[Closed RP] Vengeance of the Firelord.

[Synaxis]

Alariona was predictable to an extreme - she had been waiting for the right moment to spit another fireball at Baeldnir, and almost all of her concentration had gone into studying him and his reaction to her assault and how he composed himself after the near miss. 'Weak,' she thought to herself triumphantly when the dwarf neglected to retaliate physically. Contented that she had proven herself more capable than the mortal nearby, she was about to unleash upon him another fiery assault when suddenly, it felt like all of her nerve endings were lit on fire from the inside. It was mental, it had to be - nobody around her had done anything and she could see she wasn't burning, but she felt it. Her reaction was immediate and dramatic and loud - a screech tore itself from her throat and she immediately scrambled where she stood, lengthy talons gouging long scratches in the courtyard's floor.

It felt like forever to her that she was burning up from the inside, though in truth it was only a brief few moments spent scrambling and borderline thrashing before the sensation faded and she became as still as a stone statue, nostrils flaring dangerously and eyes darting around suspiciously before landing on the dwarf. How dare he! Her upper lips curled back threateningly but the attack was forestalled by Virazor's words, which made the drake shoot him a downright mutinous glare, which she then offered to Baeldnir at his suggestion. As far as she was concerned (though she did not express it!) he was not worthy of being her friend. With a quiet 'hmph!' she turned away from him and slunk some distance away from the group to settle down just within earshot and wait for the command to go kill people.

[Nonfictionless]

Flammia rose and waited. He had no queries. As always he would trust in his Prince to lead him into battle. They had never failed him before. A single memory entered his mind. Reth. He was ready to full fill his Lord's command.

[The Madgod]

Carbonis nodded at the magma lord. "Duke Incaendo..." the Prince of the Firelands rumbled, "Welcome to the mortal plane..."

Taking the high ground this time and ignoring the jibes of the little fire-bird, he said, "I grow tired of this waiting. So many things have yet to be purified by flame, and it will not be long before the mortals try and counter us..."

[ELYPOP]

"So be it. So little time to waste. Druids, come!", bellowed the false Kaldorei. Slowly the dozen followers of Fandral formed a circle within the center of the courtyard. Placing a palm upon the parched floor each, streams of molten rock flowed towards the center of them all. As each touched, they shot directly towards the dark sky. Within moments, the single pillar split into two, each half travelling horizontally parallel to the other, as it revealed a portal.

"Step through. A similar portal has become visible at Nordune Ridge, overlooking the Sanctuary of Malorne. Your first objective is to eradicate the other portal located there by the Guardians of Hyjal, that leads directly into the Molten Front. We shall cut those that are within our realm off from their precious World Tree.", he roared, slowly transforming into a Fire Hawk. Raising his arms into the air, twilight feathers grew, as his very own face transformed into a molten beak.

In a hoarser voice, he continued. "This portal shall be sealed behind us. In our absence, we must act swiftly. Those of Hyjal's defenders that have been sealed off here are sure to move against the Firelord. Now, onward!".

Screeching, he dove through the orange portal.

________________________________

Seconds later, he could feel the cool breeze of the mountain. Stretching his wings out, he unleashed violet breath upon the oppositions's portal. As the shadowflame clung to the branches that circled the gateway towards the Molten Front, it spread like the plague. Within the blink of an eye, it was incinerated, the ashes of Hyjal's roots laying formant upon the grassy ground. Stepping to the edge of the ridge, he looked upon the sanctuary below. He had been noticed by the site's defenders. As they shot calls and cries, he dove off the cliff at a nearby ranger. Pinning down the Kaldorei female, he plunged his beak into her anarmored neck. She died instantly. But, a roar then emerged atop the frantic screams of the denizens.

"I am Matoclaw of the Guardians of Hyjal. The spawn of Ragnaros shall be purged from our sacred mountain!", bellowed the Tauren. Looking up towards the jutting ridge, Virazor grinned as he awaited assistance from the others that were to accompany him. He surely could not attempt this himself.


((Okay. The siege of the Santuary of Malorne has begun. 9 Hyjal Archers, 21 Druids of the Wild (including Matoclaw), and 10 Hyjal Wardens remain. Feel free to obliterate them, as soon as you step through the portal. The place that you'll emerge into is located at Nordune Ridge (where the Molten Front Portal is located, ingame). Just jump down and we can do some killing!))

[Sal the Shieldhog]

((I got dibs on the Wardens!))

The Duke dipped forward slightly, in a noding motion. Bellowing his fiery fury, he strode through the portal after the shadowy fire hawk.

________________________________

Arriving through the portal, he instantly felt a difference in the air around him. It was far cooler, though his natural body heat helped a bit. There was no time for thought though, as he saw enemies below the ridge. With a cry of glee, he took a (somewhat) running leap over the edge. His landing shattered the earth beneath him, and a shock-wave flew out, dropping the defenders to the ground.

