Light dawns upon the Empire. The sunrise carries its rays across the battle scarred land and plague infested corpses. Cossette stood upon a hill enjoying the morning sea breezes. The breeze was welcome after the long and bloody fights of the night before. Chaos had attempted to make their advance across the river under the cover of darkness but had been driven back by the courage and tenacity of the defenders of Order. The victory had come with great cost however, many a good soldier had been lost to the blades of Chaos and even more lie dying with foul energies twisting their very souls. Cossette stepped back from the hill and began the descent into the warcamp. The woes and cries of the dying surrounded her. As she walked through the camp she kept her head high. She was a priest of Sigmar, a warrior priest. It was her sworn duty to lead the charges of Sigmar and ensure his blessing's upon all who would stand against Chaos. Many was a time she charged the enemy with a hammer in her hand and a prayer on her lips. Only through Sigmar's blessing was she still alive.
She found an empty chair in an unused tent and took her rest. It seemed more and more tents went unused, their former occupants now found their rest with the gods. Sitting is something we all take for granted but in war it is a luxury rarely known to the front lines. As she was one of the final priests of Sigmar still breathing in the camp, her duties kept her constantly moving. She was always on the brink of collapse as she finally made her way to her mat. She had come to this battlefield under orders from Altdorf. Herself and a few other brave warrior priests were to ensure Chaos did not taint the minds and souls of the soldiers. An attack from within was deemed inevitable. When she arrived with her commune and a Witch Hunter, moves were made quickly. Chaotic taint was purged from the camp and a shrine to the patron god was erected. Daily prayers were ordered and executions were made public. Bodies of traitors hung from trees, feeding the birds of carrion. They served as a grim reminder of the consequences of falling to Chaos. Some would call it barbarous, she saw it as a necessary evil. If their oaths would not keep the soldiers in line, fear would.
Cossette opened her eyes after what seemed to only be a moment, finding the light was in midday now. Against her will she had fallen asleep. For all of Sigmar's power that had been gifted to her, she could not stave off sleep forever. She was not an emperor, high lord, or a god. She was only human. She rose from her chair and stepped out into the midday sun, collecting her battle hammer and tome as she went. The camp was in full swing, hammers beating broken blades into submission, archers flocking arrows, soldiers performing drills. As always a constant stream of broken spirited soldiers paid homage to the Shrine of Sigmar, praying that he may show them mercy. Though she was stonehearted from her years of war the faces of the broken soldiers were still haunting. Most of them mere boys, these soldiers were once simple farmers until the call from their Emperor brought them to arms. As inspiring as it was to see the men and women of the Empire rise up in arms to defend their Emperor and lands it was always painful to see what became of these simple people. Cossette said a prayer and turned from the shrine to find a young recruit in front of her.
"You are the priest Cossette?" asked the young man, his armor barely fitting.
"I am"
"Commander Young summons you to the command tent"
Cossette made no reply to the young man as she turned to walk to the command tent. His approach to her had been poor, he knew none of the customs expected. She would not charge him though, he would face Chaos soon. That alone would be more punishment than anything she could do.
As she entered the command tent she was greeted by Commander Young.
"Sigmar's Blessings upon you priest. It is good to see that the Emperor still has in his army soldiers who know the important of promptness" said the commander as he lightly bowed his head.
"Sigmar's Blessings upon you commander. How may I be of service to the Empire?"
"You may be of great service. You have noticed how quiet today is? Chaos stays in their warcamp and feasts upon their spoils of war. In honesty, I expected them to make a full attack today. The battle last night, though a victory to us, greatly hurt our moral. And with the arrival of their Greenskin allies this morning, Chaos now has a considerably larger force than ours. However, Chaos has not crossed the river. Nor have they made any excursions or raiding parties." said the commander as he turned to look at the battlefield map on the tent wall.
"That is far from their usual methods. I too expected a major attack this morning."
The commander stepped back from his map and sat down on a barrel of ale.
"What has my mind concerned is the lack of Magus in their camp. I know how many there were last night. And I also know we did not slay any before they retreated. Now my scouts tell me the Magus have all gathered to a cave on the cliffs. Nothing good comes from a gathering of the practices of Chaotic magic. I suspect they may be attempting to summon a demon. If they are successful we will certainly be overrun. You are the only priest left among us with the experience to disrupt such an event. It is the command of the Empire that you seek out these Magus and ensure their dark ritual does not come to fruition. You are willing to take this upon you, yes?"
