Of Beasts and Knights

Girl: right...

Rosa:... I may need specifics.... due to how hazy some of it is.

Morkar: I kill one. Didn't lose face. If you stay south, you learn how to not die in south.

Vorstan: "Can you remember anything... You enjoyed?"

Heigen: "Well thank fuck we're heading back north."

Zyleena: "You said you had a sword."

Rosa:... very little... there was a person admittedly....

Morkar: running back to comfort blanket, khornate? 

Girl: yeah... it's with the rest of my things

Heigen: "If you weren't leading me to where there's stuff to kill. I'd rip your head off for that beast."

Vorstan: "Oh? do tell." *he gets himself a little more comfortable against the tree.*

Zyleena: *she stands up off the table.* "Come on then."

Morkar: You'd try.

Rosa:... I mentioned the general let me... help out with the battleplan that time?

Girl:..what?

Thorgar: "Its a foolish man who taunts Heigen."

Vorstan: "You did."

Zyleena: "Lets go get it."

Morkar: or confident.

Rosa: we were...friends...maybe more tahn...I think. I barely remember. 

Girl: oh..okay

Vorstan: "With a general?... oh, sorry, go on."

Thorgar: "Don't taunt my men Morkar. Lest you pick on one who can, and has the will to kill you."

Zyleena: "Come on cheri. Quick quick."

Rosa: I don't remember much about how it happened.... I do remember his name though.

Morkar: meaning no offence, Thorgar. But you only one here strong enough for that.

she stands up

Thorgar: "You rely on magic, the tzenchian is nigh immune to it."

Vorstan: *Listening.*

Zyleena: "Lead the way peti fleu."

Morkar: Magic only one way I can kill.

Rosa: Fredrick Von Holstien.

She slowly leads the way towards a nearby inn

Vorstan: "...Not one i have heard of."

*Zyleena has donned her helmet once again, the girl notices that her flaming red hair has taken on an almost... fractal appearance. when light is shone on it from passing torches, spots of light are thrown across the walls in strange patterns.*

Thorgar: "If it comes to blades, you will have difficulty."

Morkar just chuckles to himself and leads on.

Rosa: he's less famous. Worked his way up from a common soldier, wasn't one of the noble generals.

the girl takes notice of this.

Vorstan: "A man i can respect."

*followy*

*as she looks closer, a stray straw of hay, swept up on the wind, hits her hair. It falls to the dusty ground, in about twelve pieces.*

Rosa: he... he was a good inspiration. Didn't fight on horseback, rather on foot, right in the front lines with us lot.

*eventually they find what appears to be a cave, in a large rock face. However, the only way to reach the cave is through the thing they probably noticed first. A lake.*

she doesn't say anything to seeing this

Vorstan: "Remind you of someone?" *He chuckles*

Thorgar: *Picks up a stone and hurls it towards the cave. it lands just shy of the entrance, an impressive throw*

*Heigen simply starts walking towards the waters edge.*

*Zyleena continues to follow*

Rosa: maybe...

Morkar watches heigen's progress

they enter the inn and she goes upstairs to one of the guest rooms

Vorstan: "You'll never catch a champion on a hill watching his men fight."

*Heigen walks right into the water.*

*When zyleena walks into the building, the marauders who were drinking the cellar dry pause their revelry, the one chaos warrior in there nods his respect.*

Rosa: right...sorry

the water starts a stirring.

the girl is in what looks like the room she was renting out, gathering things into a bag

Vorstan: "I didn't mean it as a sight. Please, remember what you can. The man sounds interesting."

Heigen stops, ankle deep in the water "Something in there."

Zyleena: "Why were you down so far south cheri?"

Morkar nods. nothing shows itself, yet at least.

Rosa: he was... we met face to face when he saved my life from a vhargulf. Smashed it's face in with a hammer.

Girl: *turns to her* you finally figured out where I'm from?

Vorstan: "Now those i have heard of, thats impressive."

