The Avatar of Narsiym, or what used to be General Currux, is leading the infected, its thunderous roars heard for miles around.

Bruma has been taken completely by the mutated freaks that were once intelligent beings.

The Imperial City is utterly overrun, but rumors have it that there are filthy survivors living in the sewers, feeding on the many mosses and mushrooms that grow in the damp darkness. A quarter of Cyrodiil is totally ruined, blackened and disease-ridden wastelands scar the once beautiful countrysides. The mysterious caves that dot the lands have been gutted out by the infected hordes, and left empty, to crumble as the hordes ravage the land.

Explanation of the Plague of Narsiym: Small eggs that appear to be grains of sand grow into large worms inside the chest cavity. They excrete more eggs and their droppings into the stomach, turning the blood and stomach acid a light green and black color. The Avatar of Narsiym strengthens the plague while it is alive, its presence empowering the eggs to grow quicker, the victims to turn to Narsiym's army of infected within minutes. If the Avatar is removed it is said that Narsiym's hold on the worms will die down a little bit, and the infected monsters will be weakened, and easily disposed of.

You are the remnants of the destroyed Imperial Army, and have created a wooden fortress on one of the many caves that the infected had scoured of life. You have endured the plague for now, and soon Admiral Faurus, who is the leader of the fortess, will band together with the many Camps that have vowed to destroy the plague, and wipe the Plague Drake and the infected beasts from Cyrodiil forever. This will not be an easy task, and many hardships will come your way on this journey into the maw of disease, but with endurance and a strong will shall thee prevail these disgusting monstrosities and abominations. The cave is located about five miles to the left of the Imperial City, right in the middle of one of the largest Wastelands, which is called Currux's Maw. The neighboring Wastelands are Narsiym's Scourge and the Taken.

Rules:
1. Use originality, make your own nightmares come into the RP in the form of the infected, and have fun with it.
2. Don't uber. The Children of Narsiym, or Shamblers as the survivors call them, are extremely powerful, and have mutations that can both add to and take away from their prowess in battle.
3. The preset types of Infected are: Harpies *man-sized bats with various claw-like mutations, they usually have large black wings and can rip a mans head off with ease*. Bloater *large sack of eggs that fling projectiles carrying hundreds of thousands of eggs, and if hit by one your character WILL die*. Roamer *a generally unmutated infected person, not intelligent in any way, and usually just shambles around, but can be deadly if you get close to them without being careful*. Brute *large scaly mutated person, usually with claw arms or scythed arms, heavily plated scales protect it from most physical attacks*.
4. Don't put anything inappropriate as a mutation on an infected.
5. Expect your character to die at least once or twice, there are a lot of people in the remnants of the army.
6. Nothing X-rated for romance.
7. Be realistic.
8. Any other normal RP rules that I missed.
9. No epic and uber gear, just some iron and steel at the most, maybe a piece or two of silver if you're a leading figure.
10. Please be an RPer with experience, especially if you want a leading role. The eleventh and most important rule is have fun!

P.S.. This is an RP made off of my fan fic "Carstein Chronicles." If you have any questions feel free to ask them or PM them to me.

Edit: Narsiym is the Ayleid Goddess of Disease. I made it up just btw. Also, Mannfred von Carstein is currently in his tower studying the disease. You are currently in a meeting discussing tactics with the Admiral and the other leading figures. You can be a normal soldier attending the meeting or anyone, and also, pm me your sheets. The Admiral is debating whether or not to call upon Mannfred to their aid.

Character List:
Darkom95: Varber Geves
IDroppedMyGlasses: Lieutenant Clementine Argrus
Chriso123: Salvius Nikotias
Ribbotson: Bagul gro-Glasha
Ambrose51: Orson Ashcroft
Apax: Unknown
Aussie_Made: Peter Covantus
Sibera: Unknown


P.S. *again*... Don't post until I make the opening post. Then feel free

Admiral Faurus looked around at the people. Some hadn't even arrived yet, and it had been three hours since the meeting was supposed to begind.

