Heroes of the Fall

[TheDarkDM]

Confrontation aboard Green Morningstar

As Green Morningstar leveled off, the flock of Chaos Beasts looped around, passing behind a cloudbank in a shadowed flash before howling towards the flying ship in a unified mass. For a moment, it seemed as though they intended to shatter the divinely wrought hull with the simple mass of their bodies, but as Haramhold and Jongo readied themselves for a dire battle a flash of azure cut through the approaching horde. The Beasts of Chaos scattered, breaking into smaller flocks circling their former location. Another flash of brilliant blue, and one of the smaller flocks vanished outright. Panicked now, the beasts scattered in a frenzy of flapping wings, speeding away from their erstwhile prey in terror.

Jongo, Amanda, and Haramhold had but a moment to consider their sudden deliverance before a groan came from the stern. Turning, they heard Amanda gasp as a sinuous monstrosity coiled around the end of the ship. It was sixty feet long, at least, its body coated in sapphire scales that glinted in the sunlight. Four thin legs emerged from what they assumed must be its main body, tipped by wicked black talons. It had no wings - indeed the only sign of what could allow flight were a pair of rippling fins that ran the length of its body from its forelegs down the end of its tail, the membrane atop it glistening silvery-blue. For a moment, the beast regarded them from on high with blazing green eyes, before lowering its draconic head to their eye level. They could see its head crowned by a trio of long, flat horns that swept back from the head to embrace the open air. Releasing a puff of misty breath that smelled of salt and blood, the dragon spoke through a maw of black, needled teeth.

"Now aren't you a strange sight in the morning air. What do you make of them, brother?"

Another creak came from behind Green Morningstar's crew, and a glance behind them revealed another of the blue dragons coiled about the mast.

"Hard to tell, brother. This one smells of eternity, but the other two are far too rough and crude to be aught but up-jumped mortals."

"Hrm, perhaps. Tell us, little ones, who are you to fly so high in such an...orange contraption?"

Dark Sands

As if in response to Dasque's question, the sandy claws withdrew their attack, returning to their circling position. Despite the brief respite, Dasque's guard never wavered, so when the black sand shot forward again she was prepared. Yet this attack was not aimed at her - rather, the sand exploded around her conjured guardians. The darkness would have found little purchase had the guardians been whole, yet in their damaged state their smooth exteriors were run through with cracks. Cracks which the black sand rushed to fill. In a flash, the guardians were made whole again, damaged stone and crippled limbs replaced by the sand. Shuddering in protest against the corruption, the guardians moved towards Dasque, endeavoring to grapple her into submission, heedless now of her aura of light.

As she struggled to overcome her own guardians, the wall of sand before Dasque parted, opening into a fanged maw of darkness. The whistling of the sands changed pitch, until they resembled nothing more than a low, rumbling laugh. From the center of the gaping maw, a thick stream of black sand emerged like a prehensile tongue, angling itself towards Dasque's face. There seemed to be no escape, until the wall of sand shuddered at the sound of a thunderclap, and the walls around Dasque were swept away by the pure white sand of the desert. Looking down from her perch, she saw another humanoid figure to the north that could only be one of her divine kin. Below, the black sandstorm wrestled with the storm that had interrupted its capture of Dasque, eventually subduing the mundane sands and rearing up before the two divinities with a roar.