Last Stand of Kolamar Biddle

[Peridan]

A blast of flame shot out next to Peridan, scorching anything in its path as he dodged behind a large to tree to recuperate. His left arm hung useless form his side, and he was covered in gashes and blood. He even thought that he had a few broken ribs, because breathing was becoming difficult and labored. His eye focused in and out of consciousness, as another ten or so magic missles came at him from nowhere, seeking him out unerringly. He raised a hand and with a grunt casted a shield spell, deflecting the missiles into the forest.

'I knew this was not going to be easy.' He thought to himself wryly as he casted an invisiblity spell, granting him a few precious moments to plan his next move.

He had been at the end of a patrol at the Viridale, and had gone to the campfire to rest, when he saw him. Master Biddle, standing there with no protections, no disguise. The gnome looked at him with a grin, and no words were spoken for a short time. Blinking, realizing what danger the post was in, Peridan drew his blade and called out. "Halt, Biddle! You are under arrest!" The gnome simply smiled and headed out of the post, as easy as can be.

Peridan simply couldn't believe he was trying to saunter his way out. He ran after the gnome, calling on elemental fire as he murmered the last words of a Fire Wall spell, blocking Biddle from leaving.

"I said, you are under arrest! Surrender!" Cullidain, his blade, glittered as Peridan mentally prepared himself in case Biddle resisted. By Corellon, he hoped he wouldn't resist. That, as they say, would be bad.

Biddle turned, his eyes glowing in the light of the flames as he smiled and his hands glowed with arcane energies.

Shit. He was going to resist.

Peridan rolled and ducked as a blast of ice covered where he had been resting invisibly only moments before. They had been fighting for what seemed like an eternity, throwing spells back and forth as they tried to wear each other down. Right now, Peridan was losing, and badly. He was almost out of spells, and his wards were failing. His elemental shield had dissapeared early on in the fight, and as a result he had burns his side, and his eyebrows were frozen solid. His only ward still uncasted was....yes! It could work!

This was going to be a desperate gamble, but it would pay off if it did. Peridan closed his eye and murmered words. As he did, his body covered itself in steely scales. Taking a deep breath, he dived out of the ruined area of forest, Cullidain flashing as he roared his defiance to the glowing figure of Biddle.

Spells slid off of him like oil and water as he charged, and Biddle's face grew uncertain as he dived over a pit of tentacles grasping and pulling at him, coming up right next to Biddle. His strength fading fast, he slashed at Biddle's defenses, getting through and injuring the Banite gnome.

"That's for Alcander, you sonuva--" He stopped, realizing that Biddle was still smiling. His hands were placed right next to Peridan's stomach, the air and light around it distorting as a sonic sphere took form.

"Oh shi--" With a huge blast, Peridan flew back through the trees, his armor being the only thing that saved him. He slammed into a huge tree, stopping him as he coughed up blood. As he slumped on the ground, the light fading around him, he looked up to see Biddle standing over him triumphantly, his hand glowing with arcane flames.

"The Hand sends its regards to the Legion, elf."

Well. The brass weren't going to like this, but....

As Biddle's hand came down, Peridan finished the incantation he had started as soon as Biddle had started speaking, raising his finger. A huge blast of green light shot out of it, disintegrating Biddle with a look of surprise on his face as he died.

"Give my regards to Bane, you bastard." He watched as only dust filtered through the Viridale, everything silent. Light streamed through the trees, and Peridan faded to black, thinking only of one thing.

"Elusa...."

[Urithrand]

That old adage, wive's tale, or just a figure of speech. "Before you die, your life flashes before your eyes." He'd never really considered its meaning before. But in that instant, that moment where triumph was so near, he finally understood. A flash of acidic green exploded in front of his eyes, then time simply... stood still. He knew he was going to die, and he was furious at himself for failing. But another flash occurred, this one not of some evil spell, nor some counter-attack, for nothing was moving, the world was frozen and he could not move. This flash was one of memory.

He remembered leaving Candlekeep that day, against the wishes of his tutor, against the recommendations of the watchers and the monks, and travelled to Sundren. He was different back then. Mystra had never forsaken him, and he'd never devoured a heart, nor tortured any living being. Innocent and kind, he was. The image made his stomach turn. But that Biddle, the one from the past, he suddenly did something that didn't come from this memory. He looked himself straight in the eye, and shook his head. "She'll take you back, you know." Came an echoing, haunted voice. He didn't recognise it as his own. Present Biddle looked at him in confused amazement for a few moments.

"Mystra will love you again." Those words would probably haunt him for eternity in the after-life. He spat at the past incarnation of himself, who simply smiled and popped out of existence. At the same time, the world regained its nature, and Biddle watched for a split second as his doom arrived. Then there was nothing.

[Urithrand]

Few people in the shelter of the great canopy of the Viridale would pay heed to the stirring in the grass that caused a small family of rabbits to stop in their tracks. Another stirring in the soft green blades sent them scampering away, as a small vibration of energies seemed to permeate through the air. Perhaps nothing more than a gust of wind, everyone knew that there had been dark energies in the forest recently, and this could well be a result of that.

As another, stronger gust of wind seemed to disturb the forest floor, a flock of birds suddenly took to the sky, alighting from their roost with a disturbed squawk, finding somewhere a little more comfortable to rest that eve, where the air did not seem to watch them so. A single black and white rabbit remained at that spot, watching the swaying grass resolutely. Any normal animal would have fled the unnatural silence and stillness that had overtaken the forest, but this was, after all, no ordinary rabbit. His name was Zugo.

And he was waiting.

[Redjack]

The tautness of the bindings slacken as the blood drains down the grooves in the altar and fill a goblet to near over flowing. The dark figure raises the offering to his lips muttering words of power and praise to the Lord of Darkness and drains the goblet as blood spills down the front of his priestly robes.

"Great Lord Bane! Return your faithful to the living!"

Silence, except for the wailing echoing far in the distance down the stone halls of the Temple.
It will take more blood. Much more blood before the Lord's Hate is satiated.
The priest steps back from the altar muttering prayers and strides down the halls to seek out another suitable sacrifice.