The Admiral wiped his brow of sweat, it felt like it was getting warmer in the room by the minute.

"Carrol, open a window would you?" joked the nervous man, but kept his constant straight-backed posture. The maid looked at him curiously, and went back to working.

A few shady figures were in the room, along with who he considered his only true friend Varber Geves.

Varber was a curious man, and he always seemed to be in his own little world. He worried Faurus, but they got along well enough.

"Gods be damned.. Has anyone here even met this Carstein character?" spat the Admiral, but began talking again before anybody could answer, "Varber, you ready for this? You might actually have to talk!" chided the Admiral in his boredom, hoping he wasn't interrupting some deep mental train in Geves' head.

Lt. Argrus woke up in the morning at the same time she did every day. She'd trained herself over the years to keep to a steady schedule in all aspects of her life. In a way, she figured it helped her keep her mind off of what was going on all around her. She needed to be strong for the sake of her comrades. They all had to be strong if the Empire was going to survive. She still truly believed in her heart that they could pull through. She crept out of her bed to begin her routine.

1, 2, 3, 4

She counted off the push-ups in her head, pacing herself slowly to build a warm-up before her day on duty to began. She focused on the exercise, imagining the threads of her muscles stretching and compressing as they follow her movements. Rising slowly after reaching fifty, she stretched out slowly, loosening up her body. She moved to her foot locker, donning her armor and weapon piece by piece. She moved out of the barracks to join the other officers in raising the men for the Morning's duties. She passed through the walls of Ft Stillwater, glancing at the cavern walls of the make-shift Legion stronghold. They went from the dominant military force on Tamriel to being forced to live in caves like common bandits. She gripped and loosened her left arm, trying to alleviate the twitching that sometimes plagued her damaged nerves. Those years of her life were her private shame, though few in this fort knew of her past. She got to her destination and paused before entering.

Akatosh, give us strength

She'd watch the others arrive at the meeting with the Admiral slowly through the morning. The reason for this meeting escaped her, but she knew it must have been important.

((so rusty at this))

OOC: Not bad at all, IDMG, but you might want to edit it so you enter the meeting room. You don't have to, but it makes you not have to make another post later with you entering.

((yeah, we must have been typing at the same time. I tacked on an addendum to my post))

"Ahh, Lieutenant Argus. So nice to see you're attending," said the Admiral as the woman entered.

"Feel free to gorge upon the foodstuffs Carrol has arrayed for us," he said again, spreading his arms at the pathetic array of sickly looking mushrooms, expired green beans, and some mulchy material that the Admiral wasn't too sure about.

But, then again, they hadn't come here to indulge fine foods, rather to discuss tactics on how to get to and slay this.. Avatar figure.. And whether or not to enlist the help of this Carstein who the Admiral already didn't like.

"Please, sit down, make yourself at home." The Admiral waved to a couple rows of rickety wooden chairs set up before the rotting, maggot infested podium that the Admiral stood behind.

(OOC Cheers. Oh and by the way, I may be offline for a short period of time as others need the computer, so if anyone is to talk to my character don't expect an immediate response.)

IC

I sat there with my head in my hands. I just couldn't believe it, we had lost the city, well the surface anyway. I couldn't get my head around what had happened. We were the Imperial City Legion, unbeatable, and yet we lost to a bunch of fancy zombies. I just sat there praying to the Divines, that my family was ok. I had asked other soldiers if they knew anything about my brother but they knew nothing. The hardest part about the whole thing was not knowing if the people I care about were ok.

"No. This isn't the answer, I can't just sit here and feel sorry for myself, everyone here is probably in the same boat." I thought to myself as I stood up.

I began to just wander through the fort. Just to try and take my mind off things. It was heart breaking. Every single person I saw was distraught, it was a terrible sight. Many, just like me, just sat there, crushed under the weight of everything, others walked around but no-one could escape what was going on, no matter what they did. Each face revealed a different emotion but every emotion shown was negative. To be fair I didn't expect any better. It was an unanimous feeling of defeated and despair. I looked up at the dull brick ceiling and prayed.

