Dark Empire Rising

Darkness had fallen. Outside the city a massive battle had begun. Soldiers clashed in the fields and the ring of weapons and the explosions of spells went for miles Commanders shouted orders to their troops, some of which were followed, others of which were lost in the chaos.

In the sky, airships fired at each other, massive blasts of magic tearing through the hulls, while those who could fly clashed with each other, the wounded and dead dropping to the ground.

The attackers were the diabolic forces. All over the world, fiends of various types had poured out of dark portals that had suddenly appeared. They had overrun many major cities and forced the defenders to flee to safer lands.

Now the defenders were forced to hold out in their few remaining strongholds, fighting desperately to simply survive. The defenders consisted of various races and professions, from a variety of former countries (now fallen). There was no time for petty rivalries when the enemy had already taken so much.

The location they defended was one of the few remaining free cities in the world. Inside it's walls, non-combatants remained in their homes, listening to the sounds of battle outside.

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What exactly are you doing during the battle. Introduce your characters and well start the combat!

Also Recruitment and OoC

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Beast paused, reaching a moment of calm in the ground battle. He stood atop a small hill and looked around. Fighting nearest to him was the remainder of his clan. He had gathered them over the years and they grew to respect him. They had chosen to help lead the charge on these fiends, and those that fell in battle died an honorable death. Another fiend charges towards Beast. He takes a deep breath, releases it and says I really need to let loose more often. He takes a step foward swinging his axe, cleaving the fiend in half. These ants are a waste of my time. He looks to the sky, Hmmmm, it would be quite interesting to bring a ship crashing down upon their own ranks Debating whether to fly up and do so, just for his own entertainment.

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Ok I was waiting for someone else to post first. But I guess not. I know I should role for that attach but it's theatrics so too bad.

Ravenbane

There is a man atop an airship, and he is smiling.

The man is dressed in blacks and grays, garbed in gloves made from human skin and etched with blasphemous runes. His face is hidden by the cowl of a cloak that billows in the winds that roar up at their altitude.

The man is not alone.

Resting on his shoulder, and scattered around him is a congress of ravens, with black, faintly metallic beaks and feathers that could blot out the sun.

One of the enemy airships drifts closer to his position.

Ravensbane crooks a finger, and the ravens await his command.

"Kill," he says.

And the ravens flock to his whim.

Fiends have entered the ship. I repeat, fiends have entered the GAAAH! The magical intercom was cut short.

Lyra knew this was the time to act. The ship shook as blasts from the magical cannons impacted against it's hull. All around her, soldiers were hastily running to intercept the boarders.

Lyra however, walked, keeping calm.

"The best course of action would be to find a way to disable the enemy ship." She thought aloud. "Now to find my way to the deck..."

A shot from the enemy cannons blasted a hole through the hull, killing any near by soldiers. Devils poured in through the breach. Lyra lifted her hand and a bolt of electricity fired from her hands, shocking each of the devils to death. Their bodies faded away soon after.

Lyra then stepped out of the hole and took off towards the enemy airship.

Somewhere on the plane...

"Our forces have just overran Blood Pass", the infernal tongue spoken sounded more of a shriek than actual voice, as a figure wrapped in cloak observes hordes of various fiends through his scrying pool. Outnumbered at three to one, it was bound to be an onslaught.

When suddenly, their own numbers started dropping. Half... quarter... none. "What is this? Did everyone just die?", snarled the cloaked figure as he looked at the srying pool with disbelief.

"Somebody is just messing with your divination. Send the Pit Fiends if it scares you so much", the voice was deeper, and reverberates authority in each word it spoke.

"But Master, we already--", the sudden teleportation of a half-dead Tanar'ri interrupted the figure.

"DAMNED TRAITORS! PREPARE TO DIE, BAATEZU!", shouted the Tanar'ri.
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Blood Pass

The air reeked of fiendish blood, and the ground was littered with the bodies of the slaughtered. Six shadowy figures, decidedly fiendish in form, suddenly appeared just moments ago. Just as quickly, the shadows disappeared.

Elsabeth

On the city walls...

There was no pleasure in this, just a grim sense of satisfaction as a millenia-old grudge is brought out for a dusting.

The black-clad figure raisesa a hand a speaks a word, and out on the field a half-dozen devils drop to their knees screaming. Moments later and another word, and seven demons to the same. Less than a heartbeat later, a larger group is obliterated by a fiery blast

The crackling ring that surrounds her suddenly flares into life, and twin streams of crackling energy and arc on to the field, smashing apart any fiends in their way.

Alright, maybe there is a little satisfaction. What happened back then will not happen again here.

In the sewers beneath the city

As always, there was a cult. When the fiends had first come, they had struck from the inside, causing chaos a devastation amongst the defenders before being forced beneath the city. Now they were hunted.

The cultists have torches with which to see; their hunters need no such thing, and so one by one the little beacons of light and flickering out and failing. Dark shapes are dimly seen on the edges of the light, until they explode forth. The cultists don't have a hope.

