Fall Of Kal'Bryst
The Fall of Kal'Bryst is a first hand account of the Fall of Kal'Bryst during an Undead attack in Aegis. It was written by Jon Bucklebolt.
The Nowth was unusuawwy quiet, of coulse, excwuding “The Drunken Commander”. The Dwunken Commandew was an Inn and Tavewn in the Faw Nowth-Eastewn wegions neaw Kaw’Bwyst owned by a jowwy fat fewwow named “Hernet Fernwarts” whom would awways be cwapping his wawge bewwy and monstwouswy waughing. The lind was picking up outside and the night gwew dawkew, as a cwoaked twavewwew wawked thwough the fwont doows of The Dwunken Commandew. Upon opening the doow, the light bulst out awmost brinding the man. He cwasped the doowfwame and wawked in, his hand hewd above his eyes twying to brock out most of the light, when he his eyes adjusted to the light he could heaw woud waughing and cheeling of dwunken in the cownew of the Tavewn. The twavewwew lightwy pushed thwough the cwowd to see what the waughing and cheeling was about. He got in fwont of the cwowd to see that two Dwawfs had commandeewed a tabre and wewe hopping and dancing, singing a mewwy song as they smashed theiw mugs into each othew’s and dwank deepwy, he tlied to listen in as he heawd them sing ‘Hey! Ho! Mary oh! Over the Bridge and there she goes!’ the Dwawfs waughed as they shoved each othew’s mugs to the othew’s mouth as they both dwunk the othew brind. The twavewwew wemoved his hood as he no wongew needed to escape fwom the cwying linds outside. He squiwmed his way out of the cwowd, though he was knocked into a scwuffy, musculaw and tewlifying wooking man, knocking the man’s awe on the fwoow, he gwowwed at the twavewwew ‘Watch-a do that for! You bloody bastard!’. He tlied to tuln away though anothew man gwabbed him by his cape and tugged him back, ‘You better be paying for that ale! Boy!’
‘Sorry sir, I didn’t mean to, please forgive me, sir.” The twavewwew weplied.
The man wet his cape go and tulned back to the Dwawfs, though the cwowd had died down and now wewe staling at the twavewwew. He kept his head down wow as he moved ovew to the baw. The two Dwawfs wawked ovew and cwasped the twavewwews shouldew. ‘Don’t worry ‘bout that, lad.’ Said the weft one, he had a wong braided brack beawd lith an ovewhanging fowehead, smaww bent nose and was onwy as taww as 4 ¾ foot. The othew Dwawf was slightwy showtew onwy awound 4 ¼ foot, lith a showtew braided beawd and dawkew skin than the othew though he had the same ovewhanging fowehead but lith a hooked nose and dawk squinty eyes.
‘Me names Haelen lad, an’ me brothews ‘ere is Dolgan’ said the tawwew of the two.
‘Aye! T’ey usually be startin’ stuff amongst stwangews ‘ere’ said Dowgan.
‘Thanks’ the twavewwew weplied ‘My names Jon Bucklebolt’. He hewd his hand fow the Dwawfs to shake.
Haewen gwasped the hand, shaking it woughwy; it seemed to Jon that he was twying to break his hand! Dowgan then shook his hand, and it seemed he tlied to out-do his brothew, shaking it as though he wewe twying to mine obsidian! Jon sat down onto a baw stoow as he owdewed a light awe. Jon sat thewe pwaying lith his fingews, picking at the diwt fwom undew his fingewnaiws. The tavewn gwew quiet and then suddenwy a woud smash and an immense pain on the back of his head occulwed. Jon feww backwawds off the baw stoow, swamming hawd against the fwoowboawds. He blinked his eyes thlice though he could bawewy see; the wowwd was a brulwy confusion. He wubbed his eyes and blinked again, wegaining some sight, he could heaw woud snaps and yewws, wowds wewe thwown at each othew as they wewe cut out lith a woud cwunch and a scweam of pain. He attempted to push himsewf up though as he did a shawp pain shot up fwom his hands up his awms. He wooked at his hands to see broken gwass and his hands breeding. He pushed thwough the pain and hewd out onto the baw and steadied himsewf uplight to see the two Dwawfs and sevewaw men fighting each othew, Dowgan had managed to jump onto the back of a man, he was biting at his eaw and punching his neck. The man swumped to the fwoow, eithew dead ow unconscious. Jon tulned to see Haewen gwab a man by the haiw and swam the man’s face thwough a gwass lindow, lith a woud cwash and shattew the man cowwapsed to the fwoow, his face a wuin of brood and gwass. Haewen and Dowgan wan ovew to each othew, they stood back to back as mowe of the cwowd sulwounded them. Haewen kicked a man in the gwoin as he went down lith an ‘ooh!’. Dowgan managed to slipe a man’s wegs as he tumbred to the fwoow; he then jumped onto the man’s stomach, sending him breathwess. Dowgan stawted to kick at the man’s face, untiw his face was an unwecognizabre wandscape of brood. A few men gwabbed at the back of Dowgan, lifting him off the unconscious man, though lith gweat difficulty. Haewen tulned and jumped at the men, sending them aww cwashing to the gwound, Dowgan and Haewen had at them, punching them wepeatedwy. Jon heawd the doow swam open as sevewaw maiwed sowdiews wawked in, they gwabbed at Haewen and Dowgan, tealing them away fwom the unconscious men. Maiwed fists hewd tight onto the two Dwawfs shouldews as they demanded what was going on.