"Akatosh, why? Why have you forsaken us? No matter what has happened throughout the years, no-one deserves to be punished as we are. Do you expect us to just grin and bare? Do you expect us to just keep faith? I hope not, because I have lost mine."

It began to hit me. A sudden feeling of isolation. I couldn't take it, so I fell to my knees. I had to know, what happened with my family, my brother at the very least. A thought occurred to me.

"The Admiral might know where he is. At the least he might have something planned, to venture out and if I volunteer, maybe, just maybe I can find him."

I marched off towards the meeting room where the Admiral was. Luckily I had heard earlier that he was holding some sort of meeting. What ever he had planned I wanted in. I walked into the office to find the Admiral talking to an Orc. I decided to hang back for a bit, I didn't want to get on the Admirals bad side by just barging in and making a list of demands.

You can start anywhere, really. The meeting is in a room at the top levels of the fort, which is upon a rickety wooden/iron building set up on top of the cave, and extends down into the darkness. Just explain what your character does and how he gets to the room, or if he's already there, what he's saying to the Admiral or whoever else is in the room.

Bagul awoke. His brow was heavy with sweat. His nightmares were becoming more common by the night, yet it still didn't remove the edge from them. They still terrified the Orc. The screams of his family still felt so very real in his head. He stood up slowly, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand slowly, taking a deep breath as he did. "Today is the day of the meeting. I will attend." The Orc reinforced this point over and over in his troubled mind. He knew he wasn't suppose to attend. He was the blacksmith, nothing more. That's all he had wanted, until this opportunity arose. He was certain his reputation would proceed him, hoping his deeds and skill would still be remembered by his fellow veterans. He began arming himself. First his steel armour. It shone as if it were new as Bagul had been polishing it continuously in his free time, wanting to look his best for today. He donned the heavy armour and finally the helmet. He pulled the visor down, covering his face completely. Taking the axe and sword from his cupboard, he briskly walked out whilst attatching them to his body.

Most people within eyed the blacksmith as he entered the room, it was hard not to. The culmination of his size, armour and presence caused him to unintentionally demand attention from onlookers. Either that, or fear. He looked around the hall, it was practically empty, a sight he had not expected as most people he knew, or had heard of, had lost friends and family to this foulest of foes and surely, they too, would want to get their revenge on said opponent. But Bagul knew that most people lacked bravery, lacked the strength, lacked the skill to be any use in a fight against such a formidable foe and, instead, let the heroes and soldiers fight, or provided them with equipment and aid. But what use is aid and equipment without soldiers to utilise or need it? While Bagul believed in quality over quantity, one man cannot stand against one hundred and, in his opinion, the odds appeared to be in favour of the enemy by an even higher degree.

He stood there, at the entrance, wondering what the response of the higher ranking generals and admirals would be. Would they allow the Orc to fight, or send him back to his smithy?

((Kinda short, but I think it's quite nice.))

A steel-plated monstrosity entered the room. Or at least that's what it seemed like to Faurus. The massive bulk of Bagul gro-Glasha inspired fear and awe into the Admiral's heart, and he momentarily but subtly lost his perfect form, "Ah, I expected you might come. Old Bagul, a hero of old fighting alongside the heroes of new. I already know your question, Bagul, and if you want to rush in swords-a-swinging with the rest of us, you are welcome to join up," said the Admiral. He had always liked the Orc, but had never cared to know him better.

"Take a seat, but try not to break them," joked Faurus, trying desperately to raise the horribly low morale in the room.

Edit: If you're going to join this and haven't already given me a sheet, you can just post it in here, you don't have to PM it to me. Just post it along with your opening post.


Edit:

The Admiral saw the Imperial lingering behind the Orc, hesitant to enter. "Oh, please do come in. Any and all are welcome to this humble meeting room.

