As the sun set on the graveyard King Mat’hain looked around. He could barely make out the Namirti on the far side and the rough shape of the allopex they were escorting as they patrolled the far edges of the area. “Hrmph, scared tales for children,” one of his guards said to another. “There are not hauntings here, and no spirits for us to gather.”
No sooner than he spoke than a voice could be heard, chanting as a dark and cold mist seeped over the area. “At attention!” Mat’hain ordered. “The hauntings have begun.” Flickers of figures began to move out of the centralized area and towards them. Seemingly more intent on the mausoleum they had turned into a makeshift command post.
A similar sized host began moving towards a small stone gazebo whose central pedestal burst alive with unholy flame. The allopex crew began to move towards it as the whinnying of horses broke the eerie quiet of the dark. “Namirti! Cover us!” No sooner than the order had gone out than ghastly arrows fell among the beast.
The Idoneth moved quickly on both sides. The lone allopex engaging wraiths armed with crossbows, while the host of Mat’hain, his Ishlaen Guard, and personal allopex moved to defend the post. The king grinned and reached into the aethersea, summoning his reserve veteran reavers. The archers appearing just feet from the necromancer and with a volley of arrows brought the caster down.
“Forward!” On both sides the Ahkellians engaged the specters, but the Namiriti paused, nervous to engage the spectral cavalry. With a second wave it was if high tide came early, the Ahkellians ending half of the specters while the archers’ bloodlust found themselves engaging as well.
The spectral knights disengaged and turned to the king, desperate to remove the head of the commanding army to attempt to gather momentum. With an injured member of the Ishlaen guard holding them back the knights were able to find and dismount Mat’hain. His steed retreating from the unholy horrors the king did not move as he impacted the ground.
“For the King!” The archers yelled as they finished the hand to hand victoriously and took aim at the stampeding knights. Several arrows finding their marks and dropping a few of them. The scent of flailing souls was enough to send the veteran allopex and it’s crew into a frenzy, finishing the spectral knights.
On the far side of the field the lone allopex found itself beset by a spirit who looked vaguely like Kurdoss Valentain and in a fight for it’s life. The Namirti lunged forward to protect their charge, and were able to drive the newcomer away as their beast clung to life by the slimmest of margins. The far side had held and found plenty of souls to take back with them.
The Ishlaen guard seeing their king downed but protected by both reavers and their allopex looked back at the mausoleum only to find a unit of wraiths had appeared from it. A simple step forward and the apparitions thought twice of engaging the full might of the Tide and fled back into the dark.
The hauntings had been put to a rest and the citizenry could once again visit their lost loved ones and the gate to the city behind it had been held firm. Mat’hain was at best unconscious and would be brought back to camp to have his wounds looked at, his fate unknown by the rest.
