A vision suddenly overtakes your senses completely and without warning.
You are gazing upon the High Temple of Nuath, looking much as you left it when Krolin claimed the title of High Priest. In fact, it looks almost exactly as that, as there is a huge army converging upon it just like before. But this army is different. First of all, it is attacking after the sun as set instead of as the sun is rising.. Also, the men are not warriors of Nuath. They are quite different. The insignias upon their surcoats are not priestly in nature. But secular. They wear blue and magenta with a silver bear embroidered upon it wearing a golden crown and bearing a scepter.
The army is huge, and they are acting a bit strangely. There is very little organization to the force. They are simply charging the keep of the High Temple of Nuath, wildly and chaotically. You can see by the light of their torches, and the lights upon the walls of the Temple, that their numbers are enormous. Very few seem to be in charge that you can see, though you do notice a small encampment upon a hill quite a distance away. Undoubtedly where the commanders of this army are watching the outcome. Upon the walls of the Temple you can see the priests of Nuath readying themselves joyfully for the coming conflict. You don’t see Krolin, but you imagine that he is there, even now readying himself.
Swarming towards the walls and gates, the attacking forces are kept at bay by the fortifications of the Temple, just as they are designed to do. But the attackers don’t seem in the least fazed by this. Even as the rain of arrows and magical spells from the priests hails upon them, they simply set their weapons against the walls of the keep itself. Some even have tools more suited to the task. Others bang at the gate. Others dig at the earth. Frantic and determined. Looking closer you see that they even are attacking each other in their impatience to engage the enemy. It seems that they are insane, the entire army, and that is quite a large number of people. Strangely, their efforts are making progress. They have no care for their own lives. As soon as one dies, another takes over. Simultaneously, holes are opening up in the ground near the foundations of the keep even as the stone is being battered. The gates are holding, but beginning to give way.
Then, there is the blast of magic directed at all three of these efforts. In the darkness, mages have come up to give their aid. You see the earth moving, the stone melting, the wood bending as mages in white robes cast their spells. Wizards in green also seem to be casting spells that help. You see the priests on the walls directing all their priestly magic at this new assistance, and a great many of the enemy mages fall, but even more come. For each of their spells cast, the defenders position is all that much more threatened. Then, you see wizards in blue and grey standing far away, but also casting spells at the defenders. You can see the results after a time. Creatures have begun appearing behind the walls, attacking the defenders. Spirits zip around the defenders, harrying and distracting them.
Then, with an explosive sound and great cloud of smoke, a whole corner of the walls cave in, killing both attacker and defender alike. With a howl, the enemy army swarms through the breach and begins engaging the priests of Nuath in melee. The sheer numbers are amazing. They are literally tramping down the priests in order to get further in. Then, you see that they are pausing to hack bodies which are already dead to pieces. You see groups of them detaching themselves and rushing towards buildings, and beginning to work on bringing them down. You can see that the mages outside are still working on the walls and gates despite the breach. Without the priests to fully man and defend the walls, as they are dealing with the invasion, sections of wall come down even faster. Great pits open up beneath the feet of the rushing priests.
Like water rushing over a filled stream, the attackers move deeper and deeper into the High Temple. The priests are losing. You see Krolin briefly, with his elite guard and top officers with him, fighting the attackers, but still falling back under their onslaught. Flames rise ever higher as the attackers put more and more of the Temple to the torch. It is nearly bright as day now, and there is activity everywhere. But looking out to where the attackers camp was, you are very surprised to see that it is being disassembled and they are leaving. Leaving their army behind.
Further into the Temple they go. Into the lower levels. Into the upper levels. They slay all who they come across. As they stand, run, and beg. The attackers seem possessed of a fury. A fury that is totally unnatural. If two parties of attackers happen to meet in the middle of a hallway intersection unexpectedly, they fight instead of joining up. All are covered with blood. You see stragglers doing nothing but hacking down tapestries, statues, furniture. All is destruction.
You see Krolin and his party finally fleeing the scene through an escape tunnel, leaving defenders to cover their backs. They carry many of the sacred and holy items from the main chapel. But not all. Much has been lost already.
Then, as the temple is beginning to really burn and crumble under the onslaught, your attention is somehow being focused on the main courtyard of the Temple. There, even as you watch, a blackness and an emptiness is suddenly there. The emptiness becomes filled with a figure. A figure the size of the man, but oh, so much larger in all other respects. Even for a man, he towers. He is encased in full plate armor that bristles with spikes, covered in rust and decay. His uncovered head makes him appear human, but his expression is one of completely insanity. Insane yellow eyes and wild hair add to his dangerous appearance. He holds a rusted and chipped halberd in both hands. His power emanates all around. This is a God.
He is waiting. His armor and uncovered head suddenly has a nimbus around it of complete and utter nothingness. It has no color, but you can see it. Then, there is a bright flash of golden light, and facing across from him not 60 feet away is Nuath. After seeing him so recently, there is no mistake. A simple looking man, though strong, with brown hair and eyes. Now, he is wearing more common garb. No armor. Just plain brown pants, a white tunic, and brown boots. He holds a spear in his right hand and a sickle in the left. He too has a nimbus around him, but of golden light. He speaks,
"You have learned the rules well, Gaal. You knew that I must come when our mortal armies clash. So now, we must fight even as they do."