Faurus noticed a slight pang of loss and sadness in the Imperial's worn out face. "We have all lost something or someone, my friend. Everything happens for a reason, perhaps you deciding to come here was for a reason in the grand scheme of things," he said, trying to comfort the man.

"Feel free to enter and be seated."

The admiral was warm and inviting, something I had not come to expect after being in the legion. The soldiers of the legion had always been tough physically and mentally, however this caused their personality to follow along the same lines. I felt a weak smile draw across my face, as the he attempted to comfort me. I took a step out from the shadows of the room and sat down. I took a deep breath in and began to talk.

"Well, sir, I'm here to ask about my brother. You see he to is apart of the legion and I was wondering if you had heard anything about him. His name is Hoplon Covantus. I just need to know....sir."

By the time I had finished my sentence, I was looking down at my feet. I was just so worried. I hoped the admirals answer would bring good news, in fact any news was better than no news.

(OOC: You can make up anything about Peter's brother, I don't really mind. You can even say that your character doesn't know anything about him. Surprise me )

"Well, sir, I'm here to ask about my brother. You see he to is apart of the legion and I was wondering if you had heard anything about him. His name is Hoplon Covantus. I just need to know....sir," the Imperial explained, then looking down as if embarrassed.

"Hoplon Covantus... hrmm." mumbled the Admiral. "Hoplon Covantus, of course how could I be so forgetful! Lieutenant Hoplon runs the show over at Fort Cale.. They are meeting us in full force at Camp Alfitz! Well, this is great news for you, I'm sure. I'm glad you will be reunited with family, it will raise morale to have a happy trooper here and there. I suppose I might as well announce the plan, seeing as some more people are arriving," said Faurus, nodding his head as a group of about fifteen entered.

"Our military forces, along with the combined forces of Camp Alfitz, Fort Cale, Fort Pauldres, Fort Haldstadt, Fort Salues, Fort Lock, Camp Torrez and Camp Jorgus," said Faurus, reading the list off a small scrap of thick paper. "Will meet at Camp Alfitz in five days. From there we shall push into the once grand Imperial City. A small team will come up through the sewers, all, or at least most of the beasts will be occupied by our main force. Many friends will be lost, but this effort is a noble one. The Avatar of Narsiym must be destroyed, and poor old Currux's soul will lay at rest, Narsiym's hold on Cyrodiil shall weaken. I will be leading this team, and Captain Vulkan of Fort Haldstadt will lead the main force," explained the old Admiral, his powerful form standing straight and his voice ringing loud and charismatic. "Any questions?" wandered Faurus, licking the back of his teeth in a nervous habit.

I was overjoyed to hear that my brother was alive. He was more than alive he was leading part of the resistance. I couldn't hold in my joy, so I thanked the Admiral.

"Praise Akatosh, he lives. Thank you so much sir."

As more soldiers began to enter the room I moved off to one side so they could all fit. I was then happy to hear that the Admiral had formed a plan of action against the horde. Naturally I was going to be apart of this movement, not only did I want to see my brother again but as a soldier I had to do my part against this evil. For the first time in days I held my head high. I listened intently to the Admirals plan of action. It sounded risky but it's not like we had any other choice. I was nervous, so nervous I could feel myself shake subtly. The worst enemy I had ever come face to face with was a petty thug and now I was about to go up against a horde of mutants. I only had one question for the Admiral, so I took a deep breath and spoke up, above the crowd.

"How are we to take down the Avatar?"

The shaky Imperial he had conversed with a minute ago piped up, "How are we to take down the Avatar?"

The man didn't seem like such a deadbeat anymore, he raised his head and a lighter mood surrounded the man.

"Well, as for that.. I'm not so sure. I haven't seen the beast in a few weeks, well, since we came here. The last time I saw it we were fleeing the city, pushed out the main gate itself by the baying hordes of a million or more monsters!" exclaimed the Admiral, trying to give his story drama, "Men were dying all around me, others hit by gobs of pestilence and taken by the plague. I ran as fast as I could, my legs burned with exhaustion. I allowed myself a moment of rest, and turned around. I had outrun the hordes! I had put quite a distance between I and them, but unfortunately not many of my kin did," the Admiral wiped a tear from his eye, that day still haunted him in the dark corners of his mind, "Well, I had turned around, and a giant roar emitted from the ransacked City. A beast, big as a tower, rose up above the city. It was the most disgusting, disease ridden spectacle I'd ever seen. Even from over a mile away, its sheer wrongness made my stomach turn."

