Decades of Crusades had quelled all the lands surrounding the fortress city. Its walls that were once manned at a constant full strength now only had a ceremonial guard. The Markers, the greatest magic of the Covenant, had made the need for such a force irrelevant to the Council. The Markers commanded the obedience of the people, and after the first Crusades no force of demons or monsters would dare challenge the force of the Zelbaen Templar and the chapters, or so they thought. The weakness Victor had preached of, was now to be at last proved.
Derrick Rowe, 1st Justicar of the newly formed Brotherhood of Udan, and his company walked straight through the holy city's gates. Derrick himself was fully armed and armoured, and in his case such a practice was a habit all other Justicars followed. The other Justicars of Victor followed suit, but of the 100 men who infiltrated the city in plain sight, many chose to instead wear the garb and light armament of any other traveling pilgrim.
No guard stopped them entering city, nor did any impede their path to the heart of the city. The filth of the world, as Derrick thought it were allowed af far even at the gates of the citadel keep itself. In his eyes their "attempt" to save their own souls, by such petty acts was laughable. They would never be Udan's chosen. The only use they would serve, would be to stoke the soulfires that empowered the Marked as Udan truly willed. At the last of the gates Derrick and the 9 other Justicars at his back entered without question, while the remaining 90 knelt before the gates continuing the charade of a traveling pilgrim. Derrick stood through his holy, but desecrated city's halls straight to the council chamber itself. His entrance was noticed, but no honor guard made any motion to stop and disarm a man of his and his fellows ranks. Weakness.
"Justicar Rowe. We did not expect you, nor were told of your coming. For what purpose has Victor sent you to us. You and your men should all be helping him lay siege to the city of Linirea should you not?"
"I am here as Victor's hand and herald! From this point forward I and the new Brotherhood of Udan have declared the old Covenant disbanded! This council no longer is the true leaders of Zelbae, and any who do not bend shall be purged as the corrupted you are!"
The Archons rose as the honor guard stanced themselves between Derrick and the council.
"You speak HERESY Justicar. HERESY! You would go against the council and Udan? Why should we-"
"HERESY!? YOU DARE CALL ME A MARKED A HERETIC?! YOU DARE QUESTION MINE, MY BROTHERS AND VICTOR'S PATH AFTER THE SINS THIS COUNCIL HAS COMMITED?"
"Sins? What sins?"
"WHAT SINS?! What sins you ask? This council has denied the truth of Udan's will since the moment you chose mercy Archon. Your Markers are incomplete. Your state weak. Victor has seen the ancient texts. He and my brethren have made what should have been built at the birth of our nation. In the East a TRUE MARKER STANDS!"
"YOU DID NOT! It is forbidden to"
"To follow Udan's will councilor? To be what our god intended?! NAY IT IS YOUR HERESY THAT HAS ROTTEN OUR ZELBAE. Victor has cleanses Linirea as the filth it was. A true Marker is born, and a true faith ready to dispose of you. I gave you a chance, but you are now all no more than the scum you defend and serve."
"Guards I will have no more of this kill this heretic!"
The honor guard advanced upon Derrick and his men. They numbered 40 to his 10, but Derrick did not flinch or move in the slightest.
"Obedience to heresy is still heresy my brothers."
"And the destruction of Innocents is the same as heresy too!"
The lead honor guard, Nico swung first. His halberd howled through the air as it sparked with its ancient magic, but in a split second Derrick's hand rose and caught the blade. Dark green mist flowed from his armor cloaking his body in the magic of Victor's Marker. Derricks eyes glowed blue.
"You will have to do better than that brother. I have Udan on my side. What do you have?"
Derrick's hand gripped the halberd and with the magic collecting in his fist shattered it. With his other hand he thrust forward into the guard's armor smashing through steel flesh and bone killing the man instantly.
"What demon have you become?"
"Udan's."
The remaining honor guards charged Derrick and his men. To their credit they were indeed fearless and among the best men of the Covenant, but Derrick and his brothers were more than man. In instants almost all of the guard fell save Ilerio, the librarian. Rather than charge with the others he stood as his brothers and many of the councilors fell to the Brotherhood's magic an blades. Only the 3 Archons and the one of the honor guard behind his corner remained in the chamber.
"And now it is only us Ilerio."
"And so it is. I now see the error in the Covenant's ways. I understand why you and your Brothers see this apparent weakness."
