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Post by anasilid on Jul 1, 2010 21:20:40 GMT -5
Name: Investigation Description: Anasilid has taken a squad of Dire Avengers to investigate the reappearance of the planet of Cyron from within the reaches of the Warp, in defiance of the Biel-tan Stormwind council. Although dangerous, he firmly believes such a rare event cannot be ignored. - - - - The jungle was twisted and silent. Unnatural. Everything about this world assaulted Anasilid's senses. "What have the Dark Gods done to this world?" The words were not spoken, but thought, linked to the spirit stones that were arranged across Anasilid's armor. "It is evil." One mental voice responded, it seemed distant, tired. "It is wrong." Another, this mental voice seemed much more attentive, serious. "It should be purged." The final voice to chime in was cold, and seemed to hold the most authority amongst the long dead Eldar spirits. Anasilid waited for the thoughts of Islian, but it never came. "No. We must learn all we can of this forsaken place before it is destroyed. It is a darkness we helped to create, so we must destroy it. To destroy your enemy, you must know your enemy." The other voices fell silent as Anasilid 'spoke'. Signalling to the Dire Avengers, he started moving slowly forward through the thick foliage, ever cautious of his surroundings. Ever wary of an ambush that could come at any moment. He had honed his skills against the greenskins and humans of the Imperium, never against the perils of Chaos, but was well taught on the ways of those taken by Chaos.
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Post by GrapesOnDrapes on Jul 1, 2010 21:56:10 GMT -5
(Note: There are no Chaos forces yet, so as for now, I will act as Chaos.) Also, I am promoting you to leader (in group rankings) so you may sticky orders to any other Eldar that may join)
From far off, the chanting from fanatics echoed in the forest. The voices, whisper quiet...seemingly too far off to be heard...but the whispers were as clear and loud as if a lover were singing a soft melody in your ears...
These whispers told stories, thousands at one time...they were garbled yet beautiful... They told of some dark ritual somewhere, farther into the foliage. It was calling...inviting you to the gathering.
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Post by anasilid on Jul 1, 2010 22:20:14 GMT -5
Coming to a halt, he signaled the Dire Avengers to do the same. Anasilid could feel the dead Eldar's apprehension as the voices flowed through the woods around them. Unlike Anasilid, the Eldar contained within the spirit stones had fought Chaos in centuries passed. "They are what the humans would call 'Cultists'," one of the dead spoke. "Deranged. They are lost to the Dark Ones." Anasilid tuned out the voices of the dead to turn his gaze inward, pressing his free hand to the Rune of Witnessing emblazened upon his chest, he reached into the Warp to draw enough energy to erect a simple barrier around his mind - it was something most Eldar were taught to protect themselves from the whispers of Murekhalir, the Deathbringer, the one others called Slaanesh. It would not stand up to a psychic assault, but would drown out much of the influence of the ritual over his mind ... he couldn't afford to lose focus when reaching into the Warp for power, especially around Chaos.
"We can destroy them, Anasilid. Istu Dris hungers." The voice of Islian crept into Anasilid's mind.
"We are here only to observe. The Council forbid us to even walk this ground, I will not risk -" his thought was interrupted by Islian's angry reply, "We will destroy them!" The will of Islian was strong, though he could've overcome the long dead weaponsmith, he dare not further anger the spirit of the weapon that had saved him countless times over. Signalling to the Dire Avengers, he crept closer to the source of the voices...
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Post by GrapesOnDrapes on Jul 1, 2010 23:24:40 GMT -5
At the edge of the foliage, it was easy to make out four large obelisks, clearly erected only recently. Ten or so Marines of the Chaos stood around each one, their body levitating off the ground by only several inches, their chest thrust forward, and their arms, legs, and head flailing around subtly. They were entranced in their ritual praying.
