Reflections of the past

[Malevolence]

The ground shook violently as the giant approached the lone intruder. The giant lowered his gaze to the humanoid below the entrance of his domain. He pondered whether or not to crush the man in a single blow or cherish the moment allowing the would be looter the first move. The giant set aside his native bloodlust as he had not existed for nearly two centuries by acting on impulse. Standing calmly the intruder lowered his shield and began projecting his voice with god like clarity… “I have a proposition for you that involves the use of your caverns by Imperial artisans in exchange for various goods crafted by our most gifted individuals. The giant paused to take a measure of the man as he had never seen such a finely crafted suit of armor. Written in exquisite handwriting on the outer facing of the reinforced heater shield the giant could make out the crafters engravings… “Arthur Darkstar”. Even the giant knew of the renowned Blacksmith who had supplied many foolish adventures there last suit of armor. Each and every component of the blood reminiscent armor was bathed in a ghostly aura. He understood that this was an achievement done at the pinnacle of a crafters existence taking the very life force from the forger through the use of an enchanted hammer. “What good’s could you offer Hephaestus, the King of these passages? Slaves, Jewel’s, rings, extravagant clothing … I want for nothing! “. Throughout the giants outburst the cavern itself seemed to sway knocking loose small stalagmites that were deflected harmlessly off of the trespasser. The Imperial spokesmen knew that his diplomatic abilities were nominal at best and wondered why he had been chosen for this task. Shrugging off any feelings of misconception he instinctively goes for the hilt of his longsword…


“Malevolence… Malevolence!” Coming out of his current state of communion Malevolence recognizes the all too familiar voice of Tyrion who had come to inquire about his well-being after hearing that he had fallen into meditation for nearly two days.

[Malevolence]

Diving into a forward roll the knight quickly closed the gap between himself and the self proclaimed king. Aiming to disembowel Hephaestus in a single blow he unsheathed his longsword mid-roll creating a surge of electricity that only the most seasoned practitioner of the arts could correctly identify. Reinforced by the momentum of the knights roll the blade cut through leather, tissue, and entrails leaving behind a sickening wound. The giant barely flinched and countered with an overhead swing of his many spiked cudgel. The knight raised his shield to defend and took note of his softly humming sword and the static electricity clinging to every piece of his armor. At the moment of impact the accumulated static electricity discharged sending both of the aggressors sprawling across the cavern floor. The knight had been flung into the eastern corner of the cave where the giant held various lesser creatures captive. Ignoring the cries of the nearby prisoners the knight surveyed his surroundings and was certain that the ensuing discharge from his blade had banished the creature to another realm. As he headed to retrieve his fallen shield and to inspect the fresh corpse he heard a faint chant reverberating off the cavern walls. Quickly picking his mind the Imperial knight replayed the words of power that he had heard Sarkania invoke in past sparring matches and knew that the fight would begin anew…