"I.. I think it was a Dragon..." said the Admiral low, so not many could make out the words. He wanted to voice his thoughts, but he didn't want his men to think him insane.

"Well anyways," he started again, "We will just have to find out for ourselves.. The beast's wings would most likely be the primary target.. If we can immobilize it before it takes off, we can finish it off on the ground. It's too big to move fast enough for us whilst on the floor, but in the air, who knows what this basta'd is capable of.."

Bagul nodded in the direction of the admiral, "Thank you, sir." The Orc felt pride well up in his bruised heart, restoring his former honour and pride, he even allowed himself a slight smile. Even after all this time, he was recognised and more importantly, respected. He strode forth, ushering people out of his path. He took a seat right at the very front and watched the young, the old and the able mill around. Then the Imperial speaking with the Admiral, watching as his broken soul was restored by the admiral's words. "He's a good man is the admiral. I think I will accompany him through the sewers." Bagul had never really liked the sewers, but then again, not many people did.

The Orc stood up for the second time that day, walking over to the Admiral and the Imperial and stood. He waited, listening to the Imperial speak. "We will defeat the Avatar. How we will do it matters not, Imperial, at least not to us." His voice was cold, sharp and without emotion. He then turned to the admiral, wondering if he would reply.

I ignored the cold remark of the orc and listened to the Admirals story. I felt bad for the Admiral, he had been through quite an ordeal, hell, we all had. I looked around to see grim and glum faces. I decided to attempt to lift moral.

"If you say we can defeat this beast you speak of, then I'm with you, to the end. I believe we can defeat it and restore peace and order to the kingdom. I have to believe it because hope" I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Hope is the only thing that keeps me going. I'm ready when you are sir."

I'm not sure what the effects of my little speech was on the rest of the men but I felt much better. Even though I knew this battle would probably cost my life, I had great faith that we could end this. The Admiral was a smart and brave man, I just prayed that if we did actually make it to the beast, he would know how to kill it. I stood tall, proud and straight, awaiting the Admirals next order.

(OOC Sorry for the short post, I'm exhausted and off to bed. Cya later Walrus.)

Admiral Faurus fancied himself that he could feel the room shake as Bagul stood. "We will defeat the Avatar. How we will do it matters not, Imperial, at least not to us," the Orc said coldly.

"Hahah! Now that's the kind of spirit we need! Confidence! Confidence is what slays our enemies! But don't get me wrong. Rushing into the foe blindly is foolish, just assuming you are invincible and will win is not the way to actually win! Although it puts quite a scare into them, if they are even worth fighting they will recover fast enough to run you through. Confidence has to be a balanced thing, tilt the scales one way, and you will surely fall," said Faurus wisely.

"If there is still any justice in Cyrodiil, by the end of the assault Currux will be at peace, and so will every other person, friend and enemy alike, that has been reduced to a gibbering pile of flesh by this horrid nightmare of a disease," he said on a darker note.

Edit:
"If you say we can defeat this beast you speak of, then I'm with you, to the end. I believe we can defeat it and restore peace and order to the kingdom. I have to believe it because hope" I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Hope is the only thing that keeps me going. I'm ready when you are sir," said the Imperial.

"Hah! Sit down and relax, this will most likely be a long and boring meeting. Just the tedious braying of old men," chuckled Faurus.

