23/08/2020 - The Chimaera Strikes Back (December 824)
The Dark Flock
The Chimaera has been planning to use her magic to strike back against the Brother Mage and this month she acts. She draws on all her remaining magical sources, as well as her magical power, knowledge and reserves, to open a portal to the Shadow World in her Eyre.
She is very successful in summoning a Dark Flock of tainted, flying things from the Shadow World, including bats, gargoyles, ravens and winged monkeys.
Flight down the Mountains
The Chimaera had known for a while the location of the Mage Tower in the Iron Peaks facing Hamein, where Brother Mage Meganno dwells. She leads her Dark Flock from Rourke to the Tower, via Lyssan. News soon spreads of the flight, but not in time to warn the Mages.
The Brother Mages are aware she has cast a spell, but not sure what it was. They are not totally surprised by her attack, but are caught unawares by her aggression and speed of action.
Attack on Meganno’s Tower
Meganno’s Tower has no air defences. His stone creatures are ineffective against flying creatures and warriors of the goblin tribes that live near his tower are away attacking Hamein town.
Meganno is able to establish some magical defence via the lay line magical link with his brothers. The Mages have been saving up some power for a while in the event of a Chimaera attack and her initial onslaught is dented by this.
It is not enough against such a large number of attackers. The Chimaera rallies her Flock and as the magical defences of the Tower begin to run low, she breaks through them and the Tower itself comes under attack. She lets herself go and transforms into her feral beast form, physically powerful but barely above animal intelligence.
Death of a Brother Mage
The Dark Flock fly in through the windows and quickly overwhelm Meganno, who is soon badly wounded by repeated physical attacks that he has no protection from. He attempts to escape down the Mage’s Leyline network, but the Chimaeron flies in in beast for and kills him outright before he can escape. She then goes into a murderous rage, smashing and killing everything in the Tower while the Dark Flock slaughter the goblins in the local encampments, mostly women and children. Very few of the goblins survive.
Avicerra Prepares
An hour passes while the feral Chimaera destroys the tower, before she can reassert herself and transform back to half-elven form. Feeling she is on a wave of success and wanting to use the flock again before the spell wears off, she decides to strike at Mhowe and the senior Brother Mage, Avicerra.
He is more powerful than Meganno and a little more prepared, thanks to the lost hour when the Chimaera was raging. He realises that she has overwhelmed Meganno and he is either dead or fled.
Avicerra calls in everything he has available – including the Djinn masquerading as Aiden’s staff.
Aidan Shalon suddenly finds his staff shifts and flies away. This happens while he is leading his followers in an attack on Broken Hill. He is humiliated before his followers and his first assumption is that it is divine judgement. His lies have come back to punish him, including the lies he has told about the Knights of Haelyn in Broken Hill. He immediately calls off the attack on Broken Hill and returns with his followers to Tulear. His followers begin to question his leadership for the first time.
Attacking Avicerra’s Tower
The Chimaera attacks with the same policy of overwhelming the magical defences then physical attack, but finds Avicerra’s magic is harder to overcome. He also has a number of Djinns, who use up their last wish / task for him, flying up and engaging her and her Dark Flock. She is forced to defend her flock and stop her attacks on his magical defences, leaving the Mage safe in his tower to continue to resist.
The Chimaera battles with the Djinns and manages to drive them off, but the Dark Flock is all but slain. The way is now clear for her to attack Avicerra’s tower itself. She is able to break his magical defences but it costs her all her remaining magical energy.
Chimaera Wounded
With no magic left, the Chimaera transforms again into her feral form. She lands on the Avicerra’s tower and rips off the roof. Avicerra has a small number of crossbow men in the tower, who fire volleys into her. He uses a large, magical spear of his own to keep her at bay and attack her. She injures Avicerra, but the Mage lands a deep wound on her in return. She is seriously wounded and bleeding badly. Her feral form retreats, flying instinctively, heading north back to her Eyre.
Avicerra is jubulant and attempts to make contact with his other brothers, planning to counter attack as soon as possible. Maybe they can finish the Chimaera off once and for all.