Roaring his pleasure at the feeling of flesh burning beneath him, he yelled, "Mortals! Tremble before the Lord of Magma, and know your end comes!" With a sweep of his hand, he knocked 2 of the defenders back. 3 more charged at him, hacking at his armor. He simply chuckled at their impotence, and took a step forwards. They fell to the ground, dazed.

Snorting at their fragility, he decided it was time to end them. Howling another warcry, he raised both fists over his head and smashed them down on the 3 defenders at his feet. he heard one of the defenders shout some nonsense, and he looked over in that direction. "A... tauren," he realized.

Turning back to the objective at hand, the Duke continued to lay waste to the Hyjal Wardens. Spotting an Archer on the cliff above him, he pondered a moment, before charging the cliff. He hit the base at full force, dropping the archer to her death. Bellowing his pleasure once more, the Lord of Magma, turned to the remaining Wardens.

[ELYPOP]

Locking his gaze upon Matoclaw, he let out a screeching cry, and launched himself at her. As any other Elves and Tauren before Virazor dove out of his path, he roared once more. Slowly, as Matoclaw's body contorted and transformed into a stormcrow, her small legs propelled her into the air. Taking flight himself, they whipped through the skies above the Sanctuary of Malorne. He was larger, but she was small and quick. As she speedily slipped through multiple trees, he himself tore through them, slowing him further.

"Tauren runt! Halt yourself, so that I can incinerate you!", he sneered.

[Synaxis]

Alariona shot up onto her feet when the portal was opened and when it was indicated that all present should file through it, she wasted no time in breaking into a hurried lope toward it. In the last two strides before the portal, the adolescent dragon spread her wings and let the wind catch beneath them, lifting her high enough to send her soaring through the portal. For a moment, she was nowhere - lost somewhere between time and space, halfway here and halfway there, and then she was through. The change in air quality from the stuffy heat of the Firelands to the brisk, cool high elevation air of Hyjal was welcomed with a greedy gasp.

There was no real reason to try to go unseen; the Sanctuary of Malorne was defended and they had seen Virazor come through. Alariona figured this was no time for subtlety, and so landing upon the ledge overlooking the sanctuary, the dragon threw her head back and let out a challenging roar to the defenders below. She saw several heads briefly turn to her and delighted in the brief looks of apprehension. She could see they lacked their emerald allies at this particular outpost.. Alariona felt exceptionally invincible compared to all these thin-skinned mortals. If she could've, she would've sneered in savage delight before diving off the ledge to join the fray. The wardens and the druids did not bother her so much as the archers, whose bows tended to split between her and Virazor - the only way to hit an airborne target was with ranged attacks. The twilight drake was at a remarkable disadvantage in this regard; the arrows tore small holes in her wing membranes that pinched and stung, and every arrow that penetrated the membrane threatened to tear a larger hole in it - something she could not allow to happen.

"Fools!" she bellowed, landing among a group of archers and haphazardly aiming a messy gout of shadowflame at them. Two of the archers were unfortunate enough to be in the direct line of fire and so they took the brunt of it, with the violet flame quickly eating away at their armor and then their flesh, eating it away from the bone. The others nearby were lucky enough to avoid most of it and immediately converged upon her. Few of their arrows got through her thick, scaly hide, but the ones that did caused little more than muscle spasms where they struck - Alariona otherwise disregarded the assaults, as being attacked with splinters was hardly painful enough to warrant her attention..

The appearance of Matoclaw, however, was important - even she could tell this. She did not know who the druid was but if she felt the need to announce herself in such a way, she must be important. The twilight drake liked to feel important.. So she abandoned her clawing and snapping at a group of archers and wardens and instead threw herself into the air, quickly ascending to the point where arrows would no longer reach her. At this height, she circled ominously above Matoclaw, eyes darting between the tauren and her companions briefly until Virazor engaged the tauren. The druid then shifted forms and chose that of a bird, a natural prey animal - Alariona's nostrils flared with excitement and she immediately made chase as well, disregarding how disrespectful it might be to attempt to steal a kill from one of her 'teammates.'

"Come, come, little birdy, where do you hope to go?" she screeched excitedly, making to fly ahead and cut off Matoclaw's path away from Virazor. "You cannot run forever!"

[ELYPOP]

Matoclaw frantically looked around as she was cut off. Looking back at Virazor struggling with the nearby trees, she gambled and dove back at him. Slipping past the fire hawk, she sped back towards the Sanctuary of Malorne. Slowly landing upon the statue of Malorne's head, she caught her breath.

