RP:Shattering Aetherclaw's Heart
Part of the Saurian Onslaught Arc
Summary: Mais stumbles upon Aetherclaw's mate, Sazzle, their eight Razurath offspring, and their seven-year old adopted daughter, Xanna, a powerful but unrefined young mage. Aware of Gevurah's bounty on Razurath's heads, Mais kills Sazzle and 6 of the 8 Razurath children. He gifts Xanna as a slave to Gevurah and keeps two Razurath children for his own, devious plans.
NPCing by Gevurah
Foregengan Spring
Mais follows behind Thorn who was flying up above scouting. "Forsaken bird thought you knew how to find these things" he glares at the bird as he trucks along the path. He looks up and murmurs for the crow to stop flight and stay in a hover like motion. A few steps take Mais over to the spring where he drops down cupping his hand to drink from the pool.
General Aetherclaw’s mate, Sazzle, lounges on the white stone bank of the Foregengan spring in the shade of the bear head’s monument.Her eight Razurath off spring and adopted human daughter accompany here. Sazzle is golden and, by Razurath standards, quite pretty though non-Razurath will simply have to take an informant’s word for it. The eight Razurath children are adolescent, and most are a mix of their father’s candy cane striped red-and-white hide and their mother’s golden yellow coloring. The human daughter appears to be about seven years old. She and one of the Razurath boys, the smallest of the saurian children, draw in the shade alongside Sazzle. The other seven children playfight with new weapons that were given to them as gifts by Aetherclaw’s military colleagues. The strongest looking boy, a red razurath with a yellow stripe along the length of his spine, took it upon himself to enchant his sword with runes that his human sister, Xanna, a precocious young mage, can activate for him. For now the sword is not activated. Xanna is too busy drawing a picture of a happy Razrath family, oblivious to the fact her adopted father rules its army to bring terror to the non-Razurath races and lands. Those looking to collect Gevurah’s bounty would have an easy enough time paying off informants to find Aetherclaw’s family here today.
Mais pulls up a handful of water to his face, he stops suddenly as his familiar relays his findings to the pseudo-drow. "Payday" he grins knowing only there are nine targets and the human. Standing from the river he removes his clothing foreseeing this to be more physical than simply finding one or two. Standing in the buff he moves to hide the silk and cotton pants. A wave of his hands reduces the polymorph effect to reveal a black scaled draconian drow mix. "Time for some fun" he says before starting a slew of words to open the arcane. Mais looking up to his crow and begins another spell to transfer his touch to that of the undead birds. At the completion of the spell, Mais commands Thorn to take flight, flying through the distance to land upon one of the children transferring the spell should contact be made. The effects of the spell would cause whichever child the bird landed upon to be paralyzed while emitting a stench of undeath to any who would be near the child. After the spell transfers the bird would quickly take to the sky again to avoid being captured.
“Birdie!” Xanna cries happily as she sees crow fly towards one of her sisters in a pretend battle. The bird lands effortlessly on one of the teenage, sword-wielding Razurath who doesn’t even try to evade the bird. They’re so innocent. They have no reason to suspect anything. The female child’s eyes roll into the back of his head as her bones are snapped in two, revealing the most effective way to kill Razurath: breaking their bones. The poor creature slumps and collapses into an angular, undignified corpse. The stench reeks and the other children scream. Sazzle leaps onto her feet and scoops up Xanna, the smallest of her children, into her arms and begins to shout, “To the camp! Run!” She hands off Xanna to one of the other teen Razurath then runs towards her paralyzed child to scoop her up in her arms. The largest of her sons, the red one with the yellow stripe, called Stone, helps Sazzle carry the paralyzed teen. Four of the Razurath children are already breaking into the jungle line. Sazzle, Stone, the paralyzed daughter, Xanna, and two more teen male Razurath lag behind as they try to rescue the paralyzed sister. They breathe through their mouths to avoid the stench.
