The Chimaera Strikes Back (December)
Escape from Lyssan
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 magical sources, as well as her magical power, knowledge and reserves, to open a portal to the Shadow World.
She is very successful in summoning a large flock of tainted, flying things from the Shadow World, including bats, gargoyles, ravens and winged monkeys.
Flight down the Mountains
The Chimaera has already previously worked out the location of the Mage Tower in the Iron Peaks facing Hamein, where Brother Mage Meganno dwells. She leads the 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 the Mage Tower
The Chimaera leads the Dark Flock in an attack on Meganno’s Tower. It has no air defences, the stone creatures that the Mage has are ineffective against flying creatures and warriors of the goblin tribes are away in Hamein town.
Meganno is able to establish a lay line magical link with his brothers in time to draw on some of their support to defend himself. 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. 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.
Death of a Brother Mage
The Dark Flock fly in through the windows of the Tower 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 Chimaerea has let go and the feral beast takes over.
She breaks into the Tower 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.
Strike on Mhowe
The Chimaera recovers from her feral fury after about an hour. 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.
Although Aidan is a little concerned about this, 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 to Tulear.
Chimaera’s Attack on Mhowe
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, fly up and engage her 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 she loses a lot of her flock. The way is now clear to attack Avicerra’s tower. The Chimaera is able to break his defences and attack physically, but she has expended all of her magical power to do so.
There is very little of the Dark Flock left, so the Chimaera attacks directly, ripping off the roof of Avicerra’s tower. He has a small number of crossbow men who fire volleys into her and he uses weapons of his own. She is able to injure Avicerra, but the repeated attacks on her have caused her serious wounds. She now lacks the strength to go feral. She realises she must retreat and flies away bleeding badly, instinctively heading north 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 once and for all.