"And so you do. Now surely you even hear the clash as my other brothers take the gates of this citadel."
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS TRAITOR!"
"SILENCE FOOL! I see the outcome of this day Derrick. Let me, do what I must. As a show of my true loyalties, let me take care of these last 3 councilors, and brother."
"I am glad you have the wisdom to see the truth."
Ilerio knelt turned to the last 3 councilors and the guard, gathering powerful magical energies to himself.
"Wisdom? Hah! THERE IS NO WISDOM IN HERESY!"
In a pulse of energy Ilerio opened a portal sending the 3 councilors and guard far from the capital.
"NO!" Derrick's men thrust and impaled the mage, but it was already too late. The councilors were gone.
"You and your Covenant will pay foolish old man!"
"Hehehe-*cough* If all.. I can do *cough* is save my teachers and brothers.... and end you *COUGH* it is but a small price. Burn...In *cough* Hell"
Magic energies gathered to the mage surged from his body. His eyes burned from his head in piercing flames and in a second the entirety of his soul and powers lashed out cleansing all near him in his wrath. Only Derrick remained far enough to way to summon the energies needed to shield himself. Even then it cost him a hundred of the souls he had harvested from Linirea. A moment later one of his men burst through the doors.
"The Chapter house is upon us sir. We must leave."
A message must be enough then. No more mercy ever. I shall bear the burden of this failure, but the Brotherhood's first blow has been dealt.
"Gather the men and fall back! I shall open the portal with the Marker."
As the members of the Brotherhood who held the gates against the Zelbaen 1st chapter fell a dark green lance of magical energy shot from the council chambers to the Marker at the heart of the city. The beam snaked around the monolith, causing lighting to spark from it. Soon a portal opened in the council chambers, and the last remaining members of the Brotherhood of Udan were whisked away. Though before they left a final pulse of energy was cast at the Marker. For the seconds following the lighting ceased and all seemed well, until with a single deafening crack the Marker split in two, and cast out a shockwave of energy across the province. The feeling of the destruction of the Marker burned within every soul in the region, driving them all to madness, and most to death. The city of Winterwald, was now nothing more than a mob of madness, yet in the ashes of the Marker, a new sinister object grew.
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"We cannot delay. The entirety of the Marker network will have felt Winterwald's fall, and is not extraordinarily unstable. If but a few more Markers fall, the very madness and chaos we have spent our entire lives fighting will return and claim the north."
"How did Victor learn of that magic?! We locked it away since the day it was discovered. No one besides the council had access."
"I do not know, but we have little time to debate on that. We must assume the the five chapters who sent their forces with Victor have all fallen or are on his side. With the first chapter destroyed with Winterwald and the 7th and 12th away we must rally the remaining 23 immediately."
"I'll send word to the chapters and all other nations we have contact with. Should Victor and his ilk make actions against them, we may find ourselves fighting against many enemies. We will need to recall Abram and Issac Immediately to here in Muspell. Even Ilerio, one of our strongest mages could not best them. If we are to have any hope against our most brilliant commander we must have our strongest champion at our side. Perhaps they will even bring Prinnian reinforcements with them."
From the last of the Council of Archons, The true leaders of the Covenant,
The Lord Commander of our armies has committed treason and genocide against our nation, and leads a coup against Zelbae and all that it stands for. He has made his intentions clear to eradicate all who stand his way, and motions to move beyond our borders and take action against the world itself with the dark magic he has unleashed. We call for any friend of our Covenant, old and new, to assist us against a threat, whoes dark magic may engulf the entire world in hellfire and feast upon every living soul. To any who honor any word to us or what is good in this world we call you to the city of Muspell, where our Council has taken refuge.
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"They are sending the letters just as you predicted Lord Victor."
"Then we will send our own in kind. No power will deny us victory in our own lands."
From Lord Commander Victor Sangrey, of the Brotherhood of Udan, the True men of Zelbae,
I must warn the world of the transgressions of my people's Council. The Archons of the Covenant have committed genocide against our own people, and have massacred the entirety of my capital city. Using dark magic they have killed thousands, including all of the council that opposed them. I tried to reason with them, and now must take action against them for the sake of all that is good and holy. If any honor what is good and just in this world then join me in the city Linirea of Icefell, where one can witness firsthand the devastation of the Archon's evil magic.
