Eternal
Year 19
The day of reckoning is coming soon for all traitors; particularly the shadows and you’re just itching to play your part. It was you after all that influenced the Emperor on such an important decision. You just wonder what that role will be since the Emperor is currently explaining part of the plan to you and you’re still not entirely sure of how this is going to play out.
“But isn’t the military already going to wipe out the shadows?” you ask.
“I told you son, I had a contingency plan for the shadows a long time ago. Our military isn’t even going to be involved for the most part. Maybe a few soldiers to mop up a few escapees, but their subterranean fort called Gloom is also serving as their handy underground tomb…heh that rhymed. Anyway what I’m saying is I have an old alliance with the derro and the fort the shadows are currently using as their headquarters was originally created by the derro who abandoned it because there wasn’t any worthwhile mining prospects in the area any longer. The derro still know every secret passage and inch of that place and can launch a surprise attack at anytime. And before you even ask, yes they’ll be MORE than enough to finish off the shadows. Personally I wish I could use them against the Felkans, but that’s not meant to be since they don’t do favors like this on a regular basis.”
“Can we be sure to get all of the shadows though? Won’t a lot of them be on topside?”
“Well we’re trying to coordinate the attack so there won’t be a lot of shadows on the surface at the time. However we do keep track of their patrol routes and schedules, we even try to keep track of their unofficial patrol routes that they seem to prefer. Basically the derro will get most of them underground, the more tedious thing isn’t getting rid of the shadows, it’ll be wiping out any of non-shadow sympathizers they’ve recruited to their cause. I might use specialized teams to take care of that…in fact I think I’ll put you in that group. It’ll give you an opportunity to put those combat skills of yours to good use! And it’ll also give you a good opportunity to be in demonstrating your ability to lead since I’m also putting you in charge of it.”
You don’t know what to say. Not that you’re displeased with such an opportunity, its just you really weren’t expecting it.
“I won’t fail you Emperor.” You remark.
“Of course you won’t since it’s not an option, but as I said I have complete faith in you. Now I’m going to tell you right now all of them have got more battlefield experience and in some cases several decades, but don’t let that intimidate you. YOU are in charge. Never forget that.”
The Emperor goes on to explain that while you’ll be working with a specific group, you naturally won’t be working without the full support of the Empire. He states that there will be other groups like yours scouring the countryside for shadows and any other potential rebel types.
“Most of those scum are probably going to be hiding out in that backwards swamp province of Delerg, so that’s where you’ll be heading. It’ll probably be a good idea to do a purge anyway, so you’ve got full permission to use whatever means to stomp out anyone who even remotely is showing signs of rebellious behavior. The derro are still getting prepared, so you’ll have a little time to get to know your team before we stop this misguided revolution before it starts. You’ll head to Delerg in a couple days and await further orders there.”
Your trip to Delerg is an uneventful carriage ride, though it does give you time to see a little more of the Empire countryside. Along the way you read up a little more about the Delerg area and how it used to be the original home of the shadows. It was there where the Emperor first made his alliance with them. You also refresh yourself on the shadows themselves and how they typically go about fighting. Their favored tactic is to remain cloaked invisibly and then launch a sneak attack followed by hasting themselves to finish off anyone else.
When you reach Delerg you stop in a rundown town appropriately called Sinkhole. From there you are told the rest of your team is meeting you there. No sooner have you gotten off the carriage when you’re approached by a large scarred orc in battle armor.
“You the Emperor’s boy?” he asks in a gruff tone, though much more coherent than you were lead to expect from his kind.
“I am in his service and was sent here, if that’s what you mean. Who are you?”
“All business, I guess you’re him. I’m Captain Gruz at your command I suppose since I’ve been informed that you’re in charge of this thing. The most of your command is in the local barracks. The svelk mercs have been busy scouting though, better that they stay out our way until its time anyway.”
“Wait, svelk mercs?”
“Yeah, they’re trying to find any hidden safe houses and such that the shadows might have scattered about in the deeper reaches of the swamp. Figured you knew seeing as you’re buddies with the Emperor and all.”
“I’m not his buddy, I’m his dedicated agent who is honored to serve him to the best of my ability!” you say starting to get annoyed by the orc’s choice of words.
“Okay, I meant no disrespect…I will say though you need to lighten up a bit lad. Even the other Eternals I trained weren’t quite as serious as you seem to be.”
While this is news to you that he was a trainer to some of your other classmates, you don’t see as that having any bearing on how he should tell you how to behave.
“Well YOU didn’t train me, because I surpassed my classmates! I survived ordeals that would’ve most likely killed them! So do not presume to tell me how I should act!”
Captain Gruz’s stoic expression cracks a bit, you at first think his face is going to turn into an expression of anger, but instead he smirks a bit.
“Mistress trained you didn’t she?” he asks.
“Yes, and what of it?” you snap.