Mais looks to his familiar "Don't lose them" he commands mentally causing the bird to fly up into the sky following the few to run off first. Mais approaches the straggling group. "No use in running!" He shouts as he gains ground. A spell already in the works as he moves in closer, more draconian words spew forth as he holds his hand out palm facing towards Sazzle a sticking green light shoots from his hand. A ray of sickening races toward the mother. After sending the ray Mais continues his steady march forward "You look important, you're going to be a nice big payday".
“Ma!” One of the Razurath teens leaps forward to protect his mother. He takes the ray of sickening to the face. His legs wobble weakly as he fatigues and coughs. He lifts a shuriken from his belt and throws is at Mais’s face. His aim is wobbly and though the shuriken has just enough muscle behind it to feebly make the distance to the draconian. Stone shouts, “Xanna! My sword!” as he runs towards Mais. Seven year old Xanna reaches out her tiny hand towards Stone and sends a burst of raw arcane energy at the sword. The runes glow blue then the entire sword crackles with lightning. Spry and strong, Stone takes two swings, one for Mais’s head and another at the draconian’s side. “Stone, No!” Sazzle shouts as she picks up the paralyzed daughter with the help of the sickened son. “We must escape!” Meanwhile the familiar has no trouble following the other four children. In their panic, they do little to hide their path.
Mais stops his approach as he spies the one called Stone approaching. He readies his hand again calling upon another spell. He takes a defensive stance drawing his leg back. Catching signs of the first swing he takes a quick step back dodging the first of the attacks only to be caught off by the second. The attack making full contact with his scales " Why you little runt!" He shouts moving one hand to reach for his side. The other hand free reaches quickly looking to take the young razurath by the throat "Mal'kuil" he growls causing his grip to begin to sap the younglings life away from him transferring his health into the draconian with every passing second.
In a panic, Stone uses his sword to parry the clawed hand away from his throat, and manages to to evade with just a nick. In the process he loses his footing and trips over his own feet. This is not a skilled warrior. He is but a boy. Xanna cries out and sends forth another ball of crackling blue mana. From Stone’s sword erupts a translucent blue shield that prevents most physical and magical attacks from getting to Stone. Sazzle roars and charges at Mais, but she too is not a warrior. She is a trained massuese and uses her knowledge of anatomy to try to pinch a nerve in Mais’s neck while he’s distracted with Stone. If she lands the pinch on the right pressure point, Mais will hopefully feel his legs turn to jelly momentarily - hopefully. Draconians aren’t a race she knows very well. The sickened offspring throws a second shuriken at Mais’s back. “Leave my brother alone!”
Mais eyes the sudden burst of the protective mana coming from the sword. He gives a slight laugh "Go ahead and drain your sisters spells boy will make it easier when I rip her throat out next!" His threat is cut short feeling the sudden pain in his neck, and near-instantly feels his legs go weak. Dropping down to a single knee to prevent completely falling over. Leaning on one arm for balance, and using the closeness of the pinch attack he reaches back behind him and grabs tight to whatever appendage he can grasp and sink his claws into and pull out either muscle or bone didn't matter. He looks at the second shuriken as it hits and bounces off his scales. "Don't worry little one your throat will be ripped out today as well"
Sazzle’s agility is no match for Mais’s honed reflexes. He grabs onto her arm and successfully crushes the hollow bones within her thin flesh. “MA!!” Stone shouts again as he dispels the protective bubble and charges at Mais, jumps, and brings the lightning sword down on Mais’s head to try and crack it in two. The sickened sibling collapses from exhaustion, and the one carrying Xanna begins to head for the jungle to try and save his human sister at the very least. In the jungle, the other four make a beeline for camp to call for help. Mais will need to act quickly if he doesn’t want reinforcements coming to the rescue. Sazzle gasps in pain as she tries to wriggle herself free, but cannot.
