Guild Wars 2

but honestly, we should appoint our most skilled necro vs your most skilled mesmer in a duel.
so it is build vs build
if i fought chaos, it will be chaos win because he is better skilled. not because mesmer > necro.

but honestly, we should appoint our most skilled necro vs your most skilled mesmer in a duel.

so it is build vs build

if i fought chaos, it will be chaos win because he is better skilled. not because mesmer > necro.

oh oops I get so agitated by these mesmer > necros posts that I forgot I am going to take back my declaration of war

rainpool.7189:

EremiteAngel.9765:

well…i’m not going to try and change your opinions now…but dont clamour to nerf necros when we meet in HoT

Im afraid that you would cry nerf Chrono in HoT….

LETS SEE THEM TRY AND MAKE NECROS CRY!!!!
ROARRRR!

Chaos Archangel.5071:

Eremite.

You and I will settle this. Reaper to Chronomancer.

Prepare yourself, challenge accepted.

If it is you Chaos, I take back my declaration of war.
I am nowhere near your level XD
Maybe if another necro wants to take up the challenge?

oh opps i forgot i am going to take back my declaration of war

rainpool.7189:

IMO the mesmer would probably have enough boon removal and CC to deny stability for at least 5 seconds, which is more than enough to shutdown a reaper.

LETS SEE THEM TRY!!!!
ROARRRRR!!!!!

If it is you Chaos, I take back my declaration of war.

I am nowhere near your level XD

Maybe if another necro wants to take up the challenge?

i think you got it spot on!

well…i’m not going to try and change your opinions now…but dont clamour to nerf necros when we meet in HoT

True but we have chill to slow them
we got 25% increase MS in reaper mode
we got 600range gap closer every 4 seconds

or for that matter, ele’s diamond skin
condi builds just crash and burn without any ability to counter play

Sorel.4870:

What I really disliked in the stream was the pulsing stability in the new DS skill 3. This kind of skills seem to be fashionable, but they don’t allow any counter play using boon strips. I understand for an elite skill, but this is just ridiculous.

not ridiculous if you look at warrior’s berserker stance
no condi for 8 seconds is ridiculous for a condi build to fight against

StickerHappy.8052:

EremiteAngel.9765:

not to mention we got a 600 range gap closer on a 4 second cooldown traited
600 range every 4 seconds
with immense chill abilities
TRY TO KITE US NOW

I am really happy for necros, yes you will be a PITA to deal with now!

well said.
now we are finally a match for you mesmers.

LETS MEET ON THE BATTLE FIELD AS EQUALS

MailMail.6534:

EremiteAngel.9765:

Reapers got a 10 second stability uptime on a 16 second cooldown. Reaper skill 3 with traits.

TRY TO INTERRUPT US NOW

You wouldn’t know this, because you’re a necro, but Stability doesn’t tend to be an issue for us either due to all the ways we can strip it. lol Have you ever seen Lich vs Mesmer?

@Ross
Yeah I get it, but if you’re letting conditions land on you as a Mesmer under most circumstances, you’re screwed regardless. But yes, chill is quite the nasty condition on Mesmer. I see more people taking Shattered Conditions than they ever did before.

its a pulsing 3 seconds stability every second for 8 secs.

let me see you strip that every second.

I have issued an ultimatum to interrupt mesmers in their mesmer thread

they still think interuppt mesmers > Reapers!

looloolllollol

we got traited 10sec stability on a 16 second cooldown

and

traited 600 range gap closer on a 4 second cooldown

and

immense chill abilities

lets see them try to interrupt or kite us!!!!!!

not to mention we got a 600 range gap closer on a 4 second cooldown traited
600 range every 4 seconds
with immense chill abilities
TRY TO KITE US NOW

Reapers got a 10 second stability uptime on a 16 second cooldown. Reaper skill 3 with traits.

TRY TO INTERRUPT US NOW

I can already see this as the next big thing!!!!!

Speed of Shadows Adept III Increase 25% movement speed while in death shroud. Reduces 30% recharge on death shroud.

Vital Persistence Master V Life force drains 50% slower while in death shroud. Death shroud skills recharge 15% faster.

Foot in the Grave GM VII Gain stability and break stuns when you enter death shroud.

faster MS in DS important for our melee close range skills

DS skills recharge faster =
Death Charge becomes 4 second cooldown for a 600 range gap closer! and if you trait path of corruption its every 4 second convert of boons into condi!
Infusing terror CD becomes 16 seconds! for a stability uptime of up to 10 seconds!

Fear the Reaper
*star wars Darth Vader entrance *
dum dum dum
dum dum dum
dum dum dum

Reapers got a 10 second stability uptime on a 16 second cooldown. Reaper skill 3 with traits.

TRY TO INTERRUPT US NOW

Not to mention a traited stun break upon DS entry with 1 stability.