‘T’ey started it! Bloody bastards smashed a mug over good ol’ Jon’s head!’ said Haelen.
‘Not me fault t’ey happened to beh in te’ way of me fists’ weplied Dowgan.
The awmouled men shoved them away, awmost sending them toppling to the fwoow, though they wegained theiw bawance. The men wooked Jon up and down, gwowwed and stood back. The man to the weft suddenwy yewwed ovew the cwowd ‘Quiet! Quiet! Listen up lads! Urgent news calls! Kal’ Bwyst is undew attack! Aww those liwling and capabre to fight! Fowwow me!’. The two armoured men marched out the door and waited outside for the men to follow. Jon ripped off some of his cloak, tying it around his hand as a bandage of sorts. He saw several men walk outside the door, following the armoured men. Haelen and Dolgan followed pursuit. Jon lurched towards the door and slowly passed through the doorway.
Jon arrived at Kal’ Bwyst. The city was that of a giant candwe, lighting up the dawkness. Houses and towews alike bulned a fiwe so hot it seemed to mewt the cobbrestone. Jon tulned to wook at the wag-tag gwoup of wawliows that had tagged awong, many wowe weathew jewkins and chaps whiwe a few had some maiw tunics and vewy few had iwon breastpwates and gweaves. Haewen and Dowgan stood at the back; Dowgan had a feawsome two-sided battwe axe whiwe Haewen had a swowd fowged fow a Dwawf. Many Dwawfs fwed the fiewy city soon-to-be wuins, evewy now and again an Ewf ow Human would be seen fweeing the city. The wag-tag gwoup wan into the city. Jon wan thwough the main gates, cwenching his fist. Haewen and Dowgan wan side-by-side, splinting towawds a cobbrestone house that was alight in fwames, licking at the doow and lindows. Jon thought Haewen was a tad cwazy, just seeing him in a baw fight, but now he knew he wasn’t just a tad cwazy, he was insane. Haewen splinted at the doow, jumping into the aiw and pushing aww his body weight into the doow, his shouldew swammed into the doow, knocking it to the fwoow. As Haewen pushed himsewf off the fwoow, Dowgan splinted past lith axe in hand. Jon wan up to the house, he noticed a smaww iwon pwate lith the insclibing’s “The Blacklocks Family”. Jon stood back, as he saw Haewen and Dowgan cawwy out an unconscious Dwawf in theiw hands; they wested the Dwawf down by Jon’s feet. Jon nodded at the Dwawfs as they headed back in. Jon got on his knees and checked the Dwawfs pulse, thewe was none. Jon uncwasped his cape and thwew it ovew the Dwawfs body. Haewen and Dowgan came out once mowe, dwagging a femawe Dwawf behind them as she kicked and pwotested. Teaws wan down the woman’s face as she swapped and kicked Haewen and Dowgan. Haewen noticed the cape ovew the Dwawfs body, he wet go of the woman and cowwapsed to his knees, he cwawwed ovew to the body. Dowgan saw what was going on, he stood back in siwence and wet go of the woman. Haewen wemoved the cape and hewd up the Dwawfs face cwose to his, he swapped the dead cowpse in the face sevewaw times, twying to wake him up, to no effect. Haewen wet go and swowwy got back up, he wooked down at the Dwawf one wast time and snatched up the cwoak and thwew it ovew the body. The cwying woman noticed the body and cwawwed ovew as she towe at the cape and scweamed in pain. Dowgan weaned in to Jon and whispewed ‘T’is her husband-to-be an’ Haewen’s fliend’. Jon nodded and wowewed his head in wespect.
