"Brother, it was nice for you to eat with us inside, for a change." quipped Lothar. Bob favored him with a glance before resuming his meal.

"Leah, what is in this delicious stew?" I asked, for it was unlike anything I had tasted before.

"You'll have to ask Butt Paste that," she answered, "for it was he who prepared this dinner." The thought of trying to pry an intelligible word out of that one must have left an amusing look on my face, or the same thought occurred to Lothar and Leah, for they both erupted in soft laughter.

It was a few moments later that Crackhead Bob sniffed once in the air, rolled his head to one side and said "Something is wrong." We all knew he had an uncanny ability to sense danger, something he must've picked up while under the tutelage of those mongbats that raised him. The Princess rose from the table, heading off towards the shelf where the warriors had left their weapons for this dinner.

It was then that I noticed Lothar's eyes were focused on some distant object, but as there was only a wall a few meters behind me, he must've been receiving a vision. As his focus came back to the table, Leah was just returning with the weapons. "We must get to Skara Brae." he said.

After quickly locating the rune near the bank, the gate was opened and the three warriors jumped through as I called for my white steed, Powder. Mounting the horse, I quickly followed the warriors.
 

The island city of Skara Brae

The scene that greeted me on the other side was - how should I say it - disturbing. Townsfolk lay slain in the streets as murderous brigands and pirates were rampaging about the island. The few survivors were running for their lives, chased by entire bands of the degenerates. Even the guards were helpless, most being pinned down by multiple brigands, others held paralyzed by the dark mages that were also part of this invasion, still others laying in crumpled figures, staining the once clean cobble rock street in red.

The brothers had rushed to the aid of a lone defender, a warrior who was ready to sacrifice his life in the proud defense of this disaster. He had already dispatched a good number of the invaders, but was outnumbered almost ten to one before help was available. Leah had decided to give chase to one of the mages that were heading off towards the nearby stables, "Come back here, Xerat! I've not yet had my dessert!" She was heading into an ambush, for Xerat opened the door and out poured five more mages and an equal number of brigands. As she was surrounded, there was no way I'd be able to get close enough to apply physical healing, so I was forced to balance my offensive power with magical healing.

During this initial battle, an unwary citizen ran past me, running from a mage intent on his death while laughing at the citizen's cries for "Guards! Help me!" After killing the weak mage in a quick succession of spells, the confused citizen asked me, "What is going on? There are no guards."

Taken aback from his seemingly vast wealth of ignorance, I could only manage, "'Tis an invasion! If you cannot defend yourself, it would be best to leave." He quickly took out his runebook, and I turned my attention back to what mattered.

I could see Lothar in the distance beginning to resurrect the fallen defenders so that they could at last continue their fight as Bob and the other warrior were attacked by another onslaught. Leah was bathed in the blood of the brigands and mages that had already fallen to her kryss when another wave of them descended upon us. The new attack split their forces equally between us, but we were well-versed in such tactics. While I led my attackers in circles, healing myself with bandages and Leah with spells, she selectively disposed of the brigands that were chasing me. We were then able to quickly down the few remaining invaders that had remained in combat with her. As I began my meditation, Lothar called out from the other side of the bank, "We'll split up. Bob and I will sweep the east and south sides of the island, you two take the north and west."

As I nodded in understanding, I heard Leah yell back, "Agreed. Just make sure you don't get more brigands to kill than I do!" Lothar and Bob were not the only ones to have heard that, for at that moment, another small army of brigands turned up the street from only a few buildings away. The Princess rushed off with renewed spirit as I rushed to her side, only to find her back to back with another defending warrior. The enemy was four deep in all directions, only a few mages mixed in with the hordes of brigands.

One of the mages managed to cast a spell that I had never heard before and, initially, nothing seemed to happen. It was a few moments before I noticed that Leah's face was showing signs of uninterest, even vacancy. She wasn't responding to my calls and was definitely not paying attention to the fight surrounding her. Her partner was getting hurt more frequently and she wasn't healing him, forcing me to once again spend a significant amount of energy magically healing while informing him that "I think she's under the spell of one of these mages. I heard him chant some strange spell a little while ago and she's been unresponsive since then." He nodded in agreement as some of the brigand group turned their attention on me, changing my tactics into a hit and run, heal and run, meditate triangle.

