The Awakening, Act II: A Brief History III

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Title: A Brief History III

Author: Chamberlain Kasha


A Brief History of the Lore Council and the Matriarchs - The Catacylsm at Anjur


Hunter Karavan's Account

After an already exhaustive battle against a half dozen gazers or more, we managed to break inside the Citadel of Anjur and pursue our quarry. My Stinger was helpful in leading us towards the mage, as the living weapons were designed by the Matriarchs to assist Hunters in their duty of dealing with rogue mages. As we made our way down into the depths of the Citadel we could hear the sounds of battle, and we redoubled our pace but as we entered I saw a fellow Hunter sent flying before being crushed under a pile of rubble. With rage clouding my vision I screamed a battle cry and ran towards the traitorous Tarathas as he rose, taking note of the venomous barbs already lodged through his robes and in his flesh, and I drew my Stinger back to engage him directly before his unwounded arm shimmered and his stone encased fist clutched at my Stinger. I flung my head forward and let my forehead smash into his nose, feeling the bone break from the impact as his blood flowed freely from the wound. With a snarl he staggered back, attempted to disarm me of my Stinger but I clung to it tenaciously. I could hear Kurth screaming for me to disengage so he could get a shot, before his cursing and footsteps could be heard trying to find a new position. Engrossed in my own battle I took no heed of him, and let loose with a flurry of blows with my free hand, impacting his torso a half dozen times before he enchanted himself there with the same stone encasement, and I could feel the crunching of the bones in my hand as they impacted his changed form. With a howl of fury I lashed out with a kick intending to catch him just under his chin, but I felt a deep shuddering impact to my body, and my legs went weak beneath me. In horror I looked down to see his wounded arm embedded to the elbow inside me, a magic blade of wind covering it as it pierced through me. He pulled his arm out covered in my lifeblood as my grip loosened from my Stinger, and I crumpled to the floor in a heap, awakening a week later in a special ward.


Scout Kurth's Account

By the time myself and my partner, Karavan the Hunter had managed to fight our way into the Citadel of Anjur we had already exhausted many of our potions and supplies that we had entered with. I must admit that my trepidation only increased as we passed by many slain gazers and comrades alike, and my resolve quavered for a moment... but only a moment, as Karavan's large hand came to rest on my shoulder and he told me to take heart and remain stalwart. This was my first true mission that I had ever been on and though I had managed to face the gazers with bravery and courage, I worried that I would falter upon encountering Tarathas himself. I had been friends with his son for decades, but I knew my duty. As Karavan and I entered the chamber he threw himself at the Chamberlain, but was between me and Tarathas and prevented me from getting a shot with my crossbow. It seemed like eternity as I shouted to him to reposition, and then began to move to get a clear shot, but I am sure it only took seconds. I will never forget the squelching noise that accompanied Karavan's squeak of surprise as Tarathas' hand ripped out his guts, and my own resounding scream of horror and fury as I took aim at Tarathas. To this day, I am unsure if it was luck, destiny, or divine guidance that guided my bolt, but I let loose with a shot that I swore I had aimed at the traitors exposed neck, but he moved to one side and it impacted a pouch near the side of his robe and carried it directly into the nexus point behind him. He shouted in alarm as he turned towards the nexus, rushing towards it the instant before the nexus pulsed. Still in shock at Karavan's apparent death, I watched as if from outside my body as Tarathas reached the nexus as it seemed to burst apart in an explosion, sending him flying for a brief second... before the nexus imploded upon itself and sucked his screaming body inside and vanishing. I'm told that the magical force released in that instant was felt by every mage of our society at once, and that the void was irrevocably altered that day, but at the time all I could think of was trying to help Karavan hang on until a healer could reach us.


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