Sqawking at both of them, Matoclaw chuckled. "This is a sacred site! The Firelord's children have no place here! Begone!", she screeched.

[Synaxis]

Alariona had succeeded in doing a couple things: not only had she prevented Matoclaw from going straight forward, but she had tangled herself up in the trees as well. Seeing the stormcrow suddenly turn and fly past the firehawk made an anguished screech escape the maw of the beast, and she immediately began clawing and thrashing her way back up to the canopy of the trees. After a brief struggle, she was able to tear free of the branches and limbs that had tried to hold her down, and she once more became airborne and pursued Matoclaw back to the sanctuary.

"Sacred?" the dragon scoffed at the druid-bird, "What gall you have to flee like a coward while your allies die around you, and then bleat about the sanctity of this place rather than defend it as it is desecrated!"

A warden lunged at Alariona's side with blades bared and managed, while the drake was challenging the druid, to rend two long gashes into her side. Yelping in surprise and pain, the twilight dragon suddenly twisted and closed in on the warden. He was a burly male night elf and clearly experienced with combat as he managed to tear a couple more gashes into the dragon's hide before she finally came down on him - hard - with both front paws, effectively crushing the poor guy's chest cavity in on itself. A gruesome death, for sure, but as far as Alariona was concerned, just demonstrating a point. A druid locked in combat with one of the Firelord's lesser minions wandered just into tail swipe range so Alariona took advantage of it and knocked both the druid of the wild and the druid of the flame a great distance away, at least temporarily incapacitating both..

[ELYPOP]

"Foolish Druid!", barked Virazor, as he freed himself from the foliage by letting out a wave of shadowflame in all directions. Flying upwards, he looked down upon the sanctuary. Spotting Matoclaw shifting back into her humanoid form, the fire hawk dove straight at her. Bearing his talons as he approached, he was too caught up within his own thoughs of torturing her to notice her weaving a spell. The Druid then thrust her arms forward, as the air around her whipped and spun forming a cyclone. The rapidly moving air caught Virazor's wings. As it dispersed, he was thrown at the nearest cliff face. Colliding with it, he fell to the ground below, landing upon an unsuspecting Warden. The male Kaldorei was incinerated within moments by Virazor's twilight feathers. Struggling to keep himself up afterwards, he roared at the Tauren Druid.

"Is this the best that those that assault us can offer?", chuckled Matoclaw.

[Sal the Shieldhog]

At the utterance of the words "Is this the best that those that assault us can offer?" by that foolish Tauren, the Duke stopped in the middle of demolishing the Wardens. Slowly turning towards her, his heat raging higher as his rage did, he bellowed, "Is that a challenge, foolish mortal?"

Thoroughly pissed off, he clapped his hands together (smashing the 2 unfortunate Wardens he had in his fists at that time), and began a complex ritual.

[ELYPOP]

"May the powers of life grant you kindness.", she replied, before reaching into a pouch at her side. Revealing a handful of Smothervine seeds, she muttered words under her breath as the hand that clutched them glowed a verdant green. Throwing the handful at the feet of Incaendo, the seeds rapidly grew into constricting vines. Surrounding the duke, they wrapped themselves around his legs, and slowly his arms, forcing him towards the earth.

[Sal the Shieldhog]

Roaring with displeasure, Incaendo continued his spell as the vines entangled his feet and arms. Enraged, the air around him grew hotter as his internal temperature did. The vines began to smolder, and he began to laugh. Before the vines could fully entangle him, he smashed his fist into the ground, forcing molten rock and stone to bubble up - His domain.

"Watch now as the power of the Lord of Magma consumes you!" he cried, almost complete with his Ritual of Magma.

[Synaxis]

Alariona took note of what Matoclaw did to both Virazor and Incaendo, with the cyclone and the entangling roots, and she made note not to get stuck in either trap of hers'. With her upper lips curled back and shockingly inky black teeth bared, Alariona issued a challenging roar and lunged, disregarding the spell Incaendo was casting in favor of her own weapons of tooth and claw and deadly shadowflame breath. "Enough of these games," she roared, pouncing at Matoclaw atop the head of the statue of Malorne, "Die!"

If not stopped prematurely, she would absolutely damage the statue with her claws and her weight and potentially the long tongue of shadowflame she spat at the tauren. Collateral damage, she did not care - Alariona was too busy trying to chase down and crush or maul or incinerate the tauren druid that had enough guts to taunt them when she herself wouldn't even try to hurt her assailants to save her own life. She was weak, and as far as Alariona was concerned, not fit to continue living: it's a harsh world, and only the strong deserve to survive.

[The Madgod]

Overlooking the small battlefield, Carbonis had been waiting patiently for a good moment to strike. The twilight drake and fire hawk had chased the tauren, who cackled at them, and worse, continued to dodge his tenative allies' attacks and attack them himself.