While maintaining some assemblage of order, I heard that voice once again chant something and was able to pick his face out of the crowd. "Kal Vas Flam," I managed, exhausting most of my remaining mana in the attempt, "that one there." The flames behind the warrior illuminating the culprit as Leah's eyes blinked in shock and her partner turned to behead the still flaming mage with one brutal swing of his broad sword. Again Leah blinked, but this time she was herself, in control and enjoying the thrill, the sensation of dropping brigand after brigand, mage after mage with another sturdy warrior at her back.

After the fight, Lothar remarked on the lack of casualties from this invasion, almost as if this were a setpiece for something destined to happen in the near future. Telling him about the experience with Leah, Lothar quickly responded, "This is nothing new. It is a limited form of mind control. A Daemon once cast such a spell on me while we were in a duel, but I was lucky. He wasn't able to hold the spell long enough to finish me off."

Bob had wandered off in our conversation, only to return then with news, "There are reports of an attack on Cove, we should go." Stepping through the gate, the three quickly stepped back through to my surprise. "Not Cove the village," Bob explained, "Cove the cave."

"Coveous?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Leah produced a small smirk for my benefit as I tore open another gate, this one just outside the entrance of the dangerous cave.
 

Outside the dungeon Coveous

An army of the undead would not have been quite an adequate description for the invading force. Coveous was not being invaded by soldiers of the undead, it was being overrun by more powerful shock troops. Liches and Mummies were the foot soldiers in this attack, with a few Lich Lords and Rotting Corpses to bolster their strength. Among the initial confusion of entry, I got separated from the corps of warriors who had huddled together in one of the two defensive stances in the area.

My immediate concerns were bearing down on me relentlessly. Two Liches, a Mummy and even a mad cow were chasing me all over the forest. The Liches' were casting spell after spell upon me, and I had to resort to using bandages, healing spells and potions on myself just in the attempt to stay alive while separating them somewhat. The mistake of opening two gates before entering this conflict proved to be somewhat of a hindrance, as I was low on mana from the start.

Even amidst the chaos, the familiar visage of Lothar in a healer's robe, Leah in a somewhat bloody white dress and Bob in armorless shirt and shorts pressed together in a defensive circle summoned me like a distant beacon. As a Lich Lord and several more Liches and Mummies decided that they, too, would wreak havoc on me, I decided to borrow a tactic normally used by less respectable members of our community. Hurrying to the other side of the warrior's group, I quickly chanted, "An Lor Xen." and made myself invisible. My entourage, no longer able to chase me, immediately split up onto the now three warrior groups that had established itself there, each group with it's own Rotting Corpse, as well as a number of other undead atrocities.

As the battle raged on outside and the invading undead force was being cut apart, reports of an equally turbulent battle inside began to emerge. Skeletal Knights and Mages, amongst other nightmarish creatures, were pressing their way down the dark corridors, slaughtering many defenders and would-be adventurers in their wake. If not for the daunting task of dispelling the remaining Rotting Corpses, I am sure we would've attempted to rescue the survivors. As it was, however, these Corpses simply had no intention of going down quickly or quietly.

I had moved in between two warrior groups, who each only had one other mage dedicated to them. The Corpses' extremely deadly poison was providing some terrifying situations, as it would take nearly half of one's life instantaneously and was very difficult to cure. After one instance where it took three attempts to cure an inflicted individual, he was scarcely alive, and only the well-timed heal of the other mage in that group saved him before he was hit by another poison.

All of the activity had taken its toll on us, for we had fought Brigands and Mages all through the night and Liches and Corpses all through the following day. We were tired, hungry, and no longer well equipped. Indeed, Lothar had a katana break during the battle with the Corpse. After praising our fellow defenders for their stout courageousness in the battle, he asked for a gate back to the tower, where we could rest and reequip ourselves. "I believe more trouble is ahead." he said.
 