Mais raises his hand up catching the blade in his palm gripping the blade using his strength to grip hold of the sword and hopefully rip it out of the younglings grip. "That's enough of that!" Feeling the use of his legs returning he returns back to standing "No no no!" He shouts sending another ray of sticking to the one carrying the other child. With the ray sent out he quickly turns his attention back to Stone reaching out again with clawed hand and attempts grip the boys throat again once again shouting "Mal'kuil" reactivating the spell to drain him of his life force.
The ray of sickening knocks the Razurath carrying Xanna to his knees. Razurath and child tumble onto the ground. Stone, distracted by what just happened to his sibling, fails to avoid Mais’s grasp. His life force is sucked clean out of him, and quickly too. Within seconds the large teen falls unconscious and slumps to the ground in an undignified pose. Or Mais can maintain his grip a little longer until Stone is dead. Sazzle wails as she throws herself at Mais. “Release my boy!” Xanna crawls towards the stone monument to hide. Her small wide eyes soak in the violence that came from nowhere to claim the lives of those she loves most. Why is this happening? She bawls into her knees as she rocks back and forth in the fetal position.
Mais continues his grip holding onto the boy's neck holding on until the transfer of Life energy stops. He grins dropping the lifeless body to the ground. Looking back to the mom he glares with contempt. Reaching the same hand that took her sons life to grab hold of her throat. Using pure strength and his talons to pierce her throat brings up his second hand, to hold her steady then with a grunt pulls her throat way from the rest of her body. Walking up to the newly sickend member. Kneeling down grab the other one by the top of its head looking deep into the eyes holds his head back and inhales sharply. A quick and fast exhale send a wave of black acid over the guard face. Casually he looks around for Xanna and moves over to her. 'Now what to do with you" he asks with a sick smile on his face.
Sazzle and her four children are quickly disposed of. By the time Mais catches up to the other four in the jungle, they’ll meet an easily quick demise. They are defenseless, and believed themselves safe at the spring in Razurath-occupied territory. They were woefully underprepared. Xanna bawls and bawls and as her emotions spiral out on control it becomes apparent to anyone with an arcane ability that she is gifted, but unsculpted. She has no idea how to control her power, but under the fist she could be made useful. Who could have the patience for that?
Mais smiles and stops his movement to Xanna and walks back over to Sazzles body. "Eorus Machan Miouzus" he shouts over the dead woman. Holding his hand over the corpse he waits as a black ray of light shines over the corpse. A moment later the corpse rises eyes cloaked with a gray cloud. Mais nods to the woman. "Gather up these up and take them here…." He places a single index on the fresh undeads head imparting the location of tristoths tavern. He shifts back to his drow form still in the buff. "Find the one named Gevurah, inform her Mais sends his regards. Inform her the human is still alive and that one, " he points to the one who took the first attack "is paralyzed and alive as well. Then you are dismissed" walking over slowly to the remaining child, "Lady Gevurah will have nice fun things for you but just incase… " he pulls his hand back out and performs a mute spell to prevent her from screaming on her trip to the underdark.
Zombie Sazzle misunderstands Mais’s commands. When Mais says the paralyzed one is still alive, she understands that as a complaint, as an error to be fixed. The undead Razurath mother kills her own spawn, who is paralyzed and cannot fight back but watches in horror as her own mother kills her. The undead mother then gets to work ferrying the four corpses to the Underdark. It’s a long, slow process but no creature dares interrupt the dark journey. In the jungle, the four remaining Razurath are briefly lost. The familiar stays on their tails.
Mais growing tired shifts into full dragon form. Using the tracking granted to him by his familiar he dead lines it through the forest flying as quickly as his wings can carry him he flys until he finds them in the forest and swoops down. Using his full dragon weight lands on two of them crushing them instantly. A loud roar escapes his maw as he reaches out with his arms grabbing the other two in a single swipe.. These two, he takes back to his own home with devious plans.