Grancourt Family/The Fall of Erin

It had been a quiet morning. Infact, it had been almost too quiet. When Thrydwulf awoke he had even heard the birds singing. A sound he hadn't heard in Naraka since their first campaign in the region last week. It was a bright morning, cool and just the right kind of breezy to freshen you up without being too harsh.

Thumbing through a couple of messages that had been delivered through the slit in his tent during the night he saw nothing out of sorts. A couple of reports from Reeds showing the city to have morenobles behind the walls than he had seen recently, and a status report of his unit. 19 healthy camels, with 19 coherent riders.

Things seemed to be going well, but he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was up. After sending a few letters out to the Heenites camped in Naraka, he and his unit began trudging around the remains of the battlefields looking for somewhere for the army to make a decent stand if the time came about. He spent most of the day away from the Heenite's main encampment and had forgotten to tell anyone where he had been.

Many hours passed, and as the light began to fade, Thrydwulf and his unit lumbered back to camp, but as he neared the tents he could tell something wasn't right. There were frantic scurryings around the various canvases in the fading light, shouts of soldiers trying to get themselves organised, scrapes of metal upon leather.

Suddenly, a small boy came running towards him and almost hit the camels flank as he skidden to a stop and thrust a handful of letters into the mounted High Marshal's hands before running off with more letters. Quickly opening the top few that had the unmistakable scrawl of a scout report his face dropped. One of them, with the least scribblings on just said:

Daimons approaching from Mokut...lots of them.

In one fluid motion turned his beast around and galloped at full pelt in the direction of Mokut. Searching into the darkness he saw the clouds first. Great big rolling black whispy devils. Dropping his eyes he then saw the black shapes, small orange fires he wished weren't their eyes swayed in the failing light with the oncoming of the night. He stood there for a minute longer and a feeling of dread rose in the very pit of his stomach.

"We're not ready."

Before the eyes could hold him any longer glued to that spot he whipped the reigns and pleted back to the camp faster and faster, hoping this wouldn't be the last time any of his soldiers would see him ride like this. Barking orders out he quickly assembled the army as best he could. Protecting Medium's unit was their top priority, and with a huge line of Infantry way ahead of the large archer unit, Thrydwulf hoped would be enough. As his good friends brought their cavalry beside him he took a look down the ranks. They would charge out, he knew. They would meet the Daimons head on, crashing into the beasts and extinguising those eyes. His main priority was the TO of Naraka, and he had vowed to himself that no matter what happened he would stay with Medium as long was possible.

Suddenly, before anyone was ready, the Daimons were upon the Heenites. These were far bigger than the ones they had seen before, yet they still carried the flag of Vlaanderen with them. Albeit slightly torn and frayed. From the very back of the field, Thrydwulf watched as the 67 Daimons tore into the Heenite ranks. As the moon began its ascent he saw Seamus, Beatrice and Erin go down under a swarm of wings and claws. His heart wrenched as he saw the Cavaliers closing down on the Daimons, but somehow he knew that their charge would prove fruitless. Even as the Heenite battle camels reached the front line, a terrible cry could be heard. The sound from what can only be assumed was the mouth of a particularly large Daimon caught his attention, and with horror he saw the limp body of Erin pierced and wripped apart by the beasts claws.

Stunned for a second, Thrydwulf composed himself. Shouting out to Medium to flee if he could he raised his lance, thrust it forward and without waiting for a reply from Medium he urged his troops forward.

"FOR HEEN! FOR ERIN! FOR HUMANITY!!!"

Suddenly the moon was blocked by the beating of wings, and the only lights he could see were the flashes of the flames deep inside the eyes of the evil beasts as they swarmed around him. Dropping his lance he dived off his camel just before it was taken into the air by a winged Daimon. While not as proficient with the sword, his litheness kept him alive. Swinging with all his strength he slashed at the wings of the Daimon. His only thought to get to Medium and get him out of there. As the flailing creature dropped the camel and sprawled in the grass, Thrydwulf looked behind towards the encampment and saw it was too late. No men were left standing that he could see.

It had all happened too quickly.