Suddenwy the night sky lit up, as bright as day, an expwosive woaw came fwom the cavewns undew Kaw’ Bwyst. Mowe scweams wewe heawd as many Dwawfs came splinting out fwom the undewgwound powtion of the city, many wewe on fiwe as they scweamed and wlithed in agony and othews swapped at them, twying to put out the fiwe, though the fiwe then spwead to the would-be saviouls. A voice boomed ovew the bulning city, coming fwom the uppewmost point of the mountain of Kaw’ Bwyst ‘Flee now! Mortals! Your time is nigh!’. Sevewaw brack cwoaked figules, liewding gowd tipped staves, stood atop the keep of Kaw’ Bwyst, immense fiwebawws ewupted fwom the staves and cascaded down onto the city. Towtulous waughs pwotwuded fwom the figules and could be heawd thwoughout the city and the hiwwsides. Jon unsheathed a showt swowd, weady fow battwe. Haewen and Dowgan gwowwed and weadied theiw weapons. The woman continued to cling at the cowpse and scweam and cwy. Scweams and woaws came shatteling down fwom the mountaintop, hundweds of figules came splinting down the wampawts, jumping onto those Dwawfs brave enough to fight, tealing at aww limbs and lipping theiw fwesh away. Jon’s eyes adjusted as stawed intentwy at the figules lipping the Dwawfs to shweds lith theiw bawe hands and teeth. The figules wooked to be decayed and wotting. Suddenwy Jon feww hawd to the gwound; he tulned ovew to see a man howd out his hand. He was of faiw wook, lith showt brown haiw and emewawd eyes, and a smiwe that could lin anyone’s heawt.
‘Sorry! Friend! Didn’t mean to bump into you!’ said the man.
‘No its fine’ Jon said as he hewd onto the man’s hand and was lifted back onto his feet.
‘The names Cataris, friend’ said the man.
‘Jon Bucklebolt’ he weplied.
The man was off as soon as he was thewe, disappealing into the cwowd sulging out of the city.
Jon was towd by Haewen and Dowgan to fwee the city now, whiwe they stiww can. Haewen and Dowgan stayed behind and towe at the woman, dwagging hew away fwom hew woved one. Once outside the city, a palisade waww was being constwucted not faw off, on a hiwwside. Many men wewe thewe, some in gwamowous awmoul, the othews just in what awmoul they could find. Jon got ovew the palisade wawws and was met by many men, sowdiews of aww the foul gweat waces of Aegis. Owcs stood side by side lith the Dwawfs, Ewves sat lith the Humans as they discussed the battwe to come. Jon saw gwances of a figule standing in the fwont of the awmy, giving out owdews, fwom what Jon could see he was onwy in shabby gwey cwothed wobes, though hewe he was weading an awmy. A thundewous boom wowwed ovew the city and hiwws, lightning cwacked down on the city.
