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Fiction A firsthand account of the fall of Chaqua

Discussion in 'Fluff and Stories' started by Sevesh, Dec 12, 2019.

  1. Sevesh
    Saurus

    Sevesh Well-Known Member

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    Old ones forgive me these sacrilegious thoughts, but why have you abandoned us? Day after day more of us drop dead from the disease these chaos-rat scum bring to the cities. I am near the last one of my spawning, why did your plans not warn us of this? Did you not care?


    My head shook. Get a grip Odutl. Such thoughts wouldn't help the situation. I watched with horror, seeing the sick and dead bodies of my spawn mates, other skinks, even a few unlucky saurus lying in the street. Their bodies thinner than ever, eyes sunken; horrible, horrible noises coming from their dying bodies. I kept my distance, the slann had supposedly been working on something. I was waiting to hear, fear keeping me staying where I was. It hurt to see our great city, Chaqua in such pain. Then the call came out, and all the able bodied of us made our way to the temple entrance, a Slann sitting on its palanquin , the few skinks that were up all congregated to one side, given a breadth by the saurus and kroxigor. Segregating the potentially sick was a smart move, but it stung in a way. Still, the law of the Slann was to be obeyed no matter how it felt.


    "The Plaques have revealed a new prophecy!" The Slann announced, and immediately there was a perking up in the crowds, I could see hope rising in many of us, and I'll admit, hope rose in me as well. Of course, it was short lived as the next proclamation was given.

    "We require a great sacrifice to put it into motion, Skinks, you are to be separated into groups. You will go, collect sacrifices of the vile rat-men that dare threaten us. We will sacrifice them upon an altar, in the name of the Prophecy of Sotek" The order delivered the Slann went back to their chambers, leaving us staring, and dread weighing heavy like a stone in my gut. Go out, bring live captives of the thing that was making us die in the streets? Was this some sick joke, a way to get us out and die in the wilds instead? An order was given though, we swiftly divide into hunting groups, gearing up and leaving the city on the orders.


    I was sent out with a small band of fellow skinks. We were all armed with sedative darts, our usual melee weapons, and rations for the road. It was hopefully going to be at least a few days before we made contact with the vile skaven, but we were all alert and ready. The hope that this sacrifice would stop the skaven was enough to make us all move quickly, and be more than ready for any coming battle. We traveled about a day and a half out of the city, and luck was with us. The rats that we found were apparently getting complacent, believing to have driven us all back into the city. There were a larger group of them in no armor, a few of the darker furred rats in heavier armor, and with a gut sinking realization I saw two others that the stories others had given to us gave us pause. One was dressed in leathers, a strange mask covering its face, and strange glowing orbs strung along its belt. Those orbs held sick poisons, and it was troublesome on its own. The true fear though, was the lighter furred rat who was holding a chained ball, sick vapors rising from it. This one was visibly diseased, something along the lines that was killing the lizardmen in the streets. This was going to be a bad fight.


    We surrounded them, using the dense undergrowth to allow us to spread out. The plan was to jump on the lesser armored rats first, take them out with sedatives in the first wave of the attack, allowing the more melee oriented like myself to go in after the dark furs or the poison throwing one. The mage was going to be darted by anyone not involved in the other two tasks, we could hope the sedative would take them out before they could use their foul magics on us. Once we were all in position the attack commenced. The weaker rat men were taken out by the darts in one swift go, thankfully that part of the plan went well. Of course, plans never survive the enemy. I rushed forward, an ax clutched in my claws, crying out as I attempted to drive it into the back of a dark-furred rat, but with the other rats being dropped he was ready for me, a shield rushing up to catch my axe, causing it to sink into the dense wood. The rat smirked at me as its jagged blade rose to slash at me. As it came down I twisted to the side, taking a glancing slice along my arm as I tugged the ax free of the shield, causing me to hiss defiantly at the rat.


    I could hear battle being joined around me, other skinks crossing blades with the dark furred rats. The one in leathers was swarmed, but it didn't seem to care much as it threw down one of the orbs. Immediately I lost sight of the skinks fighting it, choked in the sickening green smoke. I thanked the old ones as the smoke didn't spread far enough to reach me, but I worried for my fellow skinks. The diseased rat-mage was swinging the ball around, the vapors surrounding it as it started to chant, and I heard the choked screams of my group, some of them falling, scratching at themselves as they were covered in pus-filled boils, screaming out in fear and agony. I screamed out in anger, bringing my ax down on the rat before me, redoubling my efforts at seeing my friends and spawn-mates go down in such a way. The black furred rat was not expecting such a savage assault from a creature of my size it seems, and it started to move back, barely deflecting blows with its shield. Luck was with me, as it stumbled back into another of the dark furred rats, both of them stumbling into each other. Pushing my advantage I brought my ax to the unshielded side of the rat, and bared my teeth at it as the ax sunk into an unarmored portion of flesh at its waist, the taller rat pitching forward in pain as the ax sunk into the exposed area.