Bagul knew that Admiral was right, he was suprised at his own lack of vision. The anger was having an adverse affect on the Orc, but he just couldn't see through the red fog. "Admiral. Allow me to be part of your team. I wish to accompany you through the sewers." Rather than waiting for a reply, he walked off, taking his seat on the front row and waited. He hoped he'd have to chance to meet 'face to face' with this Avatar. The Orc had a personal battle to fight. And if he failed to make it to this beast, he would dieing trying to protect the Admiral and his fellow soldiers, who he hoped would strike the foul beast down.

He sat, hands on his knees. The rage within him subsided, receeding into a dark corner of his mind were it sat, waiting for an opportunity to break free from its restraints and express its hatred. Bagul took a few deep breaths, looking around him slowly. He was suprsied. The number of people had risen dramatically from when he first entered. He frowned a little, annoyed by their lack of haste in such a dire matter, yet Bagul was late aswell. He gazed off into the distance, thinking.

The middle aged Lieutenant had taken her seat silently and watched the proceeding with focus and interest. It had amazed her to hear that this pestilence was the work of a being. She'd never heard of this Narsiym before, but the description sounded horrifying. When the Imperial City fell, she had been stationed temporarily at a different post. It didn't escape her that an assignment that she considered a waste of her time had likely saved her from the plague monsters. She didn't really favor the drama of the Admiral's recollection, but she knew he was trying to incite their patriotic fury. At least for her part, Clementine didn't need to be be any more enraged. She was ready to die for her Empire.

She eyed the Orc that had sat not far off from her seat. It was odd company, to be sure, but anyone willing to fight with them was an ally, and should be welcomed as such. She decided to speak up for the first time in the meeting, in the orc's favor no less.

"I suppose I'll vouch for the Orc, sir. Their combat skills are legendary, and I'm willing to fight beside anyone who'll take up arms for Cyrodiil."

Honestly, four and a half hours and I have to catch up with nineteen posts? <_<


IC: Varber sat in the corner of the room, his head bent and his hood pulled deep over his eyes. He snored softly as more and more people entered the meeting hall. The brown robe he wore covered his entire being, making it look to all the world he was simply listening queitly.

The pale Breton's bangs hung in greasy strands on his face, his eyes moving rapidly under their lids. Varber's dreams were as light and happy as his waking life, and would have been horrid nightmares to anyone not used to them.

Varber stood in the center of a dark foreboding room, his hands tied behind his back to a large wooden post. His face remained calm, its constant frown supplemented by his dull, dead eyes. Demons and monsters danced around him, throwind logs and stickes onto a steadily growing pile beneath him. The Breton watched them with a detached interest as the leader strutted towards him, his sharp teeth flashing in the dim light. A fireball appeared in his clawed hand, the flickering embers reflecting in the eyes of the demons.

Varber woke from his dream to a room full of loud people, few of whom had been there when he had nodded off.

'Oh... Guess I shouldn't have been sleeping.' He turned his head to the sky in a wide yawn, his hood falling around his shoulders, stretching his arms to the sky. The Breton looked around the room to the assembly, one downturned eyebrow raising with minor interest.

OOC: Heh, typical that my first post only makes the second page. Ah well.

Orson rose from a dreamless sleep. He went through the motions, doing the same thing he did everyday when he got up. He went through various exercises and disciplines, some Legion standard, some not. He'd barely had anything to eat before he was already putting his armor on. It was all instinctive, as at this point he was still mostly out on his feet, but he'd done this thousands of times, and his body needed no instructions for his daily routine. He had ceased having dreams several years ago, which he was grateful for. Before that, all his dreams had been nightmares. Now, they were merely of an empty void. Nothing but a gray expanse as far as the eye could see. It would have depressed some, but Orson simply went with it, seeing no reason to be sad. His dreams had never been kind to him, even before Monica's death.

He tied his cuirass on, securing the straps and harnesses necessary to keep the piece of armor on in combination with the rest of his armor, which was not supposed to be used with his silver cuirass. He used it anyway though. It made him stand out, and it had been a present from Monica. He was determined to die in it if the day ever truly came. So far, it never had. He secured the pauldrons next, which were a dull, smooth steel, not the bulky steel pauldrons so popular in Cyrodiil. Next came the greaves, again more smooth and curving than the Cyrodiil equivalent. He had never liked the bulky steel armor so widely available in the shops. It was unnecessarily large, offering little extra protection for it. His boots went on then, and finally his helmet which, like his cuirass, was a bright silver. He wore no gloves, preferring to have a real handle on his sword during combat.

