Geheimnisnacht Collides...

Mannfred must have finally discovered the truth of Shaar's failings. The vampire had sent a host of winged Vargheists screaming after him in the dead of night in an attempt to bring him before his master to answer for his failures. Thankfully the Vargheists had alerted him to their presence as they had screeched into his dormant ranks of Skeleton warriors that were standing guard outside. Shaar looked out at the slaughter and knew that his time was up if he couldn't get away, he'd have to answer to Mannfred before being made an example of to the other Vampires to show what happens if you fail the Von Carsteins...

He'd already lost one of the Bryar sisters to Malagor's chaotic impulses and the Orb had become fractured and unassailable due to the Grimloksson Clan's stubbornness to die. Overall his attempt to gather artefacts had been a complete failure, but he wasn't suprised, Mannfred hadn't truly given him the tools to deal with the foes that had beset him - Shaar thought back and cursed at his struggles.

One of the Vargheists looked up in this moment, with an animated skeleton writhing in its maw, and locked onto to Shaar as he stared out across the battle. It preceded to rampage like a hurricane towards him, its master had been ample in his instruction to ravage the vampire but ensure that it lived long enough to answer to him. The Vargheist crashed home within seconds, smashing Shaar into the floor with a sound of cracking bones and ripping flesh, the bulk of the creature and the tremendous impact had left Shaar flattened and broken. "Curse you beast", Shaar spluttered as his body began to heal from the horrific injuries. The Vargheist roared goadingly as it grasped its jaws around the Vampires leg and threw him out into the fray where the others could encircle him and restrict him from getting away easily. Shaar's guards were being obliterated around him, his Crypt Ghouls had fled upon sight of the winged terrors whilst his skeletal legion had all but been turned to dust - and then the pain began again as razor sharp teeth pierced his undead skin, cutting deep at first and then tearing an arm from his body. Shaar thought it was over then, the Vargheists had lost control in their frenzy and forgotten Mannfred's orders as more of the beasts encircled the stricken Vampire - it went quiet as more teeth grasped his abdomen but Shaar closed his eyes and thought that although one path had closed, another had now opened.

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They had come from the woods, a pack of snarling, matted, stench induced Wolves that were hungry for flesh. Bounding down into the open field that separated the forest was a pack of Skin Wolves the likes that had never been seen, it was rare to see three or four of these beasts together but for some dark reason a hundred of the creatures had descended on the ensuing Carnage.

The Vargheists didn't know what had hit them, in one moment there was a soul throttling howl and the next a sea of claws and fur had began to rip them apart. The Vargheists were bestial creatures but they were very rarely on the receiving end of such mindless savagery. The initial impact shattered the Vargheists core, but the creatures of undeath were not easily broken as they took to the skies and began to dive bomb the main bulk of the Skin Wolves. Certain Skin Wolves would ravage an attacking Vargheist ripping it limb from limb upon impact before eating it's dead heart whilst unlucky Skin Wolves would be grasped with mighty talons and lifted high above the battlefield before being dropped on their slobbering comrades.

The battle lasted for hours until dawn had begun to break, but eventually the Vargheists that remained took flight and made their way back to Sylvania. The air rung with the howls of the Skin Wolves as they feasted on the dead, but one black haired creature lumbered away from the pack and found Shaar's broken body. The Vampire was at the point of death, but the Skin Wolf did not finish him off, growing urges in his mind had driven his pack here and those same urges drove the beast to let this sion of the unliving live. The gods plans were truly unfathomable but the beast was a slave to their will and he would deliver what they requested.

Shaar had noticed the snarling creatures appear on the horizon but his mind had quickly washed out into unconsciousness, he had no idea that he had been saved by the most unlikely of creatures. His dreams had been wracked with visions, he couldn't determine whether it was Nagash's great teachings or some other dark tongue attempting to acquire his services. But the voice was whsipering, "You've been betrayed dearest Shaar, but I can offer you unlimited power, and a life of glory - your broken body will become mighty - isn't that what you've always wanted?"

The dreams continued and Shaar had been poised at the crest of a wave, in preparation for it to come crashing down on the world.

Shaar's Tribulation - 2.0

Shaar knew this wasn't going to be easy... The Wood Elves were capricious and arrogant and would most likely kill any one that even had an aura of evil - he would have to be on top of his game to fool the Elves. But they had a weakness, thanks to the betrayal of Magnar Grimlokson.

Shaar knew he needed to use this happening in his favor and began planning a devious scheme to win the elves over and get them to fight for him without realising their folly, but the Vampire needed to be careful these were not the simple minds of the humans. Shaar began by changing his physical form using dark magics, turning him into one of the fey with flowing hair and blue eyes - he repulsed at the sight of himself and cursed at his plight. He hoped that Nagash would be the first to thank him for his assistance, but deep down he knew that there was a fat chance of that, all the glory would fall to Mannfred and that made his skin crawl with hate.

But he paused and thought about his plan, "Time will show them all", he muttered to himself as he cleaned his grubby face revealing the pale elfish skin beneath.

Shaar had until the next full moon until his transition would falter and disappear so needed to dispose of a Wood Elf to gain the right attire and work on his intellect and dialect - the Bretonnian accent was very difficult to shake even after hundreds of years. But if everything was in place he knew his plan couldn't fail, firstly he needed to track down some Dwarfish armour from the Orb battlefield. His next objective would be to run bloodied and screaming into the Wood Elves encampment, shrieking that his family and brethren had been butchered by the Dwarfs - and that an unknown green ball of energy had disintegrated their fledging outpost.

If all went to plan Loec would be enraged, first by the defiance against his kin and then the memory of the betrayal. Surely even an Elf wouldn't think twice about waging war anew against the Dwarfs, the wounds would still be hurting and fresh. And if they didn't believe him then he would have evidence of Dwarfish armour and steel - and then he would play his part in the battle until the time is right to dissapear with the Orb.

It will finally be his...

Shaar's Tribulation - 1.0

Shaar felt a sudden glimmer of fear course through his dry veins - the Orb had passed out of his sight... He tried to keep his composure throughout Mannfred's speech, but the Vampire could had the feeling of sickness spreading to his bowels. "How could anybody know of it's existence?" Shaar thought as Mannfred detailed another tactical battle arrangement. Surely the Orb had remained hidden to all on it's journey, and he didn't want to bring it in front of Mannfred in it's activated state... "Wait", Shaar whispered, "Activating it, has charged the Winds of Magic - that's how they know of its hiding place".

The slender Vampire slunk into his throne and pondered, "I will have to leave for the Orb tonight, and I may already be too late". Shaar's trail of thought was stopped abruptly due to Mannfred's outstretched claw clamping around his neck, "Am I not interesting enough for you Shaar, should I invigorate my war meeting with colours and song?"

"No sire... I was simply thinking on my mission... Sire..." Shaar squeeked painfully. Mannfred held Shaar's face close to his and snarled before throwing his frame crumpled back into his chair.

"So on with business," Mannfred announced.

Shaar tried hard to pay attention now, he knew that Mannfred was attempting a daring task by repelling five different armies from Sylvania - but the conflict simply didn't interest him. Shaar knew that he would have to head back to the crypt as soon as the briefings had ended, but his dead heart was telling him to leave now. And as if this news wasn't bad enough, word had reached his ears that one of the Sisters of the Bryars had been bled completely dry by the insidious Malagor and the other was lost, stricken with grief. Shaar had been told that a vile of tainted blood was essential to Arkhan's plans, and his sources had been halved...

He hadn't told Mannfred anything yet, his wrath would be unstoppable if he knew the truth.