We will REAP you interrupt mesmers in Reaper mode.

in the past:
interrupt mesmer turns up = Necro shouts “noooooo”

now:
interrupt mesmer turns up = Necro enters reaper shroud and activates skill 3 and looooool

not to mention we got a 600 range gap closer on a 4 second cooldown traited

600 range every 4 seconds
with immense chill abilities

TRY TO KITE US NOW

it will be mentioned tomorrow

and a spinning skill in reaper form like the guardian’s GS whirling wrath.

+ the revealed
Death’s Charge—Spin your scythe and dash forward a moderate distance, damaging foes in your path. When the dash ends, release an explosive poison cloud.

we now know three of 5 of the new reaper DS skills

at the 28 second mark. he froze all three of them at melee range.
which i assume is a kind of stun…

REAPER GOT STUN
WE GOT STUN!!!!!

if you watch the video, the reaper does an aoe freeze/stun on the monsters while he was in reaper mode.

you’re wrong

/15necros

up 15 necromancers

hmm you are right =D
but i still better leave this thread up so anet don’t decide to give us non-universal trait options

it didnt work that way for the guardians is what i am saying
they got a master or grandmaster trait options that is totally focused on either LB or traps. if you used neither LB or traps, going that line is going to give you useless traits.

I think chill is great too on a necro
fear the chill
chill the fear

it didn’t work that way for the guardian elite traits.
if they don’t use LB and or traps, some of their trait options become useless

all i want for christmas is that they make the necro elite traits applicable to all builds, and not just GS wielders or Shout users. So we get more build diversity and not end up with elite spec = must go GS and Shout

So far all the minor traits are applicable regardless of whether you use GS or Shout or any other weapon/utilities.

The reaper’s first minor trait is called Shroud Knight, and it gives the necromancer a completely new set of melee-focused skills while in Death Shroud. Because Reaper’s Shroud is focused on melee combat, it centers much more on skills that allow reapers to get close, stay close, and cleave enemies.
I could use this minor trait even with range weapons and not wielding GS or shouts.

Shivers of Dread—When you inflict fear on an opponent, you also inflict chill.
I could use this minor trait even with range weapons and not wielding GS or shouts.

Cold Shoulder—Chill lasts longer, and chilled foes deal less damage to you.
I could use this minor trait even with range weapons and not wielding GS or shouts.

I hope they keep things the same way for the other traits in the elite line.

Who gained the most?

Reaper looks the coolest and gained the most IMO.
Not even bothering about what the shouts and GS does, those minor traits will chill any foe into submission.

Reserved 15necros

Reserved 15necros

Reserved 15necros

Reserved 15necros

Reserved 15necros

Reserved 15necros

Reserved 15necros

“…shvid? Are you listening?”. Harshvid stood up abruptly and bowed to the queen, “I apologize Queen Esther, but I must take my leave. Your city Gnaash is under attack by the orcs and I will suggest you send men to reinforce the city with all haste. I will head there now to marshal the city’s defences…or what is left of it”. Harshvid weaved a spell with his finger as he spoke, and a magic circle formed beneath his feet and dark smoke rose and enveloped him, dissipating a moment after, And Harshvid was gone.
The door to the dining room burst open, admitting a griffin messenger, “Urgent report!”, as Queen Esther slowly turned to face the messenger…

Part Eight: Stumbling Stone

Acamas stood in the City Square as his army continued to burn and slaughter the humans. Soon the city will be reduced to rubbles. He stood there, lifting his arms and breathing in deeply, soaking in the flames of war.

The sound was warm and inviting, and would have been irresistible to a being of lesser will. “A summon…”, thought Harshvid, “interesting…”. Harshvid conjured dark tendrils in his mind, lashing out in what could be described as an explosion of violence, grasping the sound as if it were a physical being, tightening and choking the life out of it. “Reveal yourself summoner.” Harshvid commanded. Slowly the sound coalesced into the form of a striking lady with hair the color of ember. “Ah…”, said Harshvid, “if it isn’t Serene the rebellious…The Empire has been looking high and low for you…and here you surrender yourself freely to me…” Harshvid laughed and shook his head, “And to what do I owe this honor?”. Harshvid wound his tendrils tighter around Serene as he took in the contours of her body, “You truly are a beautiful woman…little wonder Aether got into so much trouble when he allowed your escape.”. Serene smiled sweetly at Harshvid, ignoring the tendrils snaking around her, “I bring you a message from your cousin Daniel.” At the mention of his cousin’s name, Harshvid frowned. What was Daniel doing with Serene? If Harshvid had a soft spot, it was Daniel. Harshvid saw him as the only real family he has and loved him dearly. They had lived and fought side by side in the dark alleys of Gnaash eking out a living among the crooks and thugs that populated the underbelly of the city. He owed his life to Daniel. “Daniel you say?”, replied Harshvid as he tightened his tendril around her neck slowly choking her, “You must have a death wish bandying my cousin’s name in front of me…”.
“Stop!” another voice cried. Harshvid recognized the voice immediately, “Daniel? Is that you?”. “Yes! Listen to me cousin! Gnaash is under attack by the orcs! They are in the city and our commander has fled! You must come quickly!”, cried Daniel. “What?! Gnaash invaded?” Harshvid thought, “how is that possible? Is this some trickery from Serene?” But even as he thought that, he could clearly sense Daniel’s presence along the wave of sound transmitted by Serene. His dark tendrils had also traced the source of Serene’s sound waves back to Gnaash. “I will be there,” Harshvid replied, “keep yourself safe till then Daniel. And stay away from Serene. She cannot be trusted.” With that, Harshvid blocked off the sound wave and snapped his focus back to the queen.

