A Welcome Guest [Private - Cerius]

[Avanthar Dra'Aran]

…The Third Solaria of Cryxatum…

The city was a blight on the earth, a black mole rising up to greet the suns of Telath defiantly, as though it did not realise it was far outdone by the brilliance of light. From the elf's aerial vantage point, spotting the city was not difficult. Absent mindedly, he reinforced the defenses, adding to his Holy Armour with a swirling maelstrom of holy energy, designed to sweep any projectile off mark. It was perhaps not the most inconspicious way to enter Dar Havark, a being of Aetherial power descending in a whirlwind of Life. His wings slowed his descent well enough - that was one of the first things the elf had learnt. His armour was all but unrecognisable, and rightly so. It was modelled on the ancient styles of the Knights of the Eternal Flame, ancient warrior-mages dedicated to the glory of the Prince of Aetheria.

The elf's feet touched the ground lightly as he completed his descent, but he kept his armour up still as he walked towards the gates.

"AVANTHAR!"

Cerius voice boomed, enhanced by the powers of Life. Any of the dracon's lackeys who dared attack the thaumaturgist would receive Invoke Penitence in retaliation. The elf was here for one reason and one reason alone - to find out why Avanthar had attacked Diana for long enough to relieve the Prelates, when he could have levelled the city. If all went well, Cerius would be leaving the city with a new ally in his war against the Chaos.

Standing upon the pinnacle of the center spire, the relative silence of Dar Havark gifted the shadow knight with ample time to contemplate. The Lord of Shadows held his sword of death in one hand as his blue eyes regarded the surroundings in a peaceful light. Bearing in robes of black and silver, the Lord’s armor was carefully kept within the depths of Dar Havark. Ignoring his guardian spirits as they hovered about him, his other arm was clasped around the slim figure of Kyoko as they both enjoyed the cool night breeze.

Avanthar was the first to notice the figure aglow in holy light, his crafted wings bringing him towards the city at great speeds. Smirking to himself, the Master Mage was no other than Cerius, a thaum corrupted by the darkness, yet whether or not that remained so was still questionable. Still, he was curious as to the reasons for his arrival, and as such would ‘greet’ him like any guest. As Lord of Dar Havark it was his responsibility to protect and maintain peace within his city… those that sought to disrupt and destroy his holdings would ultimately face his wrath.

‘How interesting would it be to see him fall?’ remarked the Lord to his wife, Kyoko’s elven carried a sinister expression, her perfect beauty hiding little of the malice she held. Even as the knight landed within the marble gardens below, with one wave of his hand Dra’Aran weaved a gate of shadows, to be immediately brought forward with wife in tow as the black gate emanated a sensation of deep chill. The sentries at the walls could do little… and in truth there was no need. Anything of magic could be dealt by Avanthar with unnatural ease.

‘Cerius…’ remarked the human lord, his long silver hair freely flowing as he regarded the knight with an odd mixture of coldness and amusement. The Master should understand his futility if he chose to defeat the Lord in his base of power, no, it must certainly be something else, yet what he had been sought for was still a mystery. Perhaps it was his meddling within Diana? But then again he had retained his identity and chosen to act only once… in truth there were few who knew of his brief, yet significant participation in the event.

Kyoko glanced at her husband and then at the knight, crossing her arms across her chess, resplendant and sexual as always in her long black dress.

OOC: Linked from main Dar Havark thread

[Cerius]

Cerius' eyes narrowed, his tight grip over his emotions failing slightly in the presence of the Dark Lord. Jakob bristled, memories of Zerdagia still fresh in his mind even if Cerius did not know what was happening. It took all of Cerius' mental strength to keep his dark alter-ego contained, and even so his hand made its way to the hilt of the Purifier in the face of his age-old enemy. The temptation was to level accusations straight off at Avanthar, to blast his lackeys off their posts on the walls and force the situation into a repeat of Carmelyn two eras ago. That was not to be though - Cerius knew his power, and he knew that Avanthar's strength would have had no reason to stop growing since their last meeting. He knew from his lessons too that Order was not always stronger than Chaos as many priests liked to believe.