His armor, as impressive as it might seem to the regular person, offered fairly little protection in comparison to regular Legion armor. There were many gaps in the armor, especially around the edges of the cuirass, where his blue tunic stuck out. A lucky blow along one of the gaps was all that was necessary to end him. And yet no one had been able to do so. It was almost disappointing to the Breton.

He walked out of room, grabbing his sword from the rack near his door, and fastened the scimitar around his waist as he walked. The sheath was just a dull gray and nothing special to look at, but his sword usually drew a lot of attention. Specially made in Morrowind, not one of a kind but damn close.

The halls of the cave were not especially crowded, but then they usually weren't. This infection had scared what survivors were left into solitude. Not that it mattered much to Orson. They were just another threat that needed to be exterminated to him.

He entered the room where the meeting was taking place and said nothing to anyone, walking straight to a chair and taking a seat next to Lieutenant Clementine, whom he knew would recognize, and hopefully, not bother him. His head tilted slightly as he sat and his senses were put on full alert, as they always were during such a meeting. A piece of hair fell across his eye, partially obscuring his view out of his right eye, but he didn't move. He just sat there waiting for the Admiral to continue. He hoped he wouldn't waste any time talking to him. He was here only as a formality, so that he could receive his next mission.

The scintilating light beaming from the morning sun had no effect on Salvius' eyes. His worried thoughts and emotions would not allow him to rest his tired and bloodshot eyes. Thus he was already up, and had been for a good hour. In truth he didn't want to sleep, ever since that horrid disease started to spread its evil he'd get nightmares, and something he did not need was Vaermina taking him and wrapping him in her cold, dark embrace.

For the past hour Salvius had been sitting staring at the wooden walls of the Legion barracks. The wood was too thin for Sal to consider it safe. A strong man could blast through it with enough force and of course termites; the termites could eat through it like butter. However there was some hope. There were some areas of the fort covered in hard iron like material, which must of help keep the fortress somewhat stable.

Thankfully, the beds were at least of an average condition. Providing enough comfort to ease you to sleep, only for that comfort to be taken hold of and replaced by doom and unearthly fright. Although with that said it provided Salvius' ass enough cushion to sit on ever since he awoke. His armour was already fully donned. In fact he had gotten it all ready almost the instant he rose from his slumber. The only item of armour missing was the helm. Salvius always thought the helmet was a pointless addition to a set of armour. All it did was impair vision and hearing ability, whilst making it a struggle to move the head around, especially in the heavy Legion helmet. Seriously, helmet or not it's not going to stop an arrow to the head from killing you.

Sitting on the bed was not too uncomfortable in Sal's armour. Yes it may of been heavy but he had modified it to be more comfortable. He added little soft pads in certain places to make the suit easier to wear as well as feeling more comfortable and lose. However even in his deep maze of scared and panicked thoughts, the Imperial knew it was time to get up and attend the meeting, even if he'd rather sit on his butt all day thinking about his mother.

It took a lot of strength from Salvius' aging muscles to hoist him from the bunk. He was an unnaturally strong man for an Imperial and his age but his permanently injured knee, that could not be cured, hindered his mobility. As Salvius lumbered through the dirty halls of the fort, he ignored every soldier he walked passed. His thought and concentration were only on his Mum and if she was still alive. They used to keep in touch via the letter but lately there have been no replies. What was happening? Sal didn't want to ponder on the thought but something in his mind forced him to, as if evil was embedded in his brain and he himself could not battle it away. Salvius just wanted it to disperse, but it was impossible.