Part Seven: Summon

Harshvid sat at his usual seat in Queen Esther’s dining hall. For the past 5 days, he had been summoned to join the Queen for dinner. He sat silently, his fingers steepled before him, waiting for the Queen’s arrival.

In the Wolf Duchy, the Queen was the ruling monarch and her orders were absolute. She tolerated no dissent and ruled with an iron fist. Even the ruling powers of the Falcon Kingdom could not control her. Queen Esther had not always been such a domineering person. Everything changed when her King passed away 19 years ago. It was shortly after the end of the war between the orcs and humans. The empire, especially the Wolf Duchy which took the brunt of the orcs’ assault, had suffered tremendous losses and was in disarray. The Falcon Kingdom sought to take control of the whole empire and sent emissaries to the various kingdoms and free cities, offering them economic and military assistance in return for their support. Many of the kingdoms and free cities accepted the aid and pledged their support to the Falcon Kingdom, effectively turning into puppet-states. The then King of the Wolf Duchy was a benevolent king who loved his people. He did not agree with the cruel ways the Falcon Kingdom used to govern their subjects and thus rejected the aid. He would never cede control of the Duchy to the Falcon Kingdom willingly. A few kingdoms and free cities stood by the Wolf Duchy and the empire was split into two. But misfortune struck not long after. The King contracted an illness that their doctors had no knowledge of, much less a cure. Day after day, the King grew weaker…until his life force drained away. They lost the only person then who had the will and charisma to gather allies under his banner and stand against the Falcon Kingdom. Those who had stood by the Wolf Duchy now leaned towards the Falcon Kingdom. And it was under such circumstances, that the human empire was united under one ruler. Almost. Till today, the Wolf Duchy, under the Queen, never gave in. The story fed to and accepted by the world, was that her King had died of illness. But Queen Esther always suspected a darker plot beneath. One weaved of poison, dark magic and assassination. She had no proof and did not have the resources to pursue her suspicions. There was something she could do though, her King’s last request, and one that she has kept to this day. And that is to never surrender the Duchy to the Falcon Kingdom. It was her fierceness of spirit and iron-fisted rule that kept the Duchy from splintering.

Three hours later, the door to the dining room swung open admitting Queen Esther’s personal entourage. The spacious room filled quickly as guards, chaperons and maids took up their respective positions. They were late today, very late. And Harshvid was not amused. He might have grown up in one of Queen Esther’s cities and even served in her army, but he was now an official of the Falcon Kingdom. To have kept an official of the Falcon Kingdom waiting was a serious crime deserving of punishment but Harshvid kept his cool. Queen Esther was different, one who was not bound by the rules of the Falcon Kingdom. He will not act rashly. Harshvid stood and bowed slightly as Queen Esther took to her seat. She was old, in her sixties, but her poise and dignified aura remained. She gestured at Harshvid, “You may dispense with the formalities when we are alone.” “As you wish my queen.” Harshvid replied and sat, leaning back on the chair, their gaze locking. “My dear Harshvid,”, the Queen began, “you must be wondering why I have summoned your presence the past five days and been late to see you every single day…” Queen Esther continued speaking but Harshvid was no longer listening. His attention had shifted to a soft siren-like sound that had drifted towards and surrounded him.

The four personal guards split off in different directions, shouting warnings to the people to evacuate as they rode to gather the scattered soldiers at the gate. Daniel though, had another purpose in mind. ‘The city can still be saved,’ thought Daniel. Harshvid will save the city. Daniel was the cousin of Harshvid and had spent his younger years growing up together with him in Gnaash. They had been very close then and Daniel believed that Harshvid will not let the city fall without a fight. But to contact Harshvid quickly, he will need the help of Serene, the wandering bard.

Daniel raced along the cobbled pathway, heading straight for the slums in the western district. A few days ago, a dirty and grimy nomad had tried to enter the city but was stopped at the gates as Semiv deemed these wandering gypsies a burden to the city and had passed a law to forbid their entry. Daniel who had been near the gates that day pitied the nomad and had ordered the sentinels to allow her in. It was only yesterday, as he was inspecting the slums with a few of his fellow soldiers that he realized that the nomad, Serene, was a bard. She had sat by the campfire in the center of the slums, melodious tunes floating out from her harp, captivating all who were there. Under the dirt and grime, Serene turned out to be a ravishing beauty. Long auburn hair glowed in the fire light, framing an oval face with high cheekbones and full lips. What attracted Daniel most was her eyes. They were the color of emeralds, and every time she smiled, they danced along like playful elves, brightening up his mood to no end. Daniel pushed his thoughts aside. He had more important matters at hand.

