrounding the small band of Silver Dragons began to step a tad closer, as if pressing against a thorn in their sides. Silverboots looked around trying to determine if she could spot some sort of route of least resistance in case they needed to bolt. A shout went out, "Take their women!" Draxorian glanced back at Euranthan, their eyes filled with worry as adrenaline pumped throughout their blood. Zsolaith cut in. "You presume to cross a line that will bring about the undoing of your entire culture, Acolytes! We have given you every possible chance, Hiezu... so we will go one further." Xocotli whispers quickly into Zsolaiths ear, driving needed support. Zsolaith continued. "We will not allow a public execution of a Silver Dragon, a brother of our order."

Hiezu bellowed across the courtyard, "DO NOT THINK YOUR ORDER WILL MAKE US TREMBLE IN THE SLIGHTEST!", his chest breathing heavily at the thought that dragons were preaching within his lands. Another Acolyte spoke out, "Poor fools, so far from home, s far from the strength of their brotherhood, who would know the outcome should they die alone in the wilderness... the road to Caelnach is long and fraught with danger."

Staring at the Acolyte, Zsolaith continued. "Mark my words, this night marks the catalyst of a dark future for the Acolytes. With authority invested in me by our Dragon Paladin, Lord Sook Dukar, I have been granted permission to advise..."

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"Fear the darkness dragons", then "Dark with the blood of dragons" was shouted between the Acolytes as they moved in closer and closer.

Zsolaith continued at the top of his lungs. "... that as of this moment the Order of the Silver Dragons will be at war with the Acolyte nation! We will strike down every single one of you that dare raise a weapon to our courageous souls..."

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Xocotli, motivated to speak as well, "The full wrath of the dragon will tear these walls to the ground!"

Hiezu broke in, "This is your choice, Order of the Silver Dragons!"

Zsolaith continued, knowing full well the Acolytes had now encircled them completely, readying themselves for a blood-bath. "If you do not fight like men of honor and choose to run as we suspect, we will force you back to the dark pit that spawned you! We will not stop in this respect, these are the words of our Dragon Paladin, Sook Dukar!"

Hiezu screamed loudly, "From this day forward, your Order will regret each and every night going forward!"

Zsolaith screamed back, "We shall return to this ancient stone citadel called Caelnach... we shall rip it apart in search of our missing comrade at arms... we shall cut you all down as we prevail in our attempt to save him!"

Reaching to his side, Zsolaith pulled a small dagger from his side, a ceremonial silver dagger used by their order for decades. As he sliced his forearm allowing thick darm blood to drip to the ground, he spoke out again, "This we SWEAR AS SILVER DRAGONS... AND AN OATH OF BLOOD!"

Xocotli raised his arms to the air, screaming loudly "They awake the dragon! They awake the dragon Sirrush!"

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Completely surrounded and unable to even see the form of Hiezu standing nearby amidst the hundred or so Acolytes that surrounded them... Zsolaith screamed loudly yet again. "The next time I lay eyes upon you, Cach, my sword will be thrust deep in the flesh of your neck as I smile upon your glazed over eyes."


CONTINUED NEXT POST


Zso

[Zsolaith]

Hiezu swore loudly across the stronghold. "We shall see how those words are uttered from your Lord's mouth while he is heaving blood, dying on our cold ice as his face kisses my boot!"

He raised his arm high as all Acolyte weapons raised to the sky. "ACOLYTES! SEND A MESSAGE TO LORD SOOK DUKAR!"

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*Read as one long sentence*

Blood splattered in all directions, screams could be heard, gurgling sounds amidst the chaos. Steel and cloth merged in such close quarters as warriors and mystics lost track of who was where as the Silver Dragons knew they were done for. His head struck hard and bleeding, Zsolaith's ears were ringing as he heard one of his men scream in death. Tripping over an Acolyte which caused him to fall down backwards, he pulled on the cape of another man causing a gag reflex just before a spear pierced the Acolytes heart. Scrambling on the ground to regain his footing, he swung his sword blindly, cutting the calf and lower leg of two men. So much chaos and blood splatter, he could not make out anything, but he recognized the voice of Xocotli cursing a logical barrage of mystical words that he had not heard before. Zsolaith felt his body burn as white sparks of light dragged along his form, setting his cloth on fire. Rolling along the ground to allow the large puddle of blood to put out the fire, he sprang to his feet and realized his leg was bleeding badly. Still unable to gain a feasible awareness of what had happened, he could see Xocotli striking blindly in all directions with streaks of pure white light that would knock back small groups of Acolytes at once. But they kept coming, unrelentingly in their pursuit to tear the remaining Silver Dragons limb from limb. Silverboots screamed at the horror of what was happening, trying to stay close to the Silver Guardsman Draxorian as he protected her body behind his massive tall shield, many arrows embedded within it to the point of it almost cracking in two. Bleeding heavily, Kestrall leaned against the legs of Euranthan who released arrow after arrow into the Acolytes, striking them down one by one, within moments he too would be unable to continue as his arrows were close to depletion. Zsolaith thrust his sword deep within a barbarian beside him as he used the momentum to throw himself forward closer to his colleagues, stumbling from the pain in his body, unable to see through the blood flowing across his face. Falling to the ground, he turned to face the Acolytes who had shifted back a few steps, had taken a breath and screamed HARROOOOOOOOOOOO as they ran forward, blood-lust within their dark souls! Zsolaith screamed out "DAMN YOU ALL TO HELLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!" as he raised his broken sword arm up to attempt a feeble defense....

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A deathly quiet was upon the lands, no words were spoken. Hundreds of Acolytes stood still as if all collared to one central leash that had no more length to give. The invisible leash ran all the way back to a raised arm above the form of Hiezu.

Hiezu walked silently to the Silver Dragons, standing directly beside Zsolaith as the crippled Silver Dragon could not find the strength to even raise his broken arm. His mind began swimming as darkness filled his mind. He felt a hand grab him by his hair and lurch his head sideways.

Hiezu whispered. "You have now unleashed a fury upon your lands like you have never seen before, fools of the dragon. As you proclaim to come for us... as well, we now come for your order... and one day... your Drakke'Hus. Take that message of blood to your precious Sook Dukar."


Nothing more was seen, but darkness.



Zso

[Sook-Dukar]

((Holy Hell!!! Seriously man... a master piece!! I can't wait to get home and play some AoC! Excellent performance by the Acolytes... We're all looking forward to what's to come. When Sook here's of this....I assure you all, steel will cross! Fun stuff guys...fun stuff!))

[Thorgaard]

((Wow! Bloody Marvelous! Great job Zso!

Just... WOW.))

[Zsolaith]

((I want to thank Tharashk for taking such friggin amazing pics! He is truly a photographer and is able to capture the best possible angles! Thanks bud!))

[Thutkemi]

((Great work on putting it all together and capturing the essence of the moment. Even the more "non-rp" members of Acolytes who were there were forced to admit that it was a good time and a good storyline! I look forward to the continuation! Fear the darkness, Dragons!))

[Zuggergris]

((Great Zso...just great! Sorry I missed the event last night. ))

[Cachinnation]

(( awesome job, when this is done we will need to put it all together as it's currently spread across 4 different threads! ))

[Demala]

((such a pleasure to read, Zso, I was devastated that I couldn't be there to taunt your people with tidbits of information Next time.....oh, and as an aside, I am green with envy over Tharashk's graphics, those are some beautiful screenshots. Looking forward with great anticipation to continuing this))