The meeting room was just like every other room in the garrison, an utter craphole. It was hot and stuffy, causing much distress. It also had the weak wooden flooring, it felt as if the weight of Sal's boots would cause him to fall through. To make matter worse there was some of the most vile food seen to man on the plates. Was it actually slime and mushrooms? I'd rather starve, the Imperial thought in disgust as he sat on a chair, almost gagging at the repulsive bile set in front of him. It appeared that the Admiral was attempting to lift the morale of everyone in the room, a pointless exercise in Sal's opinion.

''Give it a rest...'' Salvius muttered under his breath as he stuck his arms onto the table, slouching lazily. He did like the Admiral, he was a kind and hearty man, just Salvius was in a very bad mood at the moment. In truth he wasn't often like this, in fact he was cheery and happy usually, always wanting to cheer people up but lately... lately he couldn't control anything.

A few people looked at Sal as if to say, ''What's wrong?'' The Imperial looked up them, most of them younger recruits. What's wrong is that we're being lead to our deaths...

Salvius continued to sit unformally, awaiting the commands from his superior, and getting mentally prepared for his demise. In truth he believed in the Nine, and was actually a very devout follower but in dark times such as these even he had doubts. Arkay why? Why do you let the darkness and evil take over the land? Why....

The Admiral saw Salvius enter the room. Sal was a good man, and an even better soldier. He was a veteran like Bagul, and had shared many-a-battle with Faurus.

"Ahh, Salvius. I'm glad you came, for you're coming with me during the assault. We need a good soldier like you behind the lines, and what will slay the Currux monstrosity but experience wielded in the hands of the veterans eh?" said Faurus, trying to raise the man's mood from a sulky sack of bones. "You're a good man, Salvius. The recruits and civilians look up to you. Don't be so sad eh? Lighten up, we have nothing to live for other than to experience this life that the gods have laid out for us. What fun will that be if we sulk around all the time?"

Salvius was usually a cheery, happy man, and it pained the Admiral to see such greatness put so low.

Hadsin meandered his way towards the door to the meeting room. He was already several minutes late but he didn't care. He was tired. He had been placed on the night shift, guarding the gates of the fortress in case any of the infected discovered them. All he wanted to do was kick off his boots and go straight to bed but he had been ordered to attend this stupid meeting.

He had no idea what the meeting was about or why he had been ordered to attend. He knew many others were attending the meeting and that it was being conducted by the admiral himself. Whatever, he thought to himself. I'll just try to find a place in the back where no one can see me and take a nap.

Hadsin slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Any hopes of catching any sleep immediately vanished. The room was horribly crowded and all of the seats had already been taken. There was some unappealing food laid out on the table. Despite it's appearance, he hadn't eaten since his shift started and he was willing to choke down anything at this point. He squeezed through the crowd and managed to snag a couple of slimy mushrooms. He grimaced each time he took a bite but swallowed all the same.

He choked in mid swallow when he heard the word 'dragon'. What in Dagon's unholy rectum is he talking about?. Many others started speaking out in approval. Hadsin couldn't take it any more.

"Wait just one damn minute!" he shouted, trying to be heard over the crowd. "You don't actually expect us to go up against that diseased monstrosity, do you? What are we supposed to use, harsh language!?"

"Wait just one damn minute!" shouted a man, "You don't actually expect us to go up against that diseased monstrosity, do you? What are we supposed to use, harsh language!?"

"That's exactly what I expect you to do. If you're too much of a coward I suppose we can toss you in the dungeon with the rats and snakes, and you can rot in there while we make heroes out of ourselves," said Faurus harshly, not going to take any crap. from some subordinate half his age.

"If Currux cannot be killed, there is no point in this futile existence out in the wastes. Something must be done, and we have finally mustered enough forces to try and fight back, even if we all die, we will die in peace, knowing that we were killed fighting for the dead, our land, our freedom, our pride... I could go on, but I did not bring you here to ramble."

"This assault isn't spontaneous, this has happened over weeks of planning. I assure you, this is well-thought out, not some jumbled together scheme that will crash and fail."

The Admiral looked around, "Any more snide comments?"