Bards had always had fantastical rumors surrounding their abilities. One of which was the ability to summon creatures from thin air with the tunes that they play. Daniel hoped that it was true. Locating Serene proved to be easy. The moment he entered the slums, her tunes came floating out to him, surrounding him, caressing him, leading him to the place where she waited. Daniel dismounted and stood before her, ‘Serene…I…’. ‘Sssh’, Serene cooed, pressing her finger to his lips, ‘I can hear your heart beating…I can hear your thoughts…You want me to summon a man to aid the city…’. ‘Yes…’, whispered Daniel, the close proximity of Serene left him breathless. ‘And what will I get in return?’, asked Serene. Daniel replied without pause, ‘I will swear my life to you.’. Serene laughed heartily, ‘your life? yes…I have need of your life. But understand that the man you wish for me to summon is powerful beyond my ability to entrance. I can link your thoughts to him but for him to come he will have to do so willingly. Do you still wish for my help?’. ‘Yes’, Daniel answered, ‘only he can save the city now’. With his confirmation, Serene started strumming her harp slowly, her tunes soaring into the night sky and beyond…

Acamas remained at the opening he had created earlier. Goblin scouts came to report intermittently. With every report, Acamas’ contempt for the humans grew. ‘How pathetic’, spat Acamas. He had expected his orcs to meet some resistance that would require his intervention but it seemed like the humans had offered none.

If Semiv had been a better soldier in his younger days, he might have noticed that the arrow shaft that protruded out the back of the rider was very orcish in design. Trouble was, he was never deployed to the front-lines. Always hiding at base camp, far from the danger, he had no experience where warfare was concerned. Even as the number of bodies lying strewn along the road mounted the further he went, no alarm rang in his head. Only anger. He was angry at the peasants for turning his city into a mess. His personal guards though, four of the finest handpicked from the ranks of the crusader vanguards, looked around worriedly. ‘Commander Semiv’, called one, ‘something seems amiss. There are too many bodies for this to be simply a peasant uprising. None of our scouts have returned either. Allow me to ride ahead and scout things out.’ Semiv waved dismissively, ‘as you wish Daniel’.

As Daniel prepared to ride ahead, an arrow whistled down from the roof of a nearby house striking Semiv squarely on the chest, throwing him off his horse. ‘Protect the commander!’, shouted Daniel as they closed ranks around the fallen Semiv and raised their shields to ward off the projectiles. Lifting Semiv back up the horse, they turned and retreated quickly back the way they came. Semiv gasped for air, the arrow and fall from earlier knocked the wind out of him. His armor had prevented what would otherwise have been a fatal shot. Regaining his composure, he called to his guards, ’I’m leaving for Hargath (a neighboring city in the Wolf Duchy) to get reinforcements. The four of you go alert the rest of our soldiers to maintain a defensive formation at the gate. Make sure no orcs leave the city alive.’ Semiv knew neither the way the orcs got into his city nor their numbers. He cared not for his soldiers and people. What Semiv valued most was his life. His city can fall but he cannot die. He was way too important. And what better way to ensure his survival than to blockade the gate he had escaped through with his soldiers?

Returning to his room, Semiv donned his armour with care, checking to ensure that every catch was fastened tightly. Semiv had started his military career as a crusader sergeant and slowly rose through the ranks with the help of his family to become the commander of a city. His family held considerable political power in the Duchy and had wanted him to take over his father’s mantle. However, he had no interest in the petty squabbles between nobles and preferred the intricacies of the battlefield. He was very interested in strategizing and saw himself as a great strategist though in reality, he was not very good at it. ‘It is probably an uprising.’, thought Semiv, ‘Those dirty peasants in the south are always causing trouble for me. Looks like I should go kitten them this time and make sure there will not be a repeat.’. Clasping his wrist-guards on, he took his sword off the rack and strolled down to the ground floor. ‘Get me my horse!’, snapped Semiv at a passing soldier. The soldier tripped and fell as he hurried to do his commander’s order. Semiv shooked his head in disgust.

Twenty minutes later, Semiv cantered into the city square surveying the army assembled before him. The city’s barracks usually housed 800 men but on this night, only 400 stood before him. 300 had been reassigned to the other cities nearer the orcs’ borders to combat the increasing orc raids while the remaining 100 stayed at their stations. Semiv laughed inwardly. 400 men will be more than enough to quell a rag-tag bunch of peasants. But a show of force was due. ‘After tonight,’ sweared Semiv, ‘no one will dare rise up against me again’. Without waiting for his scouts to return, he started giving orders. ‘Tonight,’ he shouted to his soldiers, ‘the peasants in the south have rose up against the city again. This is already their third time! We had been lenient with them all this time. But no longer! Tonight they shall know their place!’. The soldiers muttered in half-hearted assent. None of them looked forward to harming their fellow citizens. The southern district was accessible via 8 roads from the city square. Not expecting any resistance, Semiv split his soldiers into 8 units of 50 and sent them off to the south. Dismounting from his horse, a soldier got him a chair and he sat back comfortably looking up at the night sky, thinking of ways to torture and display the rioters. The sound of an approaching horse broke his reverie. The horse came into view with its rider lying limply on its back. The horse was stopped by a couple of soldiers and the rider helped down and brought before Semiv. An arrow shaft protruded from the rider’s back. ‘Report!’, barked Semiv. No sound came from the rider. He was already dead. ‘Those bloody peasants dare kill my soldiers!’, fumed Semiv, ’ I will crush them myself!’. He grabbed his sword and swung up his horse. Signalling to his personal guards to follow, he rode down towards the southern district.

