Bois Attack on Chimeron Castle
Author: Demetria Highwater
My account begins the morning after the feast. I was sleeping in Chimeron castle, thinking that I would sleep at least until noon. My changeling had been kind enough to go to the tavern to help Valerie and Pawldo clean up since I was exhausted from the day before. It was pure luck that I was in Chimeron proper at all; I usually don't stay in the castle, but there was an altercation with the so-called Shadowking's retinue at court the night before and I wanted to stay near His Majesty and make sure all was well.
Date: FoC XX: 5/13/12 I remember waking up at 6 AM, to the sound of the clock bells tolling the hour. I heard the bell sound four, five, six times, and fall silent. And then it began again, but this time ringing in a frenzied manner, the sound of an alarm. That was when the voices started. I could hear from my room that much of the militia was shouting and running. I couldn't make out what was being said, so I woke Ged and we ran outside to see what happened. And by the moon, I swear, all we saw was blackness. For a brief, terrifying moment, we thought the castle had been trasnported into Bedlam itself. We soon realized it couldn't have been because we could clearly hear the sounds of battle beginning and in the distance we saw healing magic being used on some wounded soldiers who had been trying to defend the castle gates. The knowledge was little comfort, however, as we soon came to understand that the castle was completely besieged by Bedlam, and Bois were pouring out of the blackness at an alarming rate. By the time we grabbed our weapons and spell components, others had risen as well and were sounding the call to fight. The militia appeared in full force (those brave men and women never cease to amaze me) and we all took to strategic positions to fight off the incursion. Ged and I ended up in multiple places, fighting, healing, repairing armor, and trying to find a way to get out and see how far the black cloud had spread. Eventually, I was able to get in contact with my changeling and found out that all of our friends were on the other side, trying to fight a Bedlam seed that had planted itself in Chimeron and was sending out spores to all of our lands. I relayed the information to those around me, but I'm not sure how far word was able to spread amidst the chaos. In total, the Bois laid siege to the castle for what must have been at least six hours. In this time, we were completely cut off from our lands, our friends, and the rest of the world. It was unspeakably horrific to think about, but in the heat of the battle, we had little time for thought. I found out later that the siege was lifted when the seed was destroyed, but the damage was already done. As soon as the blackness lifted, I shifted places with my changeling in the tavern and sought out Valerie to inquire about the damage. It was then that I learned the full extent of what we had been dealing with. To my utter horror, I found out that, with few exceptions, everything Chimeron holds sovereignty over was destroyed, consumed by the darkness. I was told that our friends trying to defend our lands fought with a tenacity and determination that is nothing short of heroic, but the crushing power of Bedlam proved to be too much in the end. The most succinct example of both the sheer heroism and great tragedy of the day was discovered as Valerie and I were heading outside. The tavern was mostly empty when I had arrived, which I found very odd, so I went to investigate. As I was walking towards the exit, I saw Kaelkatar of Ashenmarke drag himself inside, with a face that expressed nothing less than utter heartbreak. Magus Phoenix followed closely behind, and drew him into a tearful embrace. Valerie and I looked to her and she explained that Temorse had been killed in Bedlam. Valerie and I rushed outside to find a makeshift shrine, on which Temorse's body lay, surrounded by the morning, and now mourning, questing party. A multi-faceted ritual was performed to attempt to reclaim his soul, but despite our best efforts, nothing was able to reach him from this side. In a last attempt, a group including Laurante, Faelinn, Zula, and the majority of Ashenmarke was formed to send a powerful light into Bedlam, which Temorse's soul might be able to see and follow. As of this writing (May 22nd, 1012), this is the current situation of things: -All the lands of Chimeron, with the exception of Pax Tharkus, Darkvale, and Cawdyll, have been consumed by Bedlam. A dark cloud still lingers over most of the nation, and the threat of a Bois attack is high at any given time. -Metron will be conducting a survey of the damage this week, and will update the Realms map in the near future to reflect it. -There is a possibility that lands outside of Chimeron were attacked as well. If this is the case, please share any information you may have. -Refugees have been pouring in from the outlying lands in the wake of their homes being destroyed. Some adventurers have offered to shelter some of our citizens, and anyone else who is willing to do so is encouraged to contact us. -Some adventurers' families have gone missing, as they were not in the castle with us at the time of the siege. Additionally, some Chimeronian adventurers have not been seen since before the attack. Their whereabouts and status are unknown at this time. -I am leading a vigil for Temorse until such a time that the rescue mission is able to return. We will be keeping the lights going at the shrine and ensuring that it does not go dark for even a second. |
Created by Demetria Highwater (Rhiannon Chiacchiaro) at 05-22-12 08:04 PM
Last Modified by Demetria Highwater (Rhiannon Chiacchiaro) at 05-22-12 08:04 PM