One of the dark shapes raises it's mind, and speaks to its mistress in the city above, the city lit by the hated sun. Soon they would stalk the streets at her side, but not yet.

We are close to victory. We will be with you soon.

Lyra flew through the air, crossing the gap between the two airships. Several erinyes attempted to attack her, only for them to be shot down by spells.

Lyra paused in the air as she saw a flock of ravens tearing through the enemies. She turned back towards the airship, where she saw a man commanding them. She nodded and continued towards the ship.

From there she made her way to the roof of the airship. The few devils up there proved no problem, their attacks bouncing off the daily armor spell she had cast this morning.

As she finished off the last of them, a blinding white light shone, so bright it illuminated the battlefield. With in the light, could be seen a sphere of utter blackness.

Wha- what is this?" Lyra asked.

Beast had gone back to battle when he noticed a small airship racing low to the ground, he recognized it as the ship the rebellion had lent him and his maenad crew was using for transport. "Heads up! Friendlies coming to pick us up. Be ready to board" He roared to his horde that still fought around him.

The ship pulled up and lowered it's ramp. Beast and his crew rushed on and were greeted by their maenad friends who flew the ship. "Turn her towards the enemy flagship. I want to bring back a trophy" Beast said. The ship rotated and started heading up towards the flagship, when suddenly a bright white light lit up the land. Inside could be seen a black spot. What the hell is that... Beast pauses squinting and trying to focus on the black spot. With a new challenge infront of him, fire comes to Beast's eyes. "Hold up boys. I think we may have a new target"

Word in the battlefield is that someone of their own kind orchestrated an onslaught of fiends at the Blood Pass.

"Mote of brimstone-smelling smoke momentarily puffs out of nowhere, leaving scattered corpses in their wake, before dispersing and puffing out to another remote area."

The smarter ones realized that the description roughly matches what's happening in front of them now, and so fled the scene as soon as they get the chance.

Hundreds of feet up in the air stands a lone figure. He indeed appears fiendish, neither a mere trick nor illusion--as attested by those gifted with True Sight. The sudden flash of light apparently got his attention, and what he saw gave him an inexplicable chill up his spine.

A black ball of nothingness... Hmm, could it possibly be it? I should take a better look

Referred by his close allies as Kagemaru, the devilish figure again disappeared out of sight, leaving the same cloud of smoke behind.

Lyra stepped back from the light, as it grew brighter and brighter. However it eventually began to dim, as the black sphere in the center began to shape it's self. It it took on a humanoid shape, although it was about eight feet tall. Horns grew out of it's head, and it formed a mouth of razor sharp teeth. Arms formed from which came hands with razor sharp claws. A pair if mighty wings grew out of it's back. Finally, blood red eyes formed, glowing in the night.

Still flying nearer and nearer to the now dimming humaniod, Beast's adrenaline was rising rapidly at a chance to fight such a creature to show who was stronger. He yells to his horde,
"You turn back and start boarding ships. Your goal is to get me that nice flag ship they have. But don't sacrafice yourselves for it. Just do what you can and live to see another day. As for me, it seems I have a new opponent to face. Good luck boy."
With that, Beast takes a running jump off the bow of the of the ship (leap of faith style). As he falls dark wisps start trailing behind Beast forming into wings which then flap and he starts making his way towards this new enemy. His horde chears as they turn the ship to follow his commands and bring home the biggest ship they can.

From roughly a hundred feet away, Kagemaru observes as the apparently sentient ball transforms itself to a humanoid entity.

"Not what I thought, thankfully...Looks fearsome, without a doubt. I wonder if he is one of my brethren..."

As he tries to delve in his memories for information about the creature, he attempts to catch the creature's attention. He shouted at the latter in an all-too-familiar language, the fiendish tongue used by those he had slain in the past.

"Identify thyself, foul creature, or thine soul will sooner part from that mortal coil."

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For information about the creature:
Knowledge (the Planes)
90: auto-20(Surge of Fortune) + 15(Divine Insight) + 12(Improvisation) + 43(default modifier)

Knowledge (Arcana) = 90 (same)

The creature laughed. It spread out it's wings and an aura of black energy surrounded the creature.

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Unholy Aura

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"Inferior beings, You know not what who you are attempting to combat."

Everyone thinks barbarians are all muscle and no brains, Beast is one of many who are the exception to that belief. Upon seeing the dark aura around the crreature, Beast put away his axe and drew his greatbow. He stopped and took aim at the creature. His muscles drew taunt as did the string. He took a breath and released the string, sending a large arrow whizzing towards the creature

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Attack: Greatbow
Attack roll: [roll0]
(if a crit) Crit Confirm:[roll1]
Damage: [roll2] + [roll3] (holy)
(if crit) Damage above: -16, x3, +16, +holy

---EDIT---
Nooooo!! I rolled a 19!! Soooo close!!!