The unit of Semiv’s army which had taken the shortest route reached the southern district first and were greeted by the sight of orcs swarming all over the place. Houses were being set alight and the people slaughtered. They were stunned. Wasn’t this supposed to be a peasant uprising? Before they could react, axes and arrows rained down from the rooftops cutting their numbers by more than half. ‘Defensive formation!’, shouted the sergeant of the unit. Elite squires bunched up and raised their shields locking them in place while the rest of the sentinels huddled under. ‘Retreat!’, shouted the sergeant, ‘Keep formation!’. Despite the unit’s best efforts to back away from the ambush, they never had a chance of escaping. A tainted orc, massive as a house, spotted the retreating unit and came charging down, barreling straight through them. The unit erupted upon impact, bodies flying outwards in every direction. That night, the remaining seven units shared the same fate one after another. Shock at the scene gave way to fear and helplessness before the might of the orcs. Their commander had failed them. The battle was lost before it had even begun.

Acamas gazed up at the wall of Gnaash again. Stretching from one end of the earth to the other, it was truly an imposing fortress. Acamas had envisioned this day for a long time since news came back that his father had perished in this very place. Today he will finish what his father had started. Raising his arms to his side, he began channeling the earth’s magic through his body. There was magic all around the earth, in the air, ground and sea. But not everyone could see it. He was keenly attuned to its presence from young and could harness great amounts of it through his body. Green sparkles swirled and twirled around his body, lighting up the air around him in a greenish glow. He concentrated the energy into two green balls of light that floated on each of his palms before unleashing them on the wall before him. ‘QUAKE!’, Acamas roared, as the two green balls of light streaked towards the wall. The green lights slipped smoothly into the wall upon contact. For a while, nothing happened. And then a mighty tremble started reverberating outwards from the wall in an epicenter. Cracks appeared along the wall, small jagged lines that soon grew into large scars as pieces of stones fell and the wall began to crumble. In just 3 minutes of him casting the spell, there was a large hole where the once impassable wall stood. Acamas grinned. It had been a gamble attacking the city without any war machines. He knew he had great mastery over the earth’s magic but he had never tested it against a city. He stared at the gaping hole. Looks like his strength alone was sufficient to breach the walls. He was truly the strongest! His orcs needed no second invitation. Their war-cry went up as soon as the wall collapsed, charging forward and flooding through the breech. This was going to be their night…his night!

The captain stood up using the table as support as the room shook all around him. He had to get to the horn and warn the city! As he was moving to the steps leading to the upper floors, a large shelf was shook lose from its fasteners and crashed down onto him, pinning his legs to the ground. ‘S***!’, he cried. Looking up, he called out to Johash and his two subordinates but to no avail. They were already lying on the ground unconscious or disoriented from the wine. Suddenly, the door to the room burst open as the man from before came rushing in. ‘We need to get out of here!’, the man shouted, ‘there is an earthquake! The whole tower is collapsing!’. ‘No!’, the captain shouted, urgency in his voice, ‘this is not an earthquake. It is sorcery! We are being attacked! Leave me. Get to the horn on the second floor and blow it. It is in one of the drawers. Hurry!’. The man gave a curse and disappeared up the steps. The captain lay back, looking up at the ceiling. He could no longer feel his legs. He had many friends and loved ones in the city. He prayed that whatever was attacking the city would be stopped.

Asger stumbled up the steps as fast as he could. ‘The horn. The horn!’ Reaching the second floor, he flung open the nearest drawer and found the horn. Stone fell all around him as cracks raced across the walls of the room. Bringing it to his lips, he blew it with all his strength. The sound of the horn blasted out through the night and all across the city. It was abruptly cut off as the tower collapsed with Asger in it.

Part Six: Fall

The city awoke to the sound of the horn and the thunderous crashing of the wall. Lights flickered to life all around the place as people stumbled out in their nightwear disoriented and confused. Semiv, commander of the army of Gnaash, got out of bed and descended the steps to the ground floor. Soldiers were running to and fro, panic in their eyes. He called out to one of the watchmen, ’what’s happening?‘. ’Sir! Someone blew the horn at the southern wall. We do not know the reason yet. Our men are moving there and will report as soon as we have more information.’. ‘This is disgraceful’, thought Semiv, ‘just a horn and everyone is running around like headless chickens! When this disturbance is settled, I will drill a new one into these men!’. He grabbed hold of a passing flag-signaler. ‘You! Get to the top and signal for the army to assemble in the main City Square. I want every soldier there and armed in five minutes.’ The flag-signaler nodded and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