Zyleena: "I knew some time ago."

Thorgar: *He walks close to the waters edge, and kneels down by it.* "inē ferī lefīti" *Morkar recognises the daemonic tongue. But if whatever is in the water is in any way intelligent, it feels the burning urge to face thorgar in combat.*

Rosa: yeah... he was.

Girl: hm. fair enough.

Thorgar and heigen themselves feel something else....but they're not sure what it is. As he backs away a little, heigen trips over and falls on his arse.

*Heigen break falls, and rolls back up to his feet, impressive for an armoured man.* 

Vorstan: "It sounds like he was... More than a friend. Substantially." 

Zyleena: "So... Why south?"

*normally he would have yes....but in this case his fall was not caused by anything except his own clumsiness. on his arse he falls.*

Rosa: he was.... it's hazy but... he really was.

Girl: a number of reasons.

*on his arse he goes*

*Thorgar smells the magic.* "Shit."

Vorstan: "Maybe we can restore your memories."

Zyleena: "Care to share?"

the water starts a stirring again.

Rosa:...not sure I want to remember...because I remember very vividly how he died.

Girl: maybe.

Vorstan: "Ah." 

*Heigen climbs to his feet, and readies his axes* "BLOOD! FOR THE BLOOD, GOD!" 

*Thorgar readies himself similarly.*

Zyleena: *Sits down on the bed, and takes off her helmet, her hair looses the fractal quality.* "Come on then cheri."

Rosa:...the doombull. Split him in two, head to groin, one blow from its axe.

the beast reveals itself.... and to be honest. it's big. and ugly. And angry. Morkar is grinning under his hood.

Girl: well....escaping chaos raids was one reason. Didn't go so well apparently.

"DIE BY MY HAND BEAST!" *He charges the hag with both axes readied, ready to bury them into its flesh.* 

Vorstan: "was it the doombull that you killed?"

*Thorgar raises a hand, and a bale flame leaps forth, bright pink in colour, and straight at the beast's eyes. the concentrated light is blinding*

Zyleena: "This is no raid, cheri."

heigen trips and falls falt on his face.

the fireball almost instantly fizzles out, and Thorgar feels immense pain within his very head all of a sudden. The Hag cackles to herself as she gets closer.

Rosa: no...I just killed a minotaur. It's the one that leads the minotaurs in this horde.

Girl: no, it's a massacre.

Zyleena: "He gave them a choice, cheri."

*heigen roars in complete, unfiltered wordless rage. springing to his feet almost immediately, and continuing his reckless charge.* 

*Thorgar shakes his head, clearing the pain from his mind. then speaks once more.* "inanite yevī’o’ēni āwirē memoti!" *the words have a certain... gravitas. The hag feels unable to take her eyes off thorgar, even for a moment. He slowly walks towards her, shield raised.* 

Vorstan: "Well, given a few choice glimpses of the future. you'll get your revenge."

Girl: since when does choice change the definition of a massacre.

The troll cackles and launches some kind of magical bolt right at heigen

Rosa: you're just saying that...

Zyleena: "I believe the term is martyrdom."

*heigen takes the bolt dead on, trying to bat it to one side with one of his axes* 

Vorstan: "No, the beasts will betray us sooner or later."

*Thorgar hurls one of his axes at the beast, while continuing to walk towards it*

Girl: Still a massacre.

Heigen fails due to chronic 'ill fate' and takes it head on. Thorgars axe digs in but it doesnt seem to care.

Rosa: they will?

*Heigen takes the bolt straight to his head, the magical energies searing though his helmet, and taking a chunk of him with it. Half of his jaw, and a good portion of his cheekbone are gone, the skin around his left eyesocket is gone, baring the bone bare. Blood splatters down his shoulder, yet heigen does not falter. The immense pain fuels him, focusing his rage to a razors edge. the crimson aura returns, as he issues his wordless cry of challenge.* 

Zyleena: "True, but is it such a dirty word?" *She smiles*

Vorstan: "Of course."

the troll hag goes to smach heigen with its staff

Girl:...it's not the first massacre I've survived.