“Nothing, just explains some things. Come then, I’m sure you’ll want to talk to the troops and enlighten them how you’re going to be running things. Now I know this is your first command, but don’t worry, I’ll be here to give advice and make sure the rest of the troops take you seriously.”
“If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it captain. And the troops should be taking me seriously regardless of your presence. I am here by the orders of the Emperor himself! That should be more than enough motivation for them to obey my commands!”
“…I suppose so sir.” Gruz answers though you get the impression he’d like to say more.
When you and Gruz enter the barracks, you’re welcomed to a surprising sight. It’s filled with orcs! First svelk mercenaries and now orc troops! You didn’t know you were going to be leading two distinctly different races! When Gruz notices your expression, his own is one of amusement. The other orcs stop their loud discussions and begin to study you. They appear unimpressed.
“Ey cappin’ ooo dis humie in da fancy leather armor? You get ‘im from the local ‘orehouse fer me? Har har har har!” one orc says which is followed by loud laughter from the rest.
“Alright everyone calm down this is…” Gruz tries to interject, but you stop him.
“I can speak for myself!” you say realizing that you must take an aggressive stance. It is clear that the Emperor put you in this situation to force you to deal with surprises and how well you can handle commanding unruly troops.
“All you need to know about me is that I am your superior for the duration of this operation and you will cease behaving like the near mindless beasts you are and start earning your keep for the Empire by following my orders!”
This works on a few of the orcs, but the outspoken one has decided to keep pressing the issue of challenging your authority.
“Beast iz it? I’ll have you know ima fookin’ lady!” the orc says standing up. To be quite honest you thought the orc was male, but between the battle armor and ugliness of all of them they all look alike to you.
“I don’t care what gender you are, you WILL follow my orders or…”
“Or whut? Whachu gonna do?” the female orc says getting closer and staring down at you ready for a fight.
You look over at Gruz who just gives you a look that expresses “Hey, you said you didn’t need my help.” and you’re right you don’t need his help. You know how to handle this.
You scan another orc who is egging on the loud female. The orc looks fairly formidable and is on the larger side (though they’re all bigger than you).
“HEY YOU!” you shout out to the orc.
“Huh? Whut?”
“You male?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” You say and immediately attack him after pushing past the female orc.
While this battle could be over within seconds if you used magic, you can’t do that here. The orcs need to respect your natural battle skills if they’re going to properly respect you. Of course you need to beat said orc first and one you’ve decided to make an example of isn’t about to just let that happen and readies his morning star.
The day of reckoning is coming soon for all traitors; particularly the shadows and you’re just itching to play your part. It was you after all that influenced the Emperor on such an important decision. You just wonder what that role will be since the Emperor is currently explaining part of the plan to you and you’re still not entirely sure of how this is going to play out.
“But isn’t the military already going to wipe out the shadows?” you ask.
“I told you son, I had a contingency plan for the shadows a long time ago. Our military isn’t even going to be involved for the most part. Maybe a few soldiers to mop up a few escapees, but their subterranean fort called Gloom is also serving as their handy underground tomb…heh that rhymed. Anyway what I’m saying is I have an old alliance with the derro and the fort the shadows are currently using as their headquarters was originally created by the derro who abandoned it because there wasn’t any worthwhile mining prospects in the area any longer. The derro still know every secret passage and inch of that place and can launch a surprise attack at anytime. And before you even ask, yes they’ll be MORE than enough to finish off the shadows. Personally I wish I could use them against the Felkans, but that’s not meant to be since they don’t do favors like this on a regular basis.”
“Can we be sure to get all of the shadows though? Won’t a lot of them be on topside?”
“Well we’re trying to coordinate the attack so there won’t be a lot of shadows on the surface at the time. However we do keep track of their patrol routes and schedules, we even try to keep track of their unofficial patrol routes that they seem to prefer. Basically the derro will get most of them underground, the more tedious thing isn’t getting rid of the shadows, it’ll be wiping out any of non-shadow sympathizers they’ve recruited to their cause. I might use specialized teams to take care of that…in fact I think I’ll put you in that group. It’ll give you an opportunity to put those combat skills of yours to good use! And it’ll also give you a good opportunity to be in demonstrating your ability to lead since I’m also putting you in charge of it.”
You don’t know what to say. Not that you’re displeased with such an opportunity, its just you really weren’t expecting it.
“I won’t fail you Emperor.” You remark.
“Of course you won’t since it’s not an option, but as I said I have complete faith in you. Now I’m going to tell you right now all of them have got more battlefield experience and in some cases several decades, but don’t let that intimidate you. YOU are in charge. Never forget that.”
The Emperor goes on to explain that while you’ll be working with a specific group, you naturally won’t be working without the full support of the Empire. He states that there will be other groups like yours scouring the countryside for shadows and any other potential rebel types.