Part Five: Clown

A solitary candle stood on a worn wooden table, its flames flickering dangerously as a gust of wind threatened to put it out. ‘Close the kitten door Johash!’. Four men sat around the table, cards and toppled wine bottles lay all around. One got up shakily and slammed the door shut. He had just returned to his stool when sharp urgent raps sounded at the door. ‘What the hell?…’, exclaimed Johash. Standing back up again, he grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open. A man clad in tattered worn dark clothes stood at the doorway. ‘What business do you have?’, lisped Johash, ‘make it short. I don’t have all day.’ The man spoke, ‘I need to speak to the commander urgently. There are orcs in the forest.’. ‘Orcs!’, laughed Johash, ’ will you guys come and listen to this clown!’ Guffaws rang out from the room. Slamming one hand on the door and shoving another into the man’s chest, Johash said, ‘listen up funny guy, no one gets to see the commander. Not you, not me, not even the queen!’. This elicited more laughter from the room. ‘Listen,’ the man began, but Johash had already slammed the door shut in his face. Returning to his stool, Johash grabbed a bottle of wine and raised it, ‘to the mad man!’. More laughter rang out. And then…the ground started shaking. Violently.

Asger could barely contain his exasperation. This was already the third guard room he had visited. Was there not a single sober soul along these walls? Cursing loudly, he kicked out at a stone. ‘One more try,’ thought Asger, ’ and I’m done with this bull-dung’. Suddenly, the ground shook violently under his feet. The tremors were so violent that Asger found himself on all fours, unable to keep his balance. ‘An earthquake?’, thought Asger. But every local who felt the tremors knew it was no earthquake. There were no earthquakes in this region. Three hundred feet away from Asger, the mighty walls of Gnaash that had stood for decades through many battles had started crumbling…

‘Earthquake!’, cried a drunk Johash, ‘quick hide under the beds!’. Johash and his two mates half stumbled half crawled to their beds. Their captain who was still sober remained seated. He looked around at the shaking room and felt fear grip his heart. ‘No…’, he whispered, ‘this is sorcery…’.

The night was deathly dark, the moon hidden by the clouds. Acamas stood before the walls of Gnaash, his lieutenant Hornat on his left and Seervi on his right. Three hundred orcs stood eagerly behind him, brimming with bloodlust and armed to the teeth. They had left the cover of the forest an hour ago and now stood arrayed in plain view of the city. Not a single soul stirred, not a bell rung. Acamas snotted, the air from his nostrils condensing into white vapor in the frigid night. The humans have grown conceited and lax. ‘Today,’, thought Acamas, ‘we shall step on the human’s pride.’ Acamas had no need for conventional war machines to take the city of Gnaash. Twenty years ago, the war machines had proved to be useless. Acamas will bring down the walls himself. Should his strength prove to be insufficient, he still had Seervi. ‘Seervi,’ he called, ‘go, prepare yourself.’ With a nod, Seervi left and moved to the back of the army. Turning to Hornat, Acamas ordered, ‘Watch her closely. Kill her when the wall has fallen.’. Hornat bowed and disappeared quietly into the darkness.

Seervi was not born of the Bloodhorn clan. She was a dreamreaver and belonged to Kelthor, leader of the Fury clan. A few months ago, Acamas and Kelthor, two of the more ambitious chieftains, had formed an alliance to take the cities of the Wolf Duchy. Their immediate goal was to take the city of Gnaash. Twenty years ago, the orc invasion faltered and stalled at the city of Gnaash. Tried as they might, not one orc got past the city’s walls. Twenty years on, they finally had a champion capable of taking the city. Acamas was a rare breed of orc. While earth magic was the staple of orc shamans, none ever reached the pinnacle. Acamas though, had control over earth magic like none other. This gift of his will prove crucial in taking the city of Gnaash. And when Gnaash falls, more orc clans will be convinced to join the war and they will finally put an end to the human empire. To do that, Acamas will need to get up close to the city with his orcs undetected. This was where Kelthor came in. The Fury clan was made up of mainly centaurs, harpies, goblins and swift orcs. Their strength lay in speed. The plan was for the Fury clan to distract and the Bloodhorn clan to strike. As such, Kelthor had a few weeks earlier, ordered his orcs to step up their raids along the trade routes of the Wolf Duchy’s cities. To turn the Duchy’s attention and troops away from Gnaash. The raids were bolder and larger, crushing many of the griffin troops that the Duchy had placed to protect the routes. Kelthor had also lent Seervi, his shaman, to Acamas. Seervi was skilled in the shamanic voodoos of the orcs. Able to strengthen allies and weaken foes with her rituals, she was an immense asset to any army. Seervi was to aid Acamas in taking the city but that was not all. She was also tasked by Kelthor with a secret mission…

Three goblins died in human land to an unknown assailant, a dead human patrol squad. They can delay no longer. Acamas knew he had to move out now if he was going to retain any element of surprise. Calling out to his trusted lieutenant Hornat, Acamas ordered the immediate mobilization of his army and to march on Gnaash with haste. In 10 minutes, three hundred armed orcs were on the march.