Nuath charges at his opponent, now wielding two golden spears that now shine with light. He swings three times, but only two connect with the opponent. The other is deflected by the rusting armor. The blows ring loudly as they strike the left part of his chest and upper thigh. Surely, if those had struck a man, he would be dead. Gaal does nothing to avoid the blows, nor does he move his halberd. He only frees one hand and gestures. Immediately all around them, at a radius of 100 feet, a shimmering nothingness appears. There are no people inside of the nothingness, just the blackened and trampled courtyard including bits of rubble from the walls and buildings.
Nuath looks concerned, very concerned, but whirls around 360° and launches 4 quick strikes at Gaal with his glowing spears. Only two seem to penetrate the armor, through the joints. Gaal, then swings his halberd over his head and around low, cutting at Nuath’s legs, but both swings are easily avoided by your Aspect. Nuath then lets go of both spears, and on their own, dance away and launch attacks at Gaal, two each. Two more spears, though these don’t glow, appear in each of Nuath’s hands. Altogether, 7 strikes fly at Gaal, though he manages to deflect one of the dancing spears with the haft of his rusted halberd. Gaal looks entirely unhurt, though the damage caused by those spears in that round would have killed Bear and yourself together. Gaal swings his halberd around again, this time breaking through Nuath’s guard and striking him 3 times. But Nuath’s shirt isn’t even cut or dirty.
One of the dancing golden spears becomes a long sword while the other becomes a military pick. Each strikes twice again at Gaal while Nuath launches 4 attacks with the spears in his hands, one a trip maneuver, one a stroke to blind Gaal, and the other two identical strikes at each of Gaal’s shoulders. Only one breaks through while only the dancing sword strikes twice. Gaal whips his halberd around for 2 strikes and only hits Nuath once in the upper thigh.
Nuath flips back, then lunges forward with 3 jabs of his spears while the golden long sword becomes a hammer that tries to smash down on Gaal’s head and the pick becomes a dagger that attempts to dig into two of his armor joints. Only one dagger strike and hammer blow connect. The spear attacks are parried by the halberd and by the spikes as Gaal turns in his armor. Gaal returns 3 blows with his halberd, but only one connects on Nuath’s shoulder. Still, Nuath and Gaal look unhurt.
Nuath rolls on the ground and thrusts 4 attacks with the spears in his hands at Gaal’s midsection, while the golden dagger becomes a morning star that smashes into Gaal’s back and the hammer becomes a chain that whips around and tries to wrap around his neck. The spikes on the armor prevent that, but the morningstar hits twice and two of Nuath’s spear attacks dig in. Gaal whirls his halberd around twice, but Nuath parries both attacks easily.
Nuath lunges to the left and launches 3 attacks at Gaal’s now exposed side with the spears, while the golden dancing weapons become spears and also launch attacks at that side, two each. But only 2 strikes get through. Gaal retaliates by rotating to face Nuath and swinging 3 times, one high, then low, then high. Only the third connects with Nuath’s upper shoulder, but he shrugs it off.
Nuath centers 4 identical attacks at the center of Gaal’s chest, but only one gets through, while the dancing spears each launch two attacks at either of Gaal’s sides. Only one gets through. With a roar, Gaal whirls his halberd over his head, but instead of striking at Nuath, aims for the golden spear on his right. With two might blows that clang loudly, that spear is knocked to the ground inert.
Nuath takes one step back and is suddenly 20 feet away, and with his left hand throws the spear directly at Gaal’s left eye. It scores perfectly (a called shot and I rolled a natural 20). Then the spear upon the ground flies up into the now free hand. He steps forward again, and is suddenly re-engaged and launches two attacks with his right hand at Gaal’s halberd. One hit and it is knocked out of the left hand. Another hit and it is knocked out of the right hand. It flies back 25 feet, landing exactly behind Nuath. He stands between Gaal and his weapon. The golden spear that is still dancing also launches two attacks at his blind side, and one manages to get through the armor. Gaal gestures and giant hammer of nothingness forms above Nuath and comes crashing down. It pounds Nuath, and you can see the entire Temple shudder, but he is still unhurt.
Nuath takes another step back, like before, and throws the spear in his right hand at Gaal’s other eye, but it misses horrendously (a natural 1. Can you believe it?). He switches the golden spear to his now free right hand and another normal spear appears in the left. Gaal gestures again and suddenly all the air in the 100 foot arena is filled with jets of flame. Both are unaffected.
Nuath lunges forward again and launches 3 attacks with the spears in his hand while the dancing spear does 2 more at Gaal’s back. Those are deflected by the armor while 2 of Nuath’s attacks get through. Gaal says a Word and a clap of thunder and a force slaps down on Nuath, shaking the entire Temple again. The people outside are still mostly distracted by their own battles and destruction of the Temple to really notice.
