Death Comes Marching [Heretic King]

[Nightmare]

OOC: Tags to @Heretic King



It was a small forest with a lake in the center where Rhea had set up camp the previous night. In the morning, she awoke to the sound of wolves howling. In front of her she saw a pack of three wolves who clearly considered her prey. As they charged at her, a blast of black energy was released from her body.

The wolves stopped where they were and fell to the ground. The entire forest seemed to wilt and die around her. With a sigh, she looked over at the now dead beasts. "It's sad how easily life is taken away, is it not?"

With that, she gathered her things and left the now barren and dead land behind her. As she walked on the plants around her slowly wilted and died. Rhea was draining the life out of them all, leaving the world behind her barren. What did it matter, anyway? Life was meaningless, there was no purpose to it. Everything would die one day, whether she helped in the process or not.

She continued to walk on, the land behind her completely void of any life. She was looking for something, though she wasn't sure what. She could just sense its power, its presence. It was close, and she was going to keep walking until she found it, whatever it may be.

[Medievarad]

"And thus the Lady walked. Life withering around her." An enourmous man, clad in armor appeared infront of Rhea. The man folded his arms, stopping infront of the woman. "A verse of Harmaa. Yet, seeing the literal application is very.. Intruiging." He notioned. An aura of entropy surrounded the giant, clad in heavy armour, head hidden behind a thick, steel mask.

"You are a beacon of power. What is your name?" He asked, yet his tone thick with authority. Denying his question seemed like a very bad idea.

[Nightmare]

"Rhea." She sighed as she looked at the man who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Whether or not this man was the presence she had felt earlier, he surely had the same aura of darkness coming from him. He was at the very least connected to it in some way. "Though what good are names, when they are so quickly forgotten once you are gone from this world."

She then turned to look at the path of death that was behind her. "It's not often people gaze upon the path I walk and feel inclined to approach it. Who are you?"

[Medievarad]

"To be muttered in fear by others. To be blamed and cursed. To be sworn vengeance upon." He merely replied. The hulking giant in steel armour seeming to be unaffected by her aura. Or the life that withered around her. "I have never se death walking without it's chin lifted." The woman seemed weak in his eyes. A prowess such as hers and not taking pride in it.

"It is not often people feel my presence and remain walking towards me. I am Limadan of Harmaa. Vanguard to the lady of grey." He stated his name. Maybe the woman heard rumours lf the heretic cult named Harmaa. Maybe rumours about the ferocious and ravenous heretic king, Limadan of Harmaa. Maybe she knew of Harmaa's teachings or maybe she merely knew nothing.

[Nightmare]

"There is dark energy that radiates from your being. Naturally it would attract someone with gifts like mine, would it not?" Rhea said as she turned back to face the man. It was just now that she fully took in what she was seeing. Even if one could not sense the aura of power coming from him, his hulking presence alone would be enough to intimidate them, she was certain. "I'm afraid I've never heard of Harmaa, or this lady of grey."

[Medievarad]

"A mere means of scaring off the unworthy." He let out a slow, curt sigh. "Akyone curious d unafraid would be drawn toa power such as yours." He chuckled darkly. "Then again. It also attracts those wjo find such power despicable."

He sighed. "A pity that you do not know. Do you wish to learn?"

[Nightmare]

"Those who find my power despicable don't live long enough to do much about it." Rhea said with a faint trace of a smile on her face. Though she didn't particularly enjoy killing people, she had grown fond of her powers over the years of isolation. No one could harm her, nothing could kill her. People dreamed of having that ability.

"If you would like to explain it to me, then I would love to hear about it." Rhea told him, hoping that an explanation could provide more insight to the dark energy coming from this man.

[Medievarad]

"If I wished to, I would be able to destroy you right now. As I command the dead, your powers would not function well against me." He merely stated. "Then again. I admire this ability." He sat down with a loud clunk of his armor. His upper body still taller than Rhea.