There was something that bothered him though. Diana. A massive necromantic force, far more powerful than Cerius had ever dreamed, had attacked with unerring precision. He could not have managed that kind of assault. Necromancy should have held no power over Earth - a Master Elementalist or Sorceror could have done that, but Yaevin and Jodus were knowledgeable men who would recognise Death when they saw it. It would take an Archmage of Death to level a city, just as it would take an Archmage of Life to accomplish the same feat. The two spheres worked with spirits, not with the physical world. To Cerius' knowledge, after the capture and defeat of Lilienne Sarista, there was only two mortal powers left in the world with such capabilities - the dracolich Kaith, and his student Avanthar.

The elf stepped forward, watching the Archmage of Necromancy warily. "You were in Diana, just over a cycle ago," he said. It was not a question, just a statement of fact. If Kaith had been in Diana, the city would not have been left standing. Dragons were not limited in the same way mortals were. "You attacked the city, tore Diana to its foundations, when Aerienne and an Archmystic that sounds like Duncan Sythe were about to dispatch the Prelates." That, too, was a guess based on the description Yaevin had given him and his prior encounter with Duncan when the mages had aided the Incantors of Rak. "You spared the Prelates. Tell me, why would any self-respecting Jorelite do that?"

[Avanthar Dra'Aran]

Open amusement was written upon Avanthar’s face, a warm smile showing near perfect teeth. Lost was the uncanny rage, the ever present desire for murder, here, standing present before Cerius, was the true Avanthar stripped of his bestial side. Noting Cerius’ hand instinctively moving towards Purifier, Nemesis beamed in open challenge. There were now few magic blades in this world that could compare its might, perhaps save for Vae Victus, yet to the knight he saw it as an inferior blade. As tendrils of death rose from his sword irrespective of what Dra’Aran, the Lord held his eyes at Cerius. He knew something…

Unable to hold back the memory once more, he chuckled to himself in an almost musical voice, warm, and lacking very much the dread that seemed to perpetually follow the Necromancer. Still he liked his participation of the event to remain hidden, else he’d invite the empire to lay siege to Dar Havark. It was too soon, the foundations of what would one day be a powerful city had only just set in, thus he chose to turn the question to other matters.

‘Was I? Perhaps... perhaps not…’

‘I was however alerted to many things, even If I remained here within my city… yes… the Mystic was Duncan Sythe… and there were others too such as Barthanes… and the Prelates. A powerful gathering of magi… even I would think twice before revealing myself and enter into a full scale assault… yes?’

‘Word of the attack that tore into the foundations of Diana however interest me… a mighty spell indeed…’

‘I had thought the spell to have missed its intended target… Aerienne… yet as luck would have it, the spell served a second purpose… its results I am rather pleased with… by all reports… I had hoped she would have been defeated... even the thought of her now stirs my longing to slay her… to avenge Lilienne…’

‘Jorelite… I am no Jorelite… not since I was betrayed by Rincewin and forced to have my soul taken from my limp body… no… Cerius… all ties made to Chaos have been torn asunder… for now I fight against it… my sole purpose is to right the balance Jorel upset in his mad schemes… to bring death to this world… I had thought you would have realized such from Zerdagia…’

His face hardened at the mention of his past self, a Jorelite, a myriad of bloody images of his demise from Rincewin etched eternally in his mind. Even the thought of the treacherous man brought murderous urges back, the demon within bellowing as it sought to escape his mental confines. No, the Lord of Shadow was no longer a Jorelite… and what warmth in his voice was lost as he spoke in cold snarls…

[Cerius]

"Barthanes." The name was almost spat, and would have been if not for the elf's tight rein over his emotions. He remembered the Diantar Dracon who had masqueraded for months as a Journeyman of Thaumaturgy, before showing his true power as Master after Cerius had left the Knights of Aslangrad. His power meant he had immediately taken Cerius' place in Raliric's knightly order. "That, I missed, though it would be interesting to see how that little shapeshifter is planning on interfering with things now."

Jakob inwardly let out a cry of triumph as he realised Avanthar's target, a cry that would not be countered by Cerius. "Aerienne is a pest. She does not deserve to lead the Church of the Faith, she is too dominated by her emotions to guide the people. If you want to avenge Lilienne, then it would seem that for once we have the same goal. Jorelites, too ... Jorel is the spiritual center of Aeternia, and I would like nothing more than to cut off the serpent's head. I take it you would like nothing more than that, too?"