War was coming to the lands of the humans…

Part Four: Death

Edgar awoke to the long and incessant howling of the wind. His head throbbed badly and he could just barely open his eyes. The last thing Edgar remembered was him leaving his comrades behind and fleeing back to the city. ‘Why was I running?’. ‘Where am I?’. Everything was blurred and jumbled in Edgar’s mind. His eyes slowly adjusted to his surroundings. He was in a low roofed rock cavern of some sort. The cavern was lit by green flames burning eerily on torches along the walls. Shadows danced across the walls with each passing of the wind. Something felt wrong. The sound of clawed footsteps on the rocks made Edgar jump. Voices drifted to him along the wind…‘ou think he is awak…’…‘Whoooo….’…‘our new brotheeeee…’. The sounds came closer and closer. Edgar decided to pretend to still be unconscious and kitten the situation. The footsteps stopped by the place he lay. ‘His meat looks fresh…and delicious…’. ’ Of course it does…he was only just brought in! But don’t you dare lay a hand on him…Mother will be very unhappy…‘. ’Just one bite? No one will know…’ Edgar chanced a peek and the nightmarish sight made him lose all control and spring up shouting, ‘Ghouls!’. Edgar had been told many stories about the undeads when he was a child and the words of his grandma came flooding back to him…‘The darkness has always been around us…terrible creatures stalk the night…ghouls love the meat of little children…they were once human…but are now only the playthings of dark conjurers…necromancers…’. Edgar shouted, ‘Stay back!’, as his eyes darted left and right, looking for weapons or a way to escape. ‘Staaayyyy back he says’, rasped a ghoul, ‘and what pray, will you do if I don’t?’ The two ghouls advanced slowly on him with a sickly grin that bared rows of sharp teeth. Edgar continued twisting his head left and right in desperation, looking for something, anything. And then, he felt something unravel at the back of his neck, coming loose. His head started drooping forward…‘my neck!…’, Edgar found himself losing control of his body…

The presence of the goblins troubled him deeply. Orc raids usually occur along trade routes between cities and are done by fast moving centaurs and harpies. Goblins were located deeper within orc territories and rarely enter human lands. The last time a confirmed goblin sighting was reported, was 20 years ago in a bloody war between the orcs and the humans. The war lasted barely 4 months, cut short by the appearance of demons in the lands, and an uneasy truce was agreed upon. But in that 4 months, thousands had died. If there were goblins in the forest…then there was a high possibility that an orc army was nearby…Wars among humans usually meant good business for the Guild of Assassins. But wars with orcs was a matter of survival even for the assassins. Gnash had survived the flames of war 20 years ago. Then, it had ample warning and time to prepare for the war. If the orcs were to have the element of surprise this time, Gnash might fall. It has already been 3 days since the encounter with the goblins. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Asger left the tavern in the dead of the night and headed straight for the watchtower. The city has to be warned.

Part Three: Acamas

Three days earlier…

The sky bled a bright crimson red as the sun slowly sunk under the tree tops. The Orc Camp was a hive of activity as the orcs set about making weapons and ammunition, felling trees and chopping wood. They had travelled light with only minimal gear to avoid detection en route to a secluded area in the forest 2 days march away from Gnash which the goblin scouts had reported as a prime location. The forest was vast and the spot was far from the more commonly traveled paths. It faced the back walls of Gnash. The humans will not be expecting an orc invasion from the direction of the forest as it made trekking hard for a large army and impossible for war machines to pass. The Bloodhorn clan (one of the many clans of the orcs) chose it precisely for this reason.

Of all the tents that littered the site, one stood out from the rest. It was 4 times the size of the other tents, and situated in the center. An orange flag bearing the symbol of the orcs hung on a pole by the entrance. It was here that the goblin hunter was brought upon his return. He was flanked by two ranaar maulers as they stood silently in front of the tent. Minutes passed. The sun had sunk from view and darkness fell on the camp. Two gnolls carrying torches walked past and placed a torch at the torch-stand near the tent, snotting as they left. Finally, the flap of the tent was lifted and an orc emerged. He was large and muscle-bound, with white swirly designs painted on his hue-grey skin. Large horns protruded from parts of his torso and head. An aura of authority emanated from him as he stood before the cowering goblin.

‘Speak.’, intoned Acamas, as the goblin shrunk ever smaller. In a quavering voice, the goblin related the day’s hunt to Acamas, on how he had caught the last fleeing human and returned to his pack only to find them slaughtered with their assailant no where to be seen. Acamas glared at the goblin, “You dare return without the killer’s head?”. His voice was low and laced with menace. The goblin stammered, “but but…”. “Enough!”, thundered Acamas, “feed him to the wolves!”. The maulers immediately reached out and grabbed hold of the goblin, lifting him squealing off the ground and turned to leave. At this moment, another voice called out, “Stop! Leave him to me. I have use for him”. Acamas fists clenched as he turned to the voice, “You dare intervene?!”. “I will do as I please Acamas.”, said Seervi. With that, Seervi beckoned for the maulers to follow her and returned to her tent. The maulers stood rooted to the ground, their allegiance was only to Acamas. Acamas slowly unclenched his fists, breathing deeply, he ordered, “Follow her.” He glared at the back of the departing Seervi. “One day,” gritted Acamas, “that meddling witch is going to pay.”