Shouting above the din of battle, the prince yelled, "All that you know and care for shall be burnt to naught but ash! Behold the might of the Firelord's Prince!"

With that, the elemental summoned living fire that gripped onto the guardians of Hyjal like their druids' entangling roots. Many of the lesser guardians screamed in agony as the fire bit into and consumed their armor, then their flesh. Someone more experienced, such as Matoclaw would more than likely not die from the prince's light spell, but he would definitely be incapacitated somewhat.

[ELYPOP]

Twisting her figure once more, Matoclaw lept into the air as a stormhawk. Looking back briefly in the direction of the Shrine of Aesennia, she sqawked with glee. In the distance, six Ancients of War plowed down the road aside Ashen Lake. As the came within view on the sanctuary, their speed increased.

"Merely a diversion, my good friends. Life shall now strike you down!", she continued, narrowly avoiding Alariona. Although, she did not survive the encounter intact. As the drake's talon pierced her wing, she attempted to stay above those below, retreating towards the ancients. With slightly burnt feathers, she frantically tried to flee to their safety.

[Sal the Shieldhog]

Growling as he saw the Ancients coming towards the Sanctuary, Incaendo finished his spell. He let loose with his power, soaking up the magma at his feet and losing his granite armor for the moment. Rebirthed in his pure form for this first time in a long time, his body heat magnified tenfold, and the vines entangling his, blackened and scorched already, burst into flames and melted.

Free once more, he surged towards the Ancients, ready for a fight against an opponent would would likely not use sorcery to try and defeat him.

[Nonfictionless]

Flammia glided through the portal and he felt compressed and as he appeared on in the flesh realm he felt the familiar bindings surround his forearms. Binding, uncomfortable but nessecary... The fight was already underway, but he was used to this. His talents were often overlooked because of what he was. He saw the ones engaged against a druid fleeing and new walking trees coming towards them. His flames danced at the sight of them. He loved burning the talking trees. Not only did their bark and leaves scream but so did they.

He glided down the side of the cliff and the flames of his arms fell around and down upon his blades and stuck onto them. They burned ever hotter and the bloodstone steal of his blades grew ever hotter and turned a cherry red. The air crackled from their heat. Rushing at the talking trees as they rushed at him. He engaged the first one as it shouted words he cared not to hear. Spinning about and up and down his blades rose and fell in combat with the tree. It was a tough one and at first only its bark cried out from the fires starting to consume him. The tree summoned vines and tried to remove himself from the fight with Flammia. To jump into the water no doubt, but the tree was already lost. Flammia was not like his companions and the vines didn't even make it to his solid body. The fire of his legs burned through them easily. He rushed down the talking tree leaving a trail of flame in his wake. He slammed his blades into the heart of the tree and pushed his flames inside. The tree fell and burned from the inside. Fully engulfed in his beloved flame, Flammia turned from the dead tree and looked for the next yelling, "For Prince Carbonis and Firelord Ragnaros! My flame shall consume the rest of your trees!"

[ELYPOP]

The remaining Ancients steeled themselves. Slamming their trunk-like feet into the lush soil below, they took root almost instantly. Bellowing hoarse and wooden roars, they all outstretched their arms, as if they were to block the tight passageway that lined the west side of Ashen Lake.

"None shall pass! We have protected these forests for ten thousand years! We shall not falter now!", they all slowly croaked, in unison. Meanwhile, none noticed Matoclaw fleeing past them, and towards the Shrine of Aesennia.

Before them, Virazor roared furiously. Stamping his elementium-armored claw upon the corpse of a Hyjal Warden, he eyed up those that opposed them.

"No one shall dare shall deny us! For the Firelord!", he screeched, charging past Flammia and Incaendo at the Ancients. Taking flight, he soared over them, breathing a thick carpet of shadowflame atop them. Yet, they surprisingly shrugged it off. Somewhat magically warded, perhaps? Reeling around, he circled above, ready for another strike.

[Nonfictionless]

"Let us see how they deal with pure flame!" Flammia's body started glowing bright white, the fire that comprised of his being was burning ever hotter. The ground all around him started to catch fire from the mere waves of heat that radiated off him. He charged the wall of talking trees and crashed into them with waves of fire following in his wake. He could feel something holding him back from making contact with the trees, yet he swung his ever-blazing blades towards them and they left not but ash covered scratches. They fell their massive limbs onto Flammia but only one made contact and he quickly moved out of their range. They did not move to pursue him. These trees insult my Lord with their persistence to not fall to my flames. He raised his blades and began sending volleys of fire balls towards the trees hoping to ware down whatever their defenses while they remained rooted in spot. His anger was almost as seething as his flames.