The Terathan Fortress in T2A

Lothar had sent his star pupil, Genjuro, to accompany Leah and myself here to investigate anything unusual. Lothar took his brother Bob with him to the Ophidian Mound, for he believed that another invasion was likely, and either the Terathans or the Ophidians would be involved. Since we had some familiarity with the area - I had spent much time here recently working on magical combat skills in corridors against somewhat deadly creatures, and Genjuro and Leah had both spent a great deal of time hunting here in the past - it made sense for us to investigate here while Lothar and Bob took the area that we were less familiar with.

"There doesn't seem to be anything going on here at all." Genjuro said. "I'll return to the tower and make my report to Lothar as soon as I drop off this gold at the bank."

"I'll go with you." said Leah.

"I'm going to make one more lap before I go." I said as they both recalled out. That one lap took longer than I anticipated, as a series of Terathan Avengers and Matriarchs emerged from the dark corners where they were hiding, each battle forcing me backwards to an open area where I could finish the overgrown spiders. Eventually, I managed to finish my promised lap and, as another Matriarch materialized at my side, I recalled into what I assumed was the safety of Yew Abbey. I was wrong.
 

Empath Abbey, city of Yew

I walked up to the bank teller and asked to look at my bank box. Everything around me seemed normal at first. While I was dropping my gold into the bank box, my peripheral vision caught sight of what looked like an Ophidian off to my right. "I must be seeing things." I told myself, but cast a glance in that direction anyway. Heading my way was not one but two Ophidian Apprentice Mages; they were heading my way quickly. Shoving the bank box back towards the teller, I turned my horse away from the two gigantic snake-like creatures as one of them struck me on the shoulder with its club at the same time striking me with a weak lightning spell. "I should fight this one in the open, where I can move around." I thought, and started Powder towards the great double doors of the Abbey.

Upon opening the doors, I gasped in amazement at the spectacle before me. There was a voluminous sea of Ophidians wreaking havoc here. Ophidian Warriors, Knight Errants, Mages, Apprentice Mages and Matriarchs were doing battle with a respectable amount of warriors and mages. Some beast handlers had also appeared, loosing their Dragons and Wyrms against the heavy assault of the Ophidians. But I did not have time to absorb all the wonders in front of me, for I was reminded of my immediate problem with the effects of a powerful flamestrike cast by the Apprentice Mage behind me.

Riding over the crumpled figures of slaughtered guards and defeated Ophidians, I managed to make it to the edge of the winery before an energy bolt caught me at the wrong time. Pained by the shock of the attack, I mistimed a leap over a dead Ophidian, sending me hurling off Powder and against the unforgiving and unyielding trunk of a great Yew tree.

I don't know how much time elapsed during my unconsciousness, perhaps only a few seconds, perhaps several minutes. For some reason, neither the Apprentice Mage nor any other Ophidian decided to finish me off. Powder had found a nice place to hide near me between the tree and the winery and was thankfully unhurt. Gathering my strength and my courage, I again mounted my steed with the intent of helping as best I could in the situation.

The raging battle was frenetic, as the Ophidians swarmed anybody and anything with the audacity to stand against their assault. Their tenacity was fearless, surrounding even the Dragons even though they must've known it was certain death for them to do so. In the distance to the southeast, I saw Genjuro and Leah picking off several more of the Ophidians as they swarmed in from that direction. As I rushed to their side, Genjuro greeted me. "We warriors aren't welcomed amongst the beast handlers."

"Heh, I've already seen a few of those self-righteous fools fall to the snakes." Leah responded as she thrust her kryss into the gaping mouth of an Ophidian Warrior that was trying to spit at her. "Where were their precious slaves then to protect them? I'll tell you where; they stood at a lost at the fallen corpse of their ignorant master!"

"Look, Gilgamesh is here also." Following the nod of Genjuro's head, I looked over my shoulder to see Gilgamesh working his way towards us from behind me, to my left.