Acamas was the chieftain of the Bloodhorn clan. He did not inherit his position. In fact none of the positions in an orc clan is hereditary. It was taken by force. Anyone could challenge the current chieftain in a duel to the death and replace him should he win. Acamas had displayed great strength and leadership from a young age. Even within a clan considered to be gifted with many fierce warriors, Acamas stood head and shoulders above the rest. He had crushed the previous chieftain in a brutal and one-sided duel that left the rest of the clan in fear and awe of him. No one dared address him by his name, only by his title. In their eyes, he was their chieftain, and their champion. All but Seervi.

Part Two: Tavern of the Tame Wild Wolf

Three days later…

Asger settled himself into a vacant stool and sipped the mug of ale he had bought from the tavern’s bar. The guild’s mark had been taken care of an hour ago and now all Asger wanted was to let the adrenaline subside…

He was in a tavern famous throughout the empire. Tavern of the Tame Wild Wolf. A legend was born from this very place, the empire’s current hero Harshvid. Harshvid was a Wolf Justicar. A high-ranking official working for the Falcon Kingdom (Falcon Kingdom is the current ruler of the human empire), he now presides as the commanding officer of the kingdom’s Wolf Contingent. Harshvid’s rise to prominence began when he tamed a ferocious wild wolf that had attacked the tavern with only his glare. It was a shocking event as no adult wild wolf was ever tamed before his feat. The wolf contingent uses wolf pups that they steal or snatch from wolf packs that roam the nearby mountains and train them into obedient wolves for battle. The tavern was thus named after his feat. He was immediately drafted into the wolf contingent and spent 8 years fighting at the frontline in skirmishes against the orc’s raiding parties. Distinguishing himself in battle with his bravery and a natural affinity to Dark magic, he became the youngest person at the age of 24 to be promoted to the rank of Justicar.

Asger felt himself shiver as the image of Harshvid entered his mind. He remembered their duel 2 years ago when he was tasked to assassinate one of the generals at a meeting that Harshvid had also attended. Asger barely escaped with his life back then after completing his job. This was a man Asger never wanted to cross swords with again. He felt sympathy for the wolf. Harshvid had a gaze that would freeze a bear in its tracks. He felt comforted to know that he was in Gnash while Harshvid was far away somewhere in the Falcon Kingdom. And yet…something tugged at the corners of his mind…something dark and ominous…Asger’s thoughts drifted back to the events that took place 3 days ago…

The footsteps came closer and closer to the spot Asger lay. Asger scurried quickly up a tree and waited. Not long after, a group of goblins came bursting out of the foliage. At the head of the pack was a goblin with intricate tattoos all over his body, distinguishing himself from the rest. ‘This must be the leader’, thought Asger. The leader raised a hand and the pack stopped. ‘What are the goblins doing so close to Gnash?’, thought Asger. He had heard rumors filtering from travelers that orc raiding had become more frequent and aggressive at a few cities bordering the territories of the orc tribes. ‘But surely the orcs can’t be thinking of attacking Gnash? It would be suicidal!‘. Gnash was famed for having the highest and sturdiest walls of all the cities in the empire. The soldiers of Gnash were also battle-hardened veterans who had participated in many campaigns against the orcs. Little wonder then, that Asger was baffled by the appearance of a goblin pack. His thoughts were cut short as he found himself locking eyes with the goblin leader. ’kitten !’, thought Asger, ‘I had forgotten that goblins, like orcs, have a strong sense of smell!’ The goblin leader grunted loudly and Asger found himself being stared at by 3 pairs of eyes.

Without missing a beat, Asger leapt from the branch he was crouching on and drew his blade, charging headlong into the goblin pack, straight at the leader. He knew from experience that running would do him no good as a goblin was way faster than a man. Asger’s blade glowed even in the daylight, having been blessed by a priest he had befriended along his travels. The goblin pack howled in response, drawing their throwing-axes and flinging them at Asger. The trees worked to Asger’s advantage as he dodged behind the trunks and closed the gap quickly. Swinging his enchanted blade in a wide downward arc at the leader, Asger hoped to take him out swiftly to better the odds of survival. The leader sidestepped the blade and countered with a swipe of his own. Asger spun low with an agility beyond that of normal humans, dodging the axe and landing a blow on the leader. His blade found flesh, slicing deeply into the leader’s midriff. Guts spilled out of the leader as he collapsed into a heap. Angered by the death of their leader, the remaining two goblins attacked with more ferocity and blood lust. Yet despite their enraged state, they were weak in close combat. Asger remained calm, relying on his skills honed from many years of life and death encounters, and in no time dispatched the two. Asger departed quickly after the fight ended. He dared not stay to rest for there might be more goblins in the forest.