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Post by anasilid on Jul 2, 2010 17:53:56 GMT -5
"The Veil is thin here. We risk the loathesome touch of Murekhalir being here." He knew the voice in his head was right. He could feel the sickening touch of the Warp in the area. Whatever they were doing in the ritual, he knew it wouldn't end well. Anasilid signalled the Dire Avengers to fan out around him and take up firing positions, but making it clear while doing so they should stay within what little protection was offered by the surrounding trees.
"We bring only death, and leave only carrion. It is a message even a Human can understand." The voice of Islian sounded in his head - and he had to take a moment to consider if the old weapon master had become overconfident. But it was a fleeting thought. "Eradicate them all, we can no longer tolerate their filthy presence here." He sent the message to his Dire Avenger squad - the order to open fire with their shuriken catapults. Immediatley after he began preparing himself to reach into the Warp - he knew it would be easier here, with the ritual already tearing at the fabric of the Materium, but equally more dangerous. Concentration and control would be key.
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Post by GrapesOnDrapes on Jul 2, 2010 18:16:39 GMT -5
The dark rituals continued, yet some of the ritualists seemed to notice the Eldar, returning to the material world - or at least, trying to. Several tried to get their feet back onto the ground, their heads trying to violently get a good luck at their attackers - but they and the rest of the their brethern had been in this dark ritual for too long to escape it now.
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Post by anasilid on Jul 2, 2010 18:42:24 GMT -5
Seeing what little effect the shurikens had on the ritual, he realised why the Veil was so thin - the humans were tearing it open, trapped between the Materium and Immaterium as they did so. Calling for a cease fire, Anasilid stepped out of the foliage. Holding the spear aloft, he placed his free hand on his chest and dove into the Warp. His mind was buffeted with energy, power flooding him like a firery torrent. He realised too late perhaps it was foolish to attempt to use his powers so close to the ritual and a moment of panic set in. Fortunately, for Anasilid, the spirits of his long dead companions joined in his struggle to control of the writhing, corrupting energies he had tapped into. Focusing on the Rune on his chest, augmented by the strength of the spirit stones, he concentrated the energy of the Warp into Istu Dris. Over the waves of pain that came from accessing the Warp he felt the bloodthirsty pleasure of Islian as raw psychic power flowed into the weapon. "The time for using the knife to remove this cancer is long gone, bring forth the torch!" The words were torn from his lips, echoing louder than any mortal mouth should ever produce. The backlash of the release of energy from Istu Dris threw Anasilid back into the foliage, though his Eldar reflexes let him perform a flip and land in a crouch. The raw psychic energy, a roiling wave of pure destruction, stolen from the very place the Chaos drew their own powers, tore from where Anasilid had been towards the ritual and the Chaos marines. [For reference, it's the Warlock's "Destructor" power]
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Post by GrapesOnDrapes on Jul 2, 2010 19:01:12 GMT -5
The waves of psychic energy easily boiled the marines in their busy rituals, several screaming as they realized what was occuring, and there was nothing they could do.
It was calm. Quiet. The black obelisks no longer were surrounded by ritualists, but rather piles of ashes. The obelisks stood cold, no longer emitting such dark energy. Quiet was restored for now, but some whispers refused to cease.
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Post by anasilid on Jul 3, 2010 6:36:25 GMT -5
"Mark the area for Hunter bombardment and call in the Raider. We must report to the Council what we have seen." The thought went out to all of the Dire Avengers. Instantly they all went into action securing the area for their extraction and setting up the beacon that would guide the bombers onto the target - by the time the Hunters were through the area would be nothing more than a crater.
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Post by GrapesOnDrapes on Jul 3, 2010 11:29:16 GMT -5
The whispers suddenly ceased for several moments, then, a horrific scream echoed throughout the forest and in your mind - threatening to shatter your ear drums. Anger surged inside of you. Angry whispers repeated into your head. Something was angered at your orders.
Somewhere far off in the forest, red energy pulsated from a concentrated source, then exploded outward, sending out a shockwave. Something had just happened, and, more than likely, it was not going to be anything good.
