The Fall of Chath'z'ress

Outside the city of Drache lies a number of cities, towns and provinces of varying size and populace. Most of the people living outside Drache are natives who speak Arangothian and observe the native customs and rituals. Click here for a list Arangoth's locales, and here to view a map.
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Alex
Knight
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 9:53 pm

The Fall of Chath'z'ress

Post by Alex »

First Matron Szin'ilzt Vyz'crul stood in her war room, her hands folded behind her back. It was a large, octagonal structure located deep beneath the Spire's Subjugation Annex, accessible only via certain arcane passageways. Dark stone was carved marble-smooth and the room was lit by smokeless lamps placed about the room at regular intervals. Not that her people needed much in the way of light to see. Hers was a subterranean world and her people had adapted accordingly.

One of her advisers, a broad shouldered man with a distinctly military bearing, stood at her right hand, looking as she did over the table placed in the room's center. It was a map of the caverns surrounding Gulanadur, extending for countless miles in every direction. Chath'z'ress, the Vuulari capital, was superimposed over the map with illusory images which floated above the map's paper.

Many kilometers away, Dol Druuni Hellknights had fought alongside the Mephistopholean Legion and their Priests of the Nine, supplemented by summoned devils. On the other side of Chath'z'ress, her own legions of geomancers, zealots, infantry, and engineers had made rapid progress, familiar as they were with the various challenges presented by urban combat. The end result of the joint military action was that, as of this morning, the city of Chath'z'ress, the leaderless capital of the Vuulari Empire, was under her control.

"The Dol Druuni are taking slaves," the adviser said, his mouth turning down in an expression of distaste.

"They're free to do as they'd like," Szin replied. "Have Lassk's assassins make sure none survive. Flood the residential districts with sulfane when the Dol Druuni are finished." She turned her sharp yellow eyes to the man, her expression serene. "No survivors, General. You understand me."

The man inclined his head, keeping any opinion on the action to himself.

"Yes, First Matron."

"I'll have the borders opened before the week is over," she continued. "No delays, General. The deep ores of the Dol Druuni need a path to the surface, and we need the income to, ah...remodel the city."

Her smile was sweet as she spoke to him, and he suppressed a shudder.

"If there's nothing else, First Matron..."

She waved a hand.

"You're dismissed, General. See that it's done properly."

The General bowed deeply, turned, and left. Szin drew a deep breath, sighed, and turned back to the map. One by one she watched the Vuulari strongholds in the sprawling capital crumble until the entire city was bathed in cleansing blue light. As she watched, political prisoners were being taken and transported to the Subjugation Annex. The sounds of their suffering allowed her the most restful night's sleep she'd had in months.
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