Nuath whirls around 360° again, and with the golden spear jabs low at Gaal’s knees with 2 attacks and then at his hip joints with the other two attacks. Both knees are hit, but the hip joints hold. The golden spear dancing strikes twice, one at each shoulder, breaking through the joints and striking beneath. Gaal whirls around, and glares and roars at the dancing spear. He raises both hands up then brings them both down together. They don’t strike the spear, but a force of complete nothingness and vacuum roars out like an invisible club and strikes the spear with the force of ten thousand mountains falling from the sky. There is a flash of golden light brighter than noontime and an explosion rips out from the broken spear. Instantly annihilating everything. (Tell DM when you read this sentence). Both Nuath and Gaal are unaffected by the explosion. The golden light blasts outward, leveling the entire Temple with all the people inside of it. You are almost blinded by the light. The explosion is more than deafening. Even the sound of it, if not the force, would be enough to kill. When the light is gone, you can see that for 2 miles all around, there is simply nothing left. A charred and leveled plain. No bodies, no ruins. Nothing…but Nuath and Gaal. The shimmering 100 foot curtain all around remains.
Nuath looks extremely angry. He tosses the mundane spear aside and takes the remaining golden spear in both hands. He looks to be overcome by a frenzy, almost exactly as Bear does, and launches 3 attacks at the unarmed Gaal. Only 1 hits with a loud clang. Gaal raises both hands together and forms another halberd, but this one is made of complete nothingness. It roars and sucks in the light by itself even as he whirls it around for two high strikes at Nuath’s shoulders. Both connect, but still, Nuath is unaffected, but he still staggers from the force of those two blows.
Nuath lunges left and then right, aiming two blows at each side with his glowing spear for four strikes total, all four hit, dealing back as much damage as the Gaal’s previous strikes. Not to be outdone, Gaal steadies his stance and whirls the nothing halberd around 3 times, and all of them connect. Crashing into Nuath with more force than any mortal blade could ever deal.
For 7 more rounds, they turn and swing their weapons at each other. Every single one of Gaal’s strikes connects with Nuath, while roughly half of Nuath’s get through the armor and defenses.
Then Nuath strikes 4 more blows at Gaal, one at his foot, one at his stomach, one at his hip, and one at his bicep. Only the last three connect. Gaal roars in fury and whirls his blade around again for 3 more strikes. Every single one of them connects, but this time, as each blow lands upon Nuath, there is a discharge of pure nothingness that pounds into Nuath. The sound of each blow is louder than thunder (Tell DM when you read this sentence).
Nuath reels from these blows, and is almost knocked to the ground. He catches himself before that happens. He whirls around and with a free hand, points at the curtain of nothingness that surrounds them both. A beam of pure golden and blue energy, more there than anything you have ever seen, shoots out and strikes at the curtain. It instantly crumbles away. But before Nuath can do anything else, Gaal also gestures and points and a beam of pure blackened nothingness shoots out and instantly repairs the curtain. Faster than Gaal has moved before. The force of each of those beams could annihilate continents.
Nuath pauses for just a fraction of a second, then tumbles forward with blinding speed and strikes 3 times at the exact center of Gaal’s chest. All break through the armor and do damage, but still, Gaal is unaffected. Gaal swings back 2 times, and each connects. As they do, an even larger discharge of nothingness pounds into Nuath. If the first was louder than thunder, then these two blows are louder than 100 thunders. (Tell DM when you read this sentence). Nuath is knocked completely to the ground, though he doesn’t let loose of his golden spear. The golden nimbus that has surrounded Nuath all this time is gone. His shirt is in tatters, and he bleeds weak golden light. The light around the spear is untouched.
He recovers, rolls and launches 4 attacks at Gaal, but only two get through the defenses and hurt Gaal’s legs. Gaal is still untouched and surrounded by his nimbus of nothingness. He whirls the halberd once, twice, thrice around his head before landing 3 horrendous blows upon Nuath. The discharge of nothingness at each blow is unimaginable. Beyond your comprehension. The sound too is more than any one person could explain, nor experience. (Tell DM when you read this sentence).
Nuath is totally smacked to the ground by the force of those blows. He is visibly stunned, and while he bleeds freely now, he still only looks to be only seriously wounded. Not worse. Slowly, he gets up from the ground to his knees. Gaal stands ready with his halberd, working up the momentum for another strike. Nuath leans over and kisses his golden spear. Then turns away from Gaal and casts it with all of his might away from Gaal. It pierces clean through the shimmering curtain and continues on, faster than lightning, disappearing from view. Then, Nuath bows his head and brings it up again to stare Gaal right in the eye.
Gaal growls as he looks at the point where the spear pierced the barrier. Then, the halberd swings thrice around his head and swings at Nuath’s neck. With a force that could crack the world, Nuath’s head is severed from his body with a simultaneous detonation of complete nothingness larger than anything before. (Tell DM when you read this sentence). Body and head fall to the ground and quickly are enveloped by golden light until they disintegrate into nothing. Gaal lifts his head and laughs maniacally. All can hear it. All around him is the featureless plain of fire and cinders. All is destruction.