“Most of those scum are probably going to be hiding out in that backwards swamp province of Delerg, so that’s where you’ll be heading. It’ll probably be a good idea to do a purge anyway, so you’ve got full permission to use whatever means to stomp out anyone who even remotely is showing signs of rebellious behavior. The derro are still getting prepared, so you’ll have a little time to get to know your team before we stop this misguided revolution before it starts. You’ll head to Delerg in a couple days and await further orders there.”
Your trip to Delerg is an uneventful carriage ride, though it does give you time to see a little more of the Empire countryside. Along the way you read up a little more about the Delerg area and how it used to be the original home of the shadows. It was there where the Emperor first made his alliance with them. You also refresh yourself on the shadows themselves and how they typically go about fighting. Their favored tactic is to remain cloaked invisibly and then launch a sneak attack followed by hasting themselves to finish off anyone else.
When you reach Delerg you stop in a rundown town appropriately called Sinkhole. From there you are told the rest of your team is meeting you there. No sooner have you gotten off the carriage when you’re approached by a large scarred orc in battle armor.
“You the Emperor’s boy?” he asks in a gruff tone, though much more coherent than you were lead to expect from his kind.
“I am in his service and was sent here, if that’s what you mean. Who are you?”
“All business, I guess you’re him. I’m Captain Gruz at your command I suppose since I’ve been informed that you’re in charge of this thing. The most of your command is in the local barracks. The svelk mercs have been busy scouting though, better that they stay out our way until its time anyway.”
“Wait, svelk mercs?”
“Yeah, they’re trying to find any hidden safe houses and such that the shadows might have scattered about in the deeper reaches of the swamp. Figured you knew seeing as you’re buddies with the Emperor and all.”
“I’m not his buddy, I’m his dedicated agent who is honored to serve him to the best of my ability!” you say starting to get annoyed by the orc’s choice of words.
“Okay, I meant no disrespect…I will say though you need to lighten up a bit lad. Even the other Eternals I trained weren’t quite as serious as you seem to be.”
While this is news to you that he was a trainer to some of your other classmates, you don’t see as that having any bearing on how he should tell you how to behave.
“Well YOU didn’t train me, because I surpassed my classmates! I survived ordeals that would’ve most likely killed them! So do not presume to tell me how I should act!”
Captain Gruz’s stoic expression cracks a bit, you at first think his face is going to turn into an expression of anger, but instead he smirks a bit.
“Mistress trained you didn’t she?” he asks.
“Yes, and what of it?” you snap.
“Nothing, just explains some things. Come then, I’m sure you’ll want to talk to the troops and enlighten them how you’re going to be running things. Now I know this is your first command, but don’t worry, I’ll be here to give advice and make sure the rest of the troops take you seriously.”
“If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it captain. And the troops should be taking me seriously regardless of your presence. I am here by the orders of the Emperor himself! That should be more than enough motivation for them to obey my commands!”
“…I suppose so sir.” Gruz answers though you get the impression he’d like to say more.
When you and Gruz enter the barracks, you’re welcomed to a surprising sight. It’s filled with orcs! First svelk mercenaries and now orc troops! You didn’t know you were going to be leading two distinctly different races! When Gruz notices your expression, his own is one of amusement. The other orcs stop their loud discussions and begin to study you. They appear unimpressed.
“Ey cappin’ ooo dis humie in da fancy leather armor? You get ‘im from the local ‘orehouse fer me? Har har har har!” one orc says which is followed by loud laughter from the rest.
“Alright everyone calm down this is…” Gruz tries to interject, but you stop him.
“I can speak for myself!” you say realizing that you must take an aggressive stance. It is clear that the Emperor put you in this situation to force you to deal with surprises and how well you can handle commanding unruly troops.
“All you need to know about me is that I am your superior for the duration of this operation and you will cease behaving like the near mindless beasts you are and start earning your keep for the Empire by following my orders!”
This works on a few of the orcs, but the outspoken one has decided to keep pressing the issue of challenging your authority.
“Beast iz it? I’ll have you know ima fookin’ lady!” the orc says standing up. To be quite honest you thought the orc was male, but between the battle armor and ugliness of all of them they all look alike to you.
“I don’t care what gender you are, you WILL follow my orders or…”
“Or whut? Whachu gonna do?” the female orc says getting closer and staring down at you ready for a fight.
You look over at Gruz who just gives you a look that expresses “Hey, you said you didn’t need my help.” and you’re right you don’t need his help. You know how to handle this.
You scan another orc who is egging on the loud female. The orc looks fairly formidable and is on the larger side (though they’re all bigger than you).
“HEY YOU!” you shout out to the orc.
“Huh? Whut?”
“You male?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” You say and immediately attack him after pushing past the female orc.
While this battle could be over within seconds if you used magic, you can’t do that here. The orcs need to respect your natural battle skills if they’re going to properly respect you. Of course you need to beat said orc first and one you’ve decided to make an example of isn’t about to just let that happen and readies his morning star.