Rosa: what makes you so sure?

*Heigen holds his axes up in a cross, catching the troll's staff*

Zyleena: "A survivor, cheri you impress me."

Vorstan: "Our goals are only temporarily aligned. Thorgar's leadership will push them against their instincts."

The blow is rather bloody strong i should add :P

Girl: right...

Rosa: if you say so.

*he takes it, with strength like a bull, he takes the blow, then pulls his axes in either direction. the sharpened spine of the axe blade bites into the wood, holding it in place*

Vorstan: "He wishes to take cities, where they only desire to pillage them."

Zyleena: "I was like you once, cheri."

however, the hag, with the strength of...well, a troll hag, simply lifts the staff again. Heigen is presented with a predicament. Let go, and lose his weapons, or hold on, and be lifted high into the air

Rosa: any particular reason?

Girl:...pardon?

*Offered both horns by the proverbial bull, heigen chooses to vault over its head. When the hag lifts her staff, he jumps, and launches himself higher by hauling on his axes, then letting go of them. At the apex of his leap he draws back his right arm, before the full weight of him once more falls back to the earth. The spiked knuckles of his gauntlet glinting dully in the morning sun.*

Vorstan: "To hold territory, secure lands."

Zyleena: "Oh yes peti fleu. They say they found me on a raid."

Splash. Heigen lands in the lake. A lake deep enough to hide a troll-hag.

Rosa: why?

Girl: 'they say'

*heigen lands in the water, quickly sinking due to his immense bulk and weight.*

Zyleena: "I don't remember much of it, it was quite the while ago."

Vorstan: *Shrugs* "I cannot tell you his thoughts. But if i were to speculate... I would say he has studied the failure of other warbands. And wants to eliminate the flaws in their strategies."

the troll turns to thorgar, cackling like a witch
Meanwhile, a pair of large roots rise up from somewhere below Heigen out of the lake-bed, lifting him up and out of the water

Girl: right.

Rosa: oh?

Thorgar: *He continues to approach, shield held in front of him, braced against his shoulder, and sword pointed, resting on the rim.*

Zyleena: "I was just a little girl. The raiders came, burned my village, killed the men, and took the women. None of the cowards even lifted a blade."

Vorstan: "Warbands seige cities, burn them, and move on. When they are defeated the southerners return and rebuild it unabated."

*Heigen is lifted out of the water*
*the troll goes to swing for him with its' staff*

Girl: right..

Rosa: what's stopping them reconquoring then?

Zyleena: "I was the only one who fought. they found me having run a marauder through the eye with a firepoker, beating him to death with an iron pot."

*Thorgar steps forwards, blocking the blow short along its arc with the rim of his shield, and thrusting his sword at the hag's stomach.*

Heigen: "THROW ME BEAST!"

Vorstan: "He intends to fortify, and leave a garrison in each."

Girl: you fought back...and then went with them?

*the root does so*. he peirces the stomach, but it barely seems to notice. 

Rosa: ...*raises hand*

*Heigen roars as he flies through the air.* "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" *He draws back his spiked knuckles as he is flung through the air, and thumps the troll in the back of the head with the force of a rampaging bullock.* 

Vorstan: "Yes?" *sounding puzzled* 

Zyleena: "Well. My family had never treated me particularly well if i remember correctly. And here was a trio of warriors of chaos, laughing and congratulating me." 

*Thorgar steps in, pushing the blade deeper, then stepping to the side and slitting the beasts stomach wide open.

he realises upon doing so, that the creature's skull is worryingly thick. it roars angrily. Thorgar meanwhile, gotta dodge real quick so as to not get covered by the acid that it vomits up pouring out of the wound.

Girl: oh?

Rosa: I've never seen a chaos warrior or marauder with a proper ranged weapon except hellcannons. how the hell are you going to defend city walls?