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Post by anasilid on Jul 3, 2010 20:05:55 GMT -5
Anasilid was caught off guard by the wave of foreign emotion, but quickly recovered and created a barrier, isolating his mind from this most recent attack. Looking around to his Dire Avengers, they hadn't done so well, but other than being scattered, didn't seem to be all that bad off. "Regroup. Take up firing positions and prepare for incoming hostiles."
"Let them come! They shall feel the bite of Istu Dris!" Along with Islian's voice came the Eldar spirit's overwhelming sense of joy. It forced Anasilid to once again consider what millenia of constant warfare had done to the old weaponsmith.
Turning his thoughts elsewhere, Anasilid prepared himself mentally to dive once more into the Warp. Whatever had sent the psychic wave, he knew, would prove much more dangerous than the ritual they had just interrupted. And as such, would require much more of his energy. His ability to concentrate and support his squad with his psychic powers would more than likely be the line between victory and defeat, between life and death.
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Post by GrapesOnDrapes on Jul 4, 2010 14:25:41 GMT -5
Bolter fire suddenly peppered the land they stood on, kicking up much dirt and grass. Foliage provided limited to no cover as Berzerkers of Khorne charged forward from the forest, eyes full of bloodlust and anger, swinging their bloodthirsty weapons.
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Post by anasilid on Jul 4, 2010 16:50:55 GMT -5
"Inunedaor, activate the shimmershield." The Dire Avenger exarch, Inunedaor, had served with Anasilid for several campaigns and was no novice in battle. The air around the exarch and the Dire Avengers around him began to shimmer, as if they were but a mirage. The shimmershield would give them greater protection in their fight against the foul weapons wielded by the Berzerkers. Right after giving the order, Anasilid fell back into his own attempt to support his squad, protected for the moment by the squad of Dire Avengers. Grasping Istu Dris with both hands, he drove the hilt into the dirt. Firmly held in place, he knelt before the tall spear, holding both his hands out, palms towards the sky. "For the craftworld!" He dove into the Warp, feeling the all too familair pain as the twisted energies sought weaknesses in his psychic defenses. Relying once again upon the Eldar spirits connected to his armor, and the Rune, to protect him while he sought the energies he needed, the battle unfolding before him faded from his view - he had the utmost confidence the Dire Avengers would not falter, would fight to the man in defence of their ward. From Istu Dris came a flash of light, and around both the Dire Avengers and Berzerkers, now locked in a desperate mêlée, images began to appear. Flickering at first, they soon began to solidify. Where there were four Dire Avengers and an exarch a moment before, there now stood several new figures. Long lost Dire Avengers retook the battlefield, but the most impressive of the manifestations stood in the center of the Dire Avenger line, Asurmen, the first of the Pheonix Lords, and, standing where Istu Dris had been, was the fiery incarnation of Kaela Mensha Khaine, the God of War. They were both psychic manifestations - merely illusions - but from them radiated an empowering aura. No Eldar could fail in the presence of their greatest heroes. "To me! We fight by the grace of the Pheonix King! No enemy shall assail his chosen!" The voice coming from the image of Asurmen was ethereal, beautiful and deadly. "Behold! I walk again, a god amongst mortals! The fiery destroyer of worlds!" The voice coming from the image of Khaine was like a clap of thunder over the din of battle. The psychic manifestations were fighting a battle lost to the ravages of time, but were inspirations none the less. While incapable of doing physical damage, the psychic backlash of attacking such a creature would rip the soul from all but the strongest of willed. But to maintain the images required concentration, so Anasilid remained knelt on the ground afew yards from the combat, focused entirely on channeling the energies of the Warp into the Materium. [Reference, Warlocks' "Embolden"]
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Post by GrapesOnDrapes on Jul 7, 2010 9:03:26 GMT -5
As Berzerkers fell and crumpled in lines, a dark, deep voice yelled across the battlefield. "Fall back! We must not let them interrupt the Consumption! To the Quarry!"
The bolter fired ceased, yet the Berzerkers continued to fight to their deaths. "Coward!" They yelled at their brothers and kept fighting.
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