Chapter 1 - The Journey to Brightspear (IC Thread)

'Brightspear had only begun rebuilding when the Necroquake struck,' Ímren recalled, "Countless died as hordes of spirits rose up from the ruins beneath the city." Well, it seemed they were meeting some of those who stayed below. Separating her conscious mind from her unconscious one, the aelven sorceress found the state of mind she needed and sensed two civilians on the outskirts of the group who were at risk of attack from oncoming Chainrasps.
Staying by the celestial knight Vel, Ímren brought arcane lightning to her hands and launched two bolts at one of the offending creatures.

Luadine had been helping one of the civilians to their feet as they were alerted by Tolla's cry. Her head snaps up and immediately scans the area, noticing a chainrasp emerge behind the civilians. Her cutlasses are out before one could even blink as she lithely slips between the two civilians. She attacks with a vicious twirl that could almost be mistaken for a dance if it weren't for the flashes of silver lashing out, as Luadine's steel connects with its spectral form. When the chainrasp falls she lunges towards the glaivewraith ahead striking out again with fury.

For a moment Darach shivered with fear: he was used to fighting living creatures, even in ambushes, but those... Those were just different. Even the squiller in the Kurnoth hunter's branches felt the trembling in his body and slipped away: this actually helped Darach to get going, as he had to quickly grab him and put it back in his bough.
The Sylvaneth's first instinct was to localize the exit from the ruined village: it was on the other side, but he figured the group could have made it there rather quickly if it coordinated itself, even though figthing seemed clearly unavoidable. As to whether that was the right thing to do... he was not sure.
Seeing Vel and Luadine on his left and Brokka on his right, Darach decided to stand by and yell at the two civilians in the building to regroup behind him, simultaneously targeting the remaining chainrasp threatening them with his bow.

Not entirely by choice, Vel had been overtaken by a kind of meditative trance, even whilst the battle started around her. This was not her first encounter with the haunting spectres that were Nagash's servants; in past lives she had fought both skeletons and spirits alike, both before and after the great Necroquake. She recognised the silent stench of death that lingered around this place, and her past lives seemed to instinctively call out to her, preparing her for the coming battle.
As Imren's arcane lightning shot forth and annihilated nearby Chainrasps, Vel awakened, and set her sights on different prey: a Glaivewraith. Marching forth and without breaking stride, she swung her sword upwards, cleaving through the wraith as though she were carving a cake. Finishing her attack, she took a step back and positioned herself between Imren and another nearby Glaivewraith.
"It's good to be home." Vel whispered to herself, seemingly on autopilot.

A cry of panic rises from the civilians and Kharadron crew, the horrors of the Necroquake still fresh in all of their minds.

"Get to the exit! GO! GO! GO!" Brokka bellows, trying to channel the panic towards a reasonable goal. The duardin, used to their Captain's commanding presence, immediately start running for their lives.

Two Glaivewraiths, their weapons pointing unerringly towards the hearts of two of the crewmembers, follow. They fly through the air after the fleeing duardin, and stab at them as they close in. Duardin blood spills onto the dusty ground and one of the Kharadron falls. The other, Enskevi, still stands but barely.

The one engaged with Luadine strikes back, its blow knocking the wind from the Aelf as her armor catches the worst of it.

The last Glaivewraith closes in on a panicked Elma Fass. She puts her hands up in supplication. "Please! Please, no," she begs, but the wraith mercilessly cuts her down.

With fiery passion, Xan calls upon Sigmar to cast his gaze upon his waylaid servants. The people near him feel their strength return and their resolve strengthen. Elma Fass' wounds close and she opens her eyes. With long strides, Xan makes his way to her side and takes a defensive posture next to her.

The survivors are lost to their terror. Seftan and the duardin rush to close the doors to the night's shelter. Elma moves to cower behind Xan, praying to Sigmar for deliverance. Mistral moves close to Imren, Darach and Vel, seeking safety in the heroes' proximity. The last two survivors run in opposite directions, seeking to hide from the wraiths.

The Chainrasps disappear into the walls. One emerges near one of the fleeing survivors. It swipes at it with its chains and the human collapses to the ground with a pained cry. The second emerges within the shelter and strikes Seftan down.

Map - round 2:

"Help Elma Fass!" Was all that Ímren had time to call to those near her as she took off to help Captain Brokka Brokkisdotr and her crew who had run in fear from two attacking Glaivewraiths. Summoning two further crackling bolts of arcane energy, she launched them at one of the offending Glaivewraiths in an attempt to thin out their numbers. Struck by the magical energies, the Glaivewraith's form vanishes in a puff of greenish smoke.

The Glaivewraith's hit only serves to fuel Luadine's fury, her singular focus on eliminating the most direct threat in front of her. With broad sweeping strokes she brutally cuts four times into the glaivewraith, tearing it apart.

Feeling that her allies could hold their own, at least for a short time, Vel drew upon her reserves of strength to bound through the ruins at surprising speed, before ending up behind the lone Glaivewraith threatening Enskevi and the rest of the Kharadron crew. Without missing a beat, she drove her sword straight into the back of the head of the foul spectre, catching it unawares and dealing it a fatal blow.

Just as he turns himself to help the two civilians handle the chainrasp, Darach sees the Glaivewraith threatening Xan and launches himself towards it, repeatedly throwing blows at the spirit. The phantom's rusted glaive clatters to the ground as it dissipates.

"Khraldr!" Brokka calls out when her crewmember gets cut down. The crew react by taking defensive positions while the captain rushes to grab the downed Duardin. She hoists his prone form onto her shoulders and resumes her retreat as the rest of the crew follow, looking around nervously.

Xan looks Elma in the eye "You may follow me, if you wish. The light of Sigmar saves." He is firm but ensures that there is kindness in his voice. Once before the Chainrasp, Xan raises his fist and roars "The light of Sigmar saves!", allowing the Lord's divine power to do just that.  When the power ebbs, Xan sees the wounded civilian as if for the first time. Had he made the right decision? Ought he to have relieved this poor soul's suffering before meting punishment to this abomination?

Mistral follows Ímren, sticking with the Soulbound he knows. Elma follows Xan, staying close to her savior. The wounded civilian opens his eyes and screams. He cowers from the Chainrasp, bringing his arms up to shield himself. The duardin civilian pounds at the door he and Seftan had just closed, yelling for help. The last survivor disappears into one of the ruins.

The Chainrasp near Xan fades back into the wall behind it. Shortly after, the duardin's cries for help cease. The other spirit emerges from a stalagmite behind Ímren and strikes Mistral down.

Map - round 3::

Xan steps into the shelter where the civilian and the Duardin lay felled. He makes room for Elma and the civilian had he really not bothered to learn most of their names? to join him within the room if they so wish.  He knows that the pained visages of their comrades might be jarring for them to see; all the more reason for them to join him, that they might once again witness this holy gift.  Once they are healed, he looks to Elma and the civilian,

"There is yet another to whom I must give the Silver Hammer's blessings while there is still time.  Help your brethren to their feet and do not tarry. We must regroup," he says before taking off in a canter towards another of the fallen.  Xan has been moving throughout their makeshift camp (not quite) turned killing field, healing the injured and inviting them to join him as he seeks out other wounded.  He has the dispassionate but solicitous demeanor of a shepherd gathering a wayward flock.  When he finally addresses his colleagues, it is with much the same tone in hopes of keeping their wards calm.

"Comrades, it is time to regroup, debrief and decide what to do next."