"The Dragons' aren't leaving much to be done." I admitted.

"Perhaps," said Gilgamesh, "but Ophidians may not be the only ones involved in this attack. I've just heard claims of Daemons flying in from the west. A lot of Daemons." As if to emphasize his point, a great cloud began to obscure the sun's presence. Only, this was no cloud of nature, it was a cloud of unholiness. A cloud of immense proportions composed of infernal beasts. Even as the Daemons descended from the skies, there was no end to their numbers in sight.

"Our help may yet be needed." Genjuro said.

"You're beginning to sound like a certain husband of mine." Leah said with a laugh. "You should get out more often."

We had managed to find a pocket of activity where we could be warriors, fighting the beasts on even terms without other trained beasts interfering. They had their own troubles right about now. I knew we each could handle a Daemon by ourselves in the open, but so many Daemons and with this mix of skills would be interesting. As it turned out, it was relatively easy. Gilgamesh's ability to turn the Daemons against each other when their numbers became overwhelming proved to be somewhat of a lifesaver.
 

The Guild Tower of Ordo Sylvanus, west of Trinsic

As we returned to the tower, Lothar greeted us. "I see you've been busy. Tell me, were there many Ophidians?"

Genjuro bowed before his daimyo. "Not only many snakes, my lord, but many Daemons also."

"And how did you know there were going to be Ophidians there?" Leah asked, as she kissed him.

"My brother and I saw a large invading force heading towards the Lighthouse. We figured they must've been on their way to Yew via the underground passage there."

Punching her husband on the arm, Leah again asked "And you just let us fight by ourselves against that horde, that tidal wave of reptilian beasts? Why didn't you come to defend also, what kept you so busy that..."

"Please, my love, I knew you were in good hands and I... Don't you think we should continue this inside or shall we stand out here until the sun sets and rises again?" Continuing in the comfort of the main room, Lothar said "While we were trailing the Ophidian horde, my brother suddenly fell sick and lay unconscious for about a minute. When he awoke, he looked in the direction of the Ophidians we were trailing and then at me, saying 'Many Oomans will perish in Minoc today.' When I asked how he knew this, he said he didn't know how, he just knew it would happen. We decided that should you go to Yew, as was normal after a hunt or investigation, you should be fine. Minoc would require it's own defenders, so we went there.

"Bob and I were almost overwhelmed by the sea of Elementals that flooded the streets and countryside around Minoc. Elementals of nearly every kind were involved: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Poison, Copper, Blood, Dull Copper, Agapite. The list goes on and on, as did their assault. My brother was unfortunately correct; many humans did perish in the town's defense. The tide, however, was eventually destroyed after many hours of fighting. Bob is resting now at the monastery, under El Matadore's care.

"That is not the worst of it, even as our battle raged on, and as you were fighting the Ophidians, both Aeolus and Plato were in Moonglow when that island city was beset by another Daemon invasion, although I suspect it was a smaller invasion. I was surprised to learn about Daemons attacking two coastal communities at the same time, that has rarely happened before."

"I don't know whether to kiss you again for defending those snobs in Minoc while letting us deal with the Yew invasion," Leah said softly, "or hit you again for keeping all this information to yourself and risking the lives of your wife and your guild members."

Gilgamesh looked at me in open amusement as Servant Hecubus opened the door from his workshop, bringing a tray with a bottle of wine and five glasses. "What puzzles me," Lothar said, "is what force is behind such an extravagant attack. Convincing brigands, pirates, and mages to invade an island like Skara Brae is simple enough; there are numerous examples in history of them being hired out to anyone willing and able to pay for their services. The undead have no mind or consciousness to speak of, so reasoning for them to attack Coveous is more complex. Ophidians could be persuaded by one of their own to invade Yew. Daemons can be lured into attacking anything, but they attacked in such great numbers that reasoning alone cannot serve as an answer. And how do you convince mindless forces of nature, such as Elementals, to coordinate an attack on a town like Minoc? Not to mention that the last three invasions occurred simultaneously. I am worried."