Memoirs of a Cleric
Told by Lord Truekillr
Memoirs of a cleric: First invasion. (The Five)

Ah the days of my youth. How fun and exciting they were.more and more I reflect on those days and the mighty changes I went through. I shall endeavor to tell some tales of my life. Perhaps they will bring a smile to your face. Perhaps they will make you pause a moment in thought. Perhaps they will cause you to snicker with derision. Perhaps they will make you shiver in anticipation. Perhaps, just perhaps, they might make a small impact on your lives.

From when I was a young lad training in the arts of thievery and assassinations I remember the thrill of the kill, the exultation of a successful hunt, and the knowledge that I would be unstoppable when I was in my prime. I was a rogue in the truest sense of the word. I went my own way and followed no set path. The only goal I had was revenge against the Empress of Turamzyrr for the destruction she wrought on my family. In the course of those days I never believed there was truly an end to my powers. Until one fateful night.

I vividly remember my first invasion. It came from nowhere and then everywhere. I was walking past the Thrak Inn on my way to another trusty locksmith, Mustafo. That is when the screams began.

I turned around to see two fiery red eyes coalesce into the most hideous thing I had ever seen; a wraith. I raised my prized vultite shield high and warded off a number of blows, returning some as I could. I was wholly ineffective against the apparition. I heard more screams of the dying. Lords and Lady's galore were falling all around me. I remember seeing between parries my hunting partner, the good Lord Gaq, take a wraith's claw through the back before crumpling to the ground motionless. I was paralyzed with shock. I looked around me and saw dozens of bodies bleeding and destroyed. The wraiths continued their frenzied attack, the wind whipping around them. The empaths were feverishly working to heal those on the battlefield to give us a fighting chance. I remember watching the shadow wraiths raising from the ground at our feet. I remember a body falling at my own feet, tripping me. I stumbled to my knees just as a wraith's claw whistled overhead. Had the poor lady not died at my feet I would have joined her. I remember hearing laughter both maniacal and yet somehow controlled. The sky suddenly darkened further, the wraiths all stopped attacking and assumed a defensive posture only. We all took the opportunity to drag the dead and dying to the safety of the Inn. When we returned to the open air, what little there was, we saw two bright eyes in the sky glaring down on the battlefield. The corners were turned up in obvious mirth. There was a loud cackling before the eyes faded.

We had no warning. Suddenly the wraiths that were so passive minutes before began attacking with a renewed frenzy, the likes of which I have not seen to this day. Those nearest the wraiths were decimated quickly. I was one of the lucky ones not to be close enough to die a quick death. They continued to kill and destroy everything in their path. The most unnerving part was that the wraiths did not stop to gloat, or feast, they simply killed and floated toward the next battle. However, this time there was a very real strategy.

They swarmed around the strongest of us; overwhelmed them and moved on. They grouped in front of the Inn keeping those that could help drag and heal inside, and not allowing those of us outside to drag bodies in. They attacked like the wind and moved just as quickly. I remember standing awestruck as they cut down one of the more renowned Lord warriors of the time. It seemed all was lost. An unbeatable force that had overwhelmed the weaker Landing inhabitants.

We battled valiantly but were tired. I knew we had no chance unless one of the supposed Gods, the Arkati, rescued us. I snickered at the thought. At that time, I still believed the Arkati a mere myth. The eyes in the sky did nothing, but to convince me, that this attack was coordinated by a strong mage with mastery of illusions. I did not pray, I did not beg for help, I doggedly went on trying to help.

The few spells I had managed to find were wearing off, I was becoming weak and my defenses were slackening. I was trying to find shelter when three wraiths broke off from a group, as if they sensed my weakness. They spoke no words, made no frivolous motion, just advanced slowly and steadily. I refused to run. I was tired and I wanted revenge. My skills would protect me. I slowly slid into a very good hiding spot. No one could see me. When the wraiths passed I would jump out and attack, turn a corner and repeat until they were dead. I watched them slowly approach, thoroughly confident in my skills. My shield at my hip and my blade raised I waited in complete stillness. The first wraith reached me, passed right by and stopped a mere blade length from me. The second stood motionless directly in front of me; the third to my other side. I was frozen in anticipation.

They all turned and raised their claws at the same time. It was only after their claw's ripped my neck and chest open that I realized how foolhardy my pride was. I slowly died there, watching the hideous claws raise and lower against my undefended flesh. I remember hearing my flesh torn asunder but not feeling any pain. I watched, detached, until I realized I had died. My spirit left my body as the wraiths drifted to another unlucky soul. He was hunched against a wall, grasping his severed leg, staring defiantly at the wraiths. As I watched in horror, the first wraith to reach him cut his head from his body and let it tumble to the ground. One wraith turned toward my hovering spirit and said, "You cannot hide from us, you cannot defeat us. This you cannot deny..", turned and drifted away.

I was raised a few minutes later. As we sat spelling up and planning strategy, what little of it there could be, the screams of dying continued. A weary warrior stumbled in, bleeding all over, and dropped to his knees as he hurriedly gulped water and was healed by the good empaths. He told us the folks that could damage the wraiths were outnumbered at least fifty to one. We felt hopeless and powerless against this amazing destructive force.

A few minutes later after we were all spelled as much as we could be, I walked back out into the battle. I saw Gaq battling a lone wraith and jumped into the fray with him. After a long battle we finally nicked the wraith until it vanished into the air without a trace. Panting we turned as one to witness the carnage that the wraiths were causing. There were so many of them and so few of us left standing. We looked at each and sighed. As we walked north of the inn there was a bright bolt of lightning accompanied by a loud CLAP near the north gate. Gaq and I looked at each other in surprise. The wraiths all turned as one, hissed, and moved toward the North gate. They simply left their battles, winning or losing, and walked steadily to the North Gate. Gaq and I hurried after them to see what had gained their attention.

We saw the most amazing site we had ever seen. Thalior, Strom, Gillaume, Dartaghan, and Lohlem all standing proud and defiant. Thalior holding is staff to the air as his fingers worked it's magic, Lohlem and Dartaghan shooting lightning bolt after lightning bolt at them, Strom binding the wraiths as The Pope cut his way through them with his martial arts and swung his mighty weapons. On and on the wraiths threw themselves at this majestic crew. Wave after wave of them came from all over the town to try and defeat this threat. And, wave after wave, were promptly released. Thalior cast a mighty spell and bade us all to stand near him as the mighty maelstrom decimated ranks of the evil wraiths. These powerful Five were defeating the ranks of wraiths that just hours ago were on the verge of destroying our town. There was no divine intervention, and none needed. It only reinforced my knowledge that the Arkati were not needed.

As the wraiths continued attacking, two huge cones of lightning from the valiant wizards destroyed another wave. Strom moved his hands in an intricate symbol. We watched a large wave of the wraiths flee in terror, or crumple to dust in front of him. Gillaume calmly cast spell after spell, causing the wraiths to freeze in mid-step, allowing the rest of us to get our sweet revenge with our blades.

As the last of the wraiths were either incapacitated or destroyed The Five nodded to each other, glanced up to the ominous sky, and walked back through the gates without a word. As we finished the last of the hideous undead apparitions, the eyes appeared again in the sky, glaring down on us, before vanishing with a growl and a peal of thunder. It began to rain.a cleansing, peaceful rain, and within a few hours there was no sign of the titanic battle. No sign of how close we had come to destruction, if not for The Five.