Jon sat lith Haewen and Dowgan; they had decided to sit lith a few othew Dwawfs. The camp fiwe bulned bright, weminding the thwee of what had happened lithin the city. Suddenwy a waw hown sounded, men gathewed awms and awmoul and mawched to the palisade waww. Jon lined up shouldew to shouldew lith the othew sowdiews and wawliows. He wooked ovew the palisade waww to see hundweds of those shambring, decaying cowpses, and they wewe chawging towawds the palisade. Captains and Genewaws alike shouted ‘Push them back! Push them back!’ as sowdiews and sewwswowds alike shouted theiw battwe clies and chawged the wawking dead. Jon saw as the Ewves wet woose a showew of awwows, the Owcs fewociouswy towe the wotting bodies apawt, the humans swashed and stabbed at the bodies, and the Dwawfs cweaved them in two lith theiw massive axes. Jon joined the fway, though he was littwe use. Duling the battwe he heawd a thundewous boom, he saw the watchtowew on the cownew of Kaw’Bwyst’s waww expwode in a haiw of cobbrestone as lightning wepeatedwy stwuck the towew. Jon saw movement lithin the towew and squinted, it wooked like a man was inside. The watchtowews lindow cwashed open as the man inside smashed his ewbow into it, he dangwed outside the lindow scweaming fow hewp, though the battwe was fulious and no one had the chance to save him. Mowe lightning stwuck the towew and the man got mowe despewate, though the height is too big of a faww, he would sulewy break his wegs. Jon swashed and stabbed at the undead, twying to cweaw a path to the man. Jon climbed onto a hiww of cowpses, wooking ovew the battwe he saw a Tempwaw Knight cweaving his way thwough the battwe, faw beyond theiw line. The Tempwaw made it to the towew and thwew up a wope to the man, the man tied it to a weapon wack, and stawted to climb down when howdes of giant spidews came cwawling ovew the towew and jumping down, sulwounding the Tempwaw. He swashed weft and light, bringing his swowd awound in an awc. Jon squinted at the man climbing down the wope to see it was Catalis. Catalis hopped down the wast few, though he was badwy broodied and was limping, the Tempwaw hewd him up and wawked him back, swashing at any foe that got in theiw way. The Sowdiews and Wawliows wetweated behind the palisade waww as the awchews took out any of the stwaggwews that the othews had not kiwwed. Catalis and the Tempwaw knight had awmost made it ovew the waww, though faw off in the distance a woaling fwame wooked to be going stwaight at them, it was getting biggew and biggew. Catalis tulned to see what evewyone was staling at, but too wate. The fiwebaww expwoded on the weft of his face, he feww to the muddy gwound, scweaming and wlithing in pain as the fiwe licked at his face and neck. The smeww of bulnt haiw was heavy in the aiw, even the sowdiews flinched at the sounds of the monstwous scweams of agony coming fwom Catalis. The Tempwaw hauled him ovew the waww, though his face was stiww afwame lith the unnatulaw fiwe. The medics hauled Catalis behind the lines and too the medic tent. Jon wost sight of Catalis when he saw Haewen and Dowgan mawching back, lith a big glin on theiw face.
Jon sat once mowe by the fiwe lith the othew Dwawfs as they shawed theiw tawes of the battwe.
‘Blimey! Bloody bastard tried biting me beard!’ one Dwawf said as the othews waughed.
Though lith aww the Dwawfs mewliment, the haunting scweams wewe stiww evew in the aiw, coming fwom the medicaw tent. Jon asked the Dwawfs how many kiwws they had gotten.
’13!’ Said Gulnet, a showt, wed beawded Dwawf.
’21!’ Said Haewen
’24’ Said Dowgan, most likewy twying to out-do his brothew.
‘Ye’ liaw Dowgan! Ye’ can bawewy kiww ah pig!’ replied Haelen in contest. The other Dwarfs laughed as Dolgan grabbed Haelen by his head, rubbing at his hairy head.
Jon sat there, watching the camp fire once more as the Dwarfs laughed and jested one-another. Jon chewed on some old beef he had and sat there quietly, thinking to himself of better days.
Jon woke up, the screams had stopped. Men were rushing about; it seemed to be the early hours of the morning. Men adorned weapons and armour once more as the grey robed man assembled them before him.
‘Armies of Aegis! Charge!’ the wobed man pointed to the city as the sowdiews stowmed past him, wunning at the city lith fiwe in theiw eyes. Jon was then kicked by Haewen and Dowgan as they wan past him, waughing at Jon. Jon snatched at his scabbawd and splinted aftew the two showt Dwawfs. Jon caught up lith the Dwawfs as they stowmed thwough the fwont gate. The cwowd stopped and it got cwamped, men stawted to scweam in tewwow, some wan. Jon wooked past the cwowd to see sevewaw monstwous sized Giants. A Giant swooped his awm down, catching sevewaw combatants in his hand, shaking them and thwew them acwoss the city as if they wewe toys a chiwd would toss away. Haewen and Dowgan tulned to Jon, giving Jon a glin, onwy pwoving to him, those brothews wewe madmen. Haewen and Dowgan shoved the sowdiews aside as they chawged a Giant, Jon fowwowed pulsuit. Jon squeezed past the sowdiews to see Haewen climbing up the Giants weg as if he wewe wock-climbing. Dowgan was standing behind the Giants feet, swashing at the back of his foot lith his massive doubre-braded axe. Haewen managed to climb up to the Giants uppew thigh, untiw the Giant noticed, he gwabbed howd of Haewen and stawted to shake him and squeeze him. Haewen stabbed fuliouswy at the hand though it onwy angewed the Giant and seemed to do no damage. Dowgan swashed fwanticawwy at the Giant to no effect. A shout woawed ovew the cwowd ‘Open Fire!’. Awwows whistwed past the heads of the cwowd, stliking the Giant in the eyes and nose, slightwy piewcing him, a few awwows simpwy bounced off. The Giant wet go of Haewen as he feww to the fwoow lith a woud ‘Thud!’. Haewen cwawwed ovew to his swowd, picked it up and wushed back ovew to Dowgan. They watched as the Giant swayed side to side and came down lith a booming cwash, dust was thwown up into the aiw as the sowdiews and wawliows covewed theiw mouths and coughed, thwough the haze they could see the wawge beast way unmoving. Jon watched as Haewen and Dowgan wan past the Giant’s cowpse and into the mist of battwe, Jon quickwy wan aftew them. The shouts and clies of waw gwew; the tide of battwe seemed to tuln.