"The lady of grey is she who created Harmaa. The teachings. Our dogma. We as worshippers anticipate the lady of grey's return from the void." He folded his arms slowly. "Harmaa teaches us to attain power at any cost. And whatever the source. It teaches us to cut down those in our path and to pay tribute to the lady of grey. May she return soon."

[Nightmare]

"And this lady of grey, what is she to you?" Rhea asked. "A prophet? A goddess?"

[Medievarad]

"From the start. She was a woman. A human. Opressed by tyrants.Thus she turned to a dark path and sought to capture the powers of.." He took a deep breath. "The translation is 'the void'. But, that is not the correct term. But that does not matter. She had a strong connection to the arcane arts. And soon enough, she had a lot of followers and was nicknamed the lady of iron. Hinting at the massive armour she wore."

The man sighed slowly. "Also because of her cold and calculated tactics. War was war. And sacrifices had to be made.Soon, her rebellion was overthrown and captured. As punishment, the Lady was placed in an enourmous cast and molten iron was poured in. Burning her alive. Yet, her connection to the void also caused her to not only survive, but also remain concious through the entire process. When the armor was cast, she managed to flee into the 'void'. Where she healed. And started to exert her influence via agents. So called Vanguards." He chuckled slowly.

"Such as yours truly. I am the third Vanguard. We anticipate her return from the void as a godess."

[Nightmare]

Rhea listened intently, intrigued by this mysterious lady of grey. Most of all, it was this void that this man referenced that caught her attention. She was curious if it was somehow connected to the power she felt coming from him. If it was as dark of a magic as he implied, it would make sense that she felt drawn to it.

"And when she returns?" Rhea asked. "What happens then?"

[Medievarad]

"All will perish." He stated with a slow chuckle. "And only those that submitted will join by her side to shepherd the souls of those slain. All will be reduced. When she returns, my own entire spectral army will be sacrificed to empower her. Thus I harvest potent souls. Yet it merely contains a sliver of her power."

[Nightmare]

"I see." Rhea said with a nod. She never quite understood how someone could be so fully devoted to their faith, though she assumed it was the sense of purpose it gave to life. People didn't like to believe that life was pointless and there was no meaning to their actions. "How will you know when it is time for her return?"

[Medievarad]

"We will only know when we see the signs.. These are not set in stone, but they are supposed to be very clear to any follower." He said with a soft chuckle. "And that endless waiting in itself is a test of faith."

[Nightmare]

"I can't see why anyone would want to return to this world." Rhea said with a sigh. "The world itself is constantly dying. Eventually the only thing left for everything will be death."

[Medievarad]

Limadan merely sighed. Was there an ever so subtle hint of sadness in the slow sigh? "That is why I wish for our Lady to return. She will make us eternal. Take away the suffering and end everything else with one fell swoop."

[Nightmare]

"One thing I've always found intriguing is how the followers of death seek eternal life, or fear their own deaths." Rhea said with a small laugh. It was likely the first time she had laughed in a while. "Death is the only freedom from this cruel, meaningless existence."

[Medievarad]

"I do not fear my own demise. If that is what you are implying. If I die, I will die and be called upon by her as I become one with the void. Nor do we follow death. We follow the lady of grey. Death is part of her being, but so is life. Power. Vengeance." He took a deep breath. "And perhaps I am wrong. And death is nothing like she promised me. So be it."

[Nightmare]

"I know not what death is like." Rhea said to the man. "I do know, however, that those who welcome it find peace. Those who run from it, who fear it, who attempt to cheat it... those are the ones who end up suffering in the end."

[Medievarad]

"Nor do I. I merely follow the exemple of my mistress. Such is called faith." He sighed slowly. "And I will embrace it. When I falter and die. I know my time has come. My life has already taken more years than most. I'm have seen kingdoms rise and fall. Mothers giving birth, becoming grandmothers and dying. I have examined the cycle of life for long enough now."