"If the Emperor would have it I would descend into the very depths of Chaos and battle their gods for his glory. I will find these Magus and I will end their attempt to further taint our lands." replied Cossette as she adjusted the battle hammer on her belt.
"Then be off brave warrior of the Emperor. May Sigmar watch over you."
Bowing her head, Cossette left the command tent and headed north, to the cliffs.
The road to the cliffs was void of all life. Not a bird sang, nor a deer fed. The land was utterly silent, a sign of Chaotic influences. This road has once served as a supply route from the quarries in the cliffs to the north to the cities in the south. Once this road was bustling with the citizens of the Empire living their lives. Now the road was a silent reminder of the dark times they now lived in. Many of those citizens that once traversed this road now lay dead in the surrounding hills and woods, their spirits would haunt these lands for years to come. Even after Chaos is defeated and driven from these lands their horrors would infest the lands for years. Witch Hunters and Warrior Priests would be kept busy for quite some time.
The cliffs loomed above her, the scaffolding and tools of the quarry still lay where the workers left them. The air was heavy and thick. A light mist lay upon the ground. The silence was saturated with the sounds of the dead, their final screams quietly permeating the mist. With each step through the dense fog Cossette heard more silent screams. The cave now came into view, fog rolling out of it betraying it's dark denizens within. She steadied her hammer in her hand and ensured her Tome was chained to her wrist. Her hammer and tome were her sole protection, for armor held no use against Chaotic magic. She made her way to the entrance of the cave, feeling as though she stood before the mouth of hell itself. She uttered a silent prayer and walked inside.
The cave smelled of ancient evils. The smell of rotting corpses was everywhere, she could barely breathe. With each step she felt her boots grind against bones. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light she made out the grisly sight of Chaos sacrifices, bodies of innocents strewn across the floor, their blood pooling in crevices and holes in the cave floor. If it was not for her undying devotion to her Emperor she would have run. She had been given a mission though, a quest to serve her people and she would see it through. She now heard the low chanting of Chaos Magus ahead. She prepared herself for whatever horror may lie ahead. Turning the corner she found a sheet of cloth covering the path, through it she could see shadows moving against a backdrop of fire. She gathered her resolve, said a prayer, and charged through the cloth.
Charging through the cloth she swung her hammer at the head of the first to meet her gaze. The cultist was felled in the blow, his scream of agony bringing the others in the room to attention. Their looks of terror betrayed their shock, they had not expected to be found. Their staffs and dagger lay in the cave corners, the mighty Magus of Chaos now stood before a warrior priest of Sigmar, utterly defenseless. The ensuing slaughter was a true bloodbath, the Magus had no way to block the advance of Cossette. She was a truly terrifying sight, with her hair flying behind her and her hammer flying in front she screamed prayers of her Faith at the Magus as she slaughtered them. Her eyes had a fiery fury behind them and her tome was aglow with the power of Sigmar.
As she smashed the skull of the final Magus she took notice of a cultist running into another room. Pulling her hammer out of the head of the Magus she charged after the cultist. The cultist ran headfirst into a swirling vortex of Chaos magic and without thinking Cossette followed.
The world went black and her strength seemed gone. Terrors unimaginable danced around her, chanting dark powers and evil abilities. In the blackness of the void Cossette gathered what little of her strength she still had and swung her battle hammer with the force of a god. As she swung a thunderous crash sounded through the void and she felt herself being pulled down into the darkness. She was helpless to fight the night pulling her down.
Cossette felt something in her hands. Grit and gravel. She lifted her head up and opened her eyes. Before her stood a towering man, clad in great battle vestments. His eyes carried a fury of an entire world. Upon his head sat a crown of a king. He was scarred from countless battles, his skin looked as tough as the ground she lay upon. He looked at her for a moment before speaking.
"Who are you and from where do you hail?" asked the warrior as his hand went to his sword.
"I am Cossette of the Empire of Man. Where am I?"
"You are in Hyboria. I am King Conan."
Cossette's Tome, Final Entry.
"I know not where I am. I am unfamiliar with these lands, these peoples. I know nothing of a King Conan or his kingdom. Nor do I know of their false gods. I fear now I am trapped here, for I will not succumb to Chaos to please my own desire to return to my home. Whether it is by the will of Sigmar or not that I am here I will continue my work. These people are pagan and know nothing of the Empire of my home, nor of its great Emperor. Before my work is done these peoples will know of my god and will pray for his forgiveness of their ignorance. While I still draw breath I will do the work of my Faith and I will seek out the taint of Chaos in these lands. May Sigmar lay his blessings upon me"
Edited, Apr 21st 2009 5:43pm by ottertastic