    The skink in front of me similarly dispatched the rat he was fighting that mine had stumbled into, and we saw the rats fall, clutching at wounds or outright dead in his case, turning to the vile mage we both acted to the plan, weapons holstered to our hips we pulled out our long pipes, fitting the sedative darts in we took shots at the mage, seeking to hit their exposed skin with the sleeping poison. They would be the ideal sacrifice after all. Multiple darts went into it, but it kept swinging that strange metal ball, cackling and challenging us as it crushed the skull of a skink that had fallen with the ball, starting to chant again. In desperation a boil covered skink tackled and scratched at the mage, screaming out for Quetzl's blessing. The skink drove its dart into the neck of the rat-mage while clung to it, and they both pitched over, the skink covered by the rat's body. With it not moving I turned to the last threat possible, the cloud of smoke was dissipating, and I saw multiple dead skinks around the dead body of the leather-wearing rat. Its body was among the skinks, their weapons having cut through its defenses and sunk into its body. I took stock of us, three remaining in the group, plus myself. I cursed the rats, and we set about taking care of our dead, burning them as the slann had decreed, especially those who had been diseased by the damnable rat-priest. Then the prisoners. We chained them together, another of the skinks binding the mage and gagging them, making sure even if they woke they would not be able to cast their foul magics. With prisoners in tow we set back to the city, moving swiftly. Sacrifices were needed to end this, victory was sure, we hoped.


    Returning to the city was hard. It took us two days to get there, and another of us had fallen to illness during that time. Rather than going back to the city they went out on their own, planning to take out as many rats as they could before they died. Thus the two of us returned to Chaqua, ten total rats in tow, including the mage. The streets were growing more and more quiet, though I could see the smoke, and could smell the burning bodies in another section of the city, and I felt my hold on the chain tighten, my pace quickening to bring the prisoners to the slann's area. By now some of the rats had woke, and were squeaking, sobbing with fear, beggin us for mercy. Mercy! I hissed at them to be silent, and we brought them before the slann. The slann had erected a new altar, this one decorated with snakes and invoking the name of Sotek. We watched as the Saurus would bring the rats up one by one, burning them alive on the altar to sacrifice them to Sotek. Their screams were terrible, but it gave me hope. We were dismissed, told to wait for others to arrive so we could form up another band to go after the rats, the two remaining skinks of my band, myself and Tocnop. We went our separate ways, to the living areas we had been in. Mine had once held my spawn mates, but now I was alone. I layed down, and let the darkness of sleep overtake me after a time. It was hard, but it was best not to dwell on the silence around me.


    Weeks went by, and things didn't seem to improve. Rats were sacrificed, group after group, but our numbers kept dropping. Fear was gripping me at this point, and I was at this point praying to this new name, Sotek, each night, to deliver us from this doom that was brought upon us. The day that the slann announced they were retreating to the crypts, barely living, and visibly ill, all hope fled me. The Saurus were taking the dead Slann into the crypts, and the few skinks I saw in the city, the ones who had not already succumb were looking dejected at the crypts. One cried out in surprise, and we looked up to the sky, a comet shone brightly, twin-tailed like the tongue of a snake. We heard the doors grinding closed to the crypt shortly after, and knew we were doomed, despite this new sight. Soon though, at the entrance of the city, shouts were heard. Those of us that were remaining grabbed weapons and rushed over, expecting the rats to have taken action against the city, but what we saw gave us pause. A skink was standing, shouting to any who would hear, his red crest standing high. In his left hand he held one of the plaques, and in his right his weapon, proclaiming the sign of Sotek had appeared in the sky. He would lead any who would follow him, to go against the Skaven, and continue the sacrifices to Sotek. Other skinks with the red crests surrounded him, and once again I felt hope wise with me. My weapon in hand I rushed to them, and we soon set out, into the forests, a host of skink warriors with nothing left to lose.


    "The time of Sotek is upon us, we move swiftly, we sacrifice, we do the will of Sotek! So claims Tehenhauin, prophet of Sotek!"
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2019
    Nazqua, Sudsinabucket, Aginor and 5 others like this.
  2. Paradoxical Pacifism
    Skink Chief

    Paradoxical Pacifism Well-Known Member

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    Awesome piece! I felt the dread and the hopeless from Odutl pretty well. The ending was a uplifting relief from it all too.

    Although you have noticed your mistake writing this, no? Once you post in the fluff forum, you never get to go back to the others...


    P.S. i want moar... :p
     
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  3. Sevesh
    Saurus

    Sevesh Well-Known Member

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    Implying I was going to be in the other forums much in general. Jokes aside though, glad you enjoyed!
     
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  4. Scalenex
    Slann

    Scalenex Keeper of the Indexes Staff Member

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    This is the fluff forum. Resistance is futile.
     
  5. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    ALL HAIL SOTEK!!!
     
  6. Aginor
    Slann

    Aginor Fifth Spawning Staff Member

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    Nice job, that was entertaining! :)
     
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  7. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    All those poor skaven.. they have no idea of who's coming for them. :D
     
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