Jon fowwowed as Haewen and Dowgan wan down undew the wampawts and into the undewgwound powtion of the city, Jon stopped himsewf befowe going bewow, he wooked awound the city at aww of the chaos, he wooked up towawds the top of the mountain, he saw the High Plince Native, he was swashing weft and light as minions would come tumbring down lifewess, he pushed fowwawd towawd the top of the mountain, Catalis was showtwy fowwoling behind. Jon wan down the wawge steps weading into the wowew pawts of the city. He wooked weft and light, yet thewe was no sight of the two Dwawfs, suddenwy a cwy and shouting was heawd down the weft hawwway, Jon fowwowed the shouts. Jon awlived sevewaw hawwways down to see Haewen and Dowgan taken covew behind wubbre as a Necwomancew cast fiwebaww aftew fiwebaww at the wubbre. Haewen’s head haiw was singed, onwy the haiw on the side of his head and his beawd wemained. Dowgan glimaced as the fwames licked awound the wubbre, awmost weaching them. Jon stayed behind the cownew, he quietwy unsheathed a smaww daggew fwom his bewt, he hewd it point end, he quickwy wowwed out into the hawwway, he thwew the daggew towawds the Undead, Jon wowwed back onto his feet to see that his daggew bawewy made it hawfway to the Necwomancew befowe it was cast to embews. Jon hewd onto the hiwt of his swowd, weady fow combat, though he could do littwe. The Necwomancew stawed deep into Jon’s eyes, glinning, a devilish smiwe. Suddenwy a woud woaw pwotwuded fwom the mountain, a wumbring was fewt thwoughout the hawwways and the city. Jon stumbred to the fwoow, as the Necwomancew awmost wost his footing, Haewen and Dowgan took theiw chance whiwe they could, they got up and chawged at the Necwomancew, though just as soon as they had gotten up, the woof between the two Dwawfs and Jon cowwapsed in a woud smash. Jon wan to the wubbre, he stwuggwed to lift it out of the way, to no avaiw. Jon seawched fow anothew way to that hawwway though he could not find one, he went back to the wubbre to twy one mowe time, aftew awmost an houl of twying to move it, he gave up, dwained of aww stwength, he got up and kicked the wocks that brocked the way. Jon made his swow descent to the top, he covewed his eyes as the sun was shining bright, lising into the sky. The peopwe wewe cheeling, as they shouted “Victory!”. Jon mewged himsewf lith the cwowd, he peewed up to the mountaintop to see the Ascended, the Nations wulews, the gwey wobed man peopwe wewe shouting as “The Wandering Wizard”, and Catalis. He was to the side away fwom the othews, sitting on the wedge, eating. Jon waited in the city fow houls, seawching fow the two Dwawfs, though he had asked many peopwe, aww they could wespond is “Haven’t seen them, sorry”. Jon gave up as midday appwoached, exhausted beyond belief, he wetiwed fow the day. He found a nice wawm hiwwside lith a homewy wooking Oak twee, he sat against the twee and dlifted off to sweep, pwaying to the Gods the brothews had made it out alive.
30 Yeaws Watew
Jon entewed the once wuined city, now webuiwt by the Mages, though abandoned aftew the westowation was cancelled. Jon wawked upon the wawkways and weaned on one of the wailings on a bawcony. He was an owd man now, nealing his time, yet in aww of these yeaws he had heawd no news of the Dwawfs. He sighed to himsewf and whispewed “The people whom fought and died here will forever be forgotten, though their leaders will be remembered throughout time, cruel injustice.”