The flood of names did, for a moment, engulf Cerius. He knew of these people, he did not live their lives. Avanthar, he knew. Lilienne, sister of Aerienne and an Archmage of Necromancy. Aerienne Sarista was an obvious name. There was one that gave him pause though ... Rincewin? To kill Avanthar was no easy feat - and Cerius, more than any warrior of the light, knew that. He would have to remember to enquire about this Rincewin character later, for if Avanthar had truly turned away from Chaos then there would be a new head for the elf to hunt. For the moment though, there was enough new information to process without concerning himself with people who might well be halfway across the Empire.

"Straight to the point. We need help. Aerienne is insane. Diana could well be destroyed if she continues her inconsiderate magical flailing. The Church of the Faith is in ruins." Cerius frowned slightly at the words, even though inside he knew the response was something similar to what he expected. He didn't know Avanthar had turned to Jalat before today ... but in a way, he had. Jakob? Jakob had, after all, fought alongside Avanthar in Zerdagia using the elf's body and powers. "Think of that, Avanthar. The Church of the Faith has succumbed to chaos. No persecution of Jorelites, no execution of orcs, vysstichi and other races that don't deserve to live. The power that controls the second biggest military force in the Empire has fallen to Chaos."

The elf's eyes watched Avanthar's reaction carefully. It was time for the bargaining chip.

"You saw how devastating Thaumaturgy can be at Zerdagia," the elf said, not lying but not telling the whole truth either. Avanthar had seen it - Cerius hadn't, although he could only guess how Jakob had used his formidable powers. "I will help you here, create for you a force of Dark Thaumaturgists. I will work in Diana with the Collegium Prelatum, ensuring that vysstichi and diantar, amongst other races, will be killed on sight throughout the Empire. I will help you remove all of Jorel's followers here on Telath, send them to your god. I will let you live, steer the Church away from your rather evil looking city here. In return, you will help depose Aerienne. You, and any soldiers of yours that I train, will help me kill and disperse any gatherings of Jorelites. Most importantly, neither you nor your followers will lay a hand on the Collegium Prelatum or our forces. An alliance, against Jorel and again Meephos and his puppet Aerienne."

The elf was never slow to act, and far too forward by elven standards. He knew the chance of Avanthar reacting well to him dictating terms and conditions was slim to none. But, he would not stand by and watch Aerienne corrupt the Church of the Faith any longer, either.

[Avanthar Dra'Aran]

Smirking at Cerius’ reaction, it was quite obvious that he had changed, the amulet had already tainted his thoughts, if not sanity. Barthanes was the meddling priest he had encountered before, Dra’Aran had recognized him whilst the specter had filled Avanthar details of the many conversations in the Schism. His hatred for the priest was far less personal to Cerius, yet it did not necessarily mean Dra’Aran didn’t wish to see him dead. Yes, Dra’Aran would deal with him alongside the petty General of the Phoenix Legion. Narrowed eyes regarded Cerius… dark thoughts running in his mind…

‘I care not for who leads the Church… what I have against her is a personal grudge… that… and I see her as the ultimate challenge…’

Holding back his thoughts that he’d rather see the Church of Faith completely obliterated, that he cared little for its state, that he’d kill each and every last paladin sent against him if the opportunity arose. Seeing Cerius as useful and tainted, the Jalatian remained silent as if contemplating. In his perpetual state of Clara, the Archmage’s expression turned cold…

‘You do not understand the reason for this… this city… I seek to build a true place that welcomes all to its fold… even now I have Orcs and Vysticchi under my guidance whom reside here… following our ways… do you too seek to execute them?... seek to disrupt what I am building here?’

‘You demand much when you are the one seeking me for aid. I may have use of a Master Thaumaturgist here… and to aid me in removing Jorel’s followers throughout the empire… but…’

‘… I will promise to stay our hand against your Church for now… unless we are provoked first where I will offer no mercy or patience… you can only blame your brethren for their foolishness… that their deaths are part of the scheme of things…’

Kyoko regarded Cerius coolly as she too slipped into her state of clara, liking little of the elf’s straight tone and direct demands. There was something about him that she didn’t like, the thought that he would dare to disrupt and destroy their hard work. Each day the strength of Dar Havark grew, eventually the Brotherhood would surpass even the vaunted Church, yes, that was their goal. Gathering their strength in peace was but the first step, their steady foundation already capable of influencing empire wide affairs. The Archmage smirked… knowing that Cerius was a man of honor, like Avanthar, and would not lie… yet the ex-demon would not agree to such demands so easily. Whether Cerius knew it or not, the slightest hint of betrayal would see the Knight of the Eternal Flame dead…