It begins: Initial battle with the Black Legion Log

[blacklegion]

Who: The Black Legion, any PC who wants to participate
What: The first assault of the Black Legion
When: 5 August, late morning, throughout the day
Where: All over dagaria


Across Dagaria, as Summer court ends, the morning light does not come. Only darkness, seemingly seeping out of the Rift, can be seen, and hundreds of warriors in battle plate with strange, mad symbols cut into them storm out of it, slaying, burning, and taking slaves. They have come for Zeon, for Amestris, for all the countries of Dagaria. Cities, towns, cathedrals, castles, any structure that stands is being struck at by raving cultists, or the grim, cold precision of corrupt Astartes. They are the Fallen, the traitors, pouring forth from the mouth of hell to howl this phrase with one voice, as their bolters roar, and chainswords grind, "DEATH TO LIFE! DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR."

Dagaria, the Black Legion has come for you, respond as you will.

(Ooc This is all initial attacks, and if you want to individually thread or group thread thats just fine, just let me know in your initial tag so I know how many people I'll be tagging. Feel free to group up or solo fight, but be aware these foes are DEADLY. Mind, this is the initial attack, they haven't engulfed the land. You can fight or escape as you will, and the warbands are fairly small and can be engaged by equal or superior numbers of local troops in any place you choose to fight. Please indicate in your tags to this entry as well WHERE you are fighting, as that will dictate what kind of foes come after you.)

Comments

[the_once_and_future]

The first line of defence threw their heater shields up, employing the proven phalanx formation tactics of the Belkans, deflecting the first wave of projectiles. Arturia signalled to hold their position, but most of these knights and men-at-arms were experienced and knew to wait until the Legion was within range of their spears.

The horde of madmen closed swiftly, but Arturia only dropped her arm when the crucial window of opportunity presented itself. Spears flew out at the rapidly advancing enemy, and once discarded were fluidly replaced with short swords and bastard swords. In the blink of an eye, the formation had quickly turned into a flurry of blades cutting through the mad cultists. However, there was a vulnerable opening in their formation...

[blacklegion]

And one of the black-armored warriors driving the cultists will punch into the formation, his chainsword eviscerating a knight with a swift sweep of the blade. Pale ghostlight plays from within the helm, like burning eyes probing for a worthy champion to kill for his dark gods, the better to praise them with butchery and blood. He roars a challenge.

[ravenraven]

Some distance away, a large man in winged black armor, clearly related to that of the dictator of Rome's, was watching. Well hidden, he was far enough from the actual battle not to be spotted, his sharp senses allowing him to see the fight as though he were looking through a spyglass. From this hidden vantage point, he watched, waiting and biding his time for the right moment to enter the fray, waiting for the best moment to inflict maximum disruption upon the enemy ranks with his arrival.

[the_once_and_future]

It might become clear to the black-clad warriors far too late to realise that the "opening" was in fact a trap; Camelot's finest knights were waiting for them, cutting them down swiftly and mercilessly. It had come at the cost had been the loss of others, but mourning would have to be delayed for the battle's conclusion.

The code dictated that any knight answer the challenge. It would have been madness to potentially sacrifice a ruler, the part of their army who could not be allowed to perish here. Yet, before any had the chance to answer, a blur of blue, silver, and white rode out of the army to answer with action rather than words.

Green eyes narrowed dangerously at the champion. Like her knights, the queen was bound by chivalry and could not order a single one of them to a challenge that she would not take up. And she was confident; she could dispatch this abomination. As foolhardy as it was, it was the way to lead her people.

[blacklegion]

The corrupt Astartes steps forward, trying to make the King of Knight's horse rear back with a sweep of the chainsword at the snout of the beast, trying to spoil her balance and batter her out of the saddle on the backswing. As he does so, the cultists die under the blades of the knights, and the other Legion troopers square off with knights, killing and be killed as they square off in close combat. But back some 400 paces, one of them hunkers down, a great daemon-mouthed cannon slung over one shoulder, sighting in slowly on Arturia even as their Champion duels. Honor is not something that survived the fall of Belka, not for these men become monsters.

[ravenraven]

Corax sees the heavy weapon being brought to bear upon the seeming leader of the resisting forces, and takes action. His jump pack lets him leap into the sky with utmost speed. He hangs at the apogee of his jump for a moment before the jump pack casts him down to the ground faster than he went up, aiming to crush the monstrosity beneath him and silence the cannon.

[the_once_and_future]

Arturia inwardly cursed; Llamrei, a battle-hardened mare, would not so much as flinch at an oncoming attack. Though experienced, her current mount couldn't help but spook at the sudden movement of the large weapon. It was only Arturia's rigorous training and impressive skill in the saddle which kept her in it.

But even after her mount's hooves returned to the ground and Excalibur in her free right hand, she caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, the cannon trained on her. The queen gritted her teeth, preparing and praying she could evade...

...When a mysterious ally took care of the problem for her. Whether or not he was there to aid Britain specifically or simply to take the fight to the enemy, it mattered none to the petite knight. She was now free to go on the offensive.

Excalibur blurred into flashing silver, blue, and gold as she brought it to bear on the Astartes, a blow which would cleave a normal man from shoulder to groin.

[blacklegion]

The corrupt being is no normal man, bringing the whining, toothed blade up for a rough block of the incoming swing, making a screech of metal on metal as the jarring impact of the desperate defense causes the warrior to waver, clearly not expecting so mighty a blow from so relatively diminutive an opponent.

"I SHALL WEAR YOUR FLESH AS A CLOAK!" He snarls, drawing a wicked-looking flaying knife with his offhand from his belt, swinging it in to try to score a wounding strike on the King of Knights.

[ravenraven]

Corax wadeD in to the rest of the corrupt legionaries around him, swinging his claw in a wide arc - aiming to behead a number of foes simultaneously. Whether the leader of the resisting forces could defeat her opponent would have to be her own problem for the moment, as Corax dealt with the troops carrying the heavier weapons.