The Silver Moon (Viggy)

[Solus]

An excerpt from a document written on the seventh day of Shallalt from Calmae Amoraad to the Dwarves, sent to whom it may concern of the Black Court.​

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{Formal greeting}

[...] The Calmae has recently been made aware of a cult or group of ferociously anti-Dwarven Vampyres. We have caught word that these cultists might at any time wish to strike against your most noble Black Union. Upon hearing this [...] we send you this letter. We wish to tell the Black Court that we hereby officially renounce any Vampyre that may attack your Black Union, and [...] [Coven] gives you freedom to capture and punish them as you see fit. If execution is the punishment for whatever crime they commit, feel free to do so. As you know, we may be killed by sunlight, and silver kills if pierced by it, viciously burns if touched by it. You are free to be creative with your methods of execution. We only ask that, if they are executed, their names be sent to us for our records. [...] In addition, if you come up with some particularly creative execution, please tell us of it so that we may record it in our Book of Executions - we have a fondness for documenting such matters.

{Salutation and closing}


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Several months later

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Dagon and Matthias ran through the sparsely forested northern mountains, their soft, padded feet making no noise on neither rock nor grass. The two feline Kyr were on a mission - to kill as many Dwarves as they could. In a sense.

They were being very careful about it, as well. They didn’t come from the south, no, that was too obvious. They traveled around the Black Union to cross into its borders from the far northeast so as to appear to come from those nations - especially their home nation from whence their polymorphic original race came from. It was a good cover indeed.

This, this was where their powers in mind control became so very useful - a Dwarf would not even realize he was in danger...not until their fangs were deep in their throats. By then it was far, far too late. They had already killed several scouts, burying their bodies and their weapons as best they could. As this might give the Black Union a route by which to follow, find, and trap them, the two constantly zigzagged, generally moving in a westerly motion, all the while making their way to the capital of the Union they so hated...and so feared.

But they didn’t want to fear them anymore. It was not fair that the Dwarves should have so much silver to their Union’s name. They had come to help in slowly retaking the silver mines - the first, small step. Their success could very well mean the continuation or termination of this campaign.

So they were determined not to fail.

 

[Viggy]

The anonymous Black Chairman smiled behind his mask as he read aloud to the Court the final words of the letter from the Vampyres. The news of the message was definetly bad news, but the Vampyres’ obvious delight in the suffering of others was amusing for the Chairman. He had to hold back his chuckles for fear of breaking the Court’s strict rules of decorum.

The regional representatives were unmasked, but their faces did not look so amused as the hidden face of the Chairman. Some of them spoke out loudly and angrily, saying that the Vampyres were giving them more trouble then help. Other representatives were disgusted by the suggestion of a ‘creative execution’, while yet others thought the Vampyres had the right idea, since these cultists wanted to hurt the Dwarves. Arguments sprouted up and expanded all over the circular underground chamber.

In the end, the various separate debates formed together into one chaotic din of angry yelling. Having seen that happen a hundred thousand times before, the Black Chairman calmly raised his iron mallet and banged it three times on the stone desk. Silence fell almost immediately.

“Who has a suggested action?” he asked soberly. Several hands shot up, and the Chairman called on each in turn. Several representatives gave their ideas and heard rebuttals, and then there were more ideas, on and on for hours. So the debates went, until eventually a few votes were held.

The elected course of action in regards to politics was to take this as an isolated incident, and therefore to maintain the same relationship with the Vampyres. A message was sent to The Coven, telling them that the Black Union thanks them for their vigilance.

In terms of security, the High Black Court’s decision was to create a new unit of the Armed Forces: the Silvermasks. They would recruit the greatest hunters in the Union from the mountain forests and the valleys, and give them new equipment, to be produced immediately in Ur Naldann’s State Foundries. Muskets with silver bullets, silver riding axes, silver chain-mail, and of course the unit’s namesake: silver masks. The Gryphon Riders would train the Silvermasks in the art of flying, and then the Silvermasks would be assigned to their own personal Gryphons. The Gryphons would also be given silver chain-mail, just to be extra safe.

The whole process took about a month, and cost a relatively large amount of resources. But homeland security was the top priority of the Black Union, and so the Court would spare no expense. The treasure vaults had been swelling of late, anyway, what with the opening of trade between the Black Union and their neighbours.

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Before the Silvermasks were even ready to start their hunt, it became obvious that this investment had been sound. Scouts were mysteriously disappearing during their patrols. The disappearances seemed to be constantly heading west. These disappearances began near the border with The Tonath Empire, but all the reports of suspicious sightings in the areas of the disappearances spoke of Kavari, in their feline form. The Vagar Consulate was further east. However, the Vampyres were known to “turn” Kavari, and given the recent news from the Coven, it was presumable that these were Vampyres who had tried to throw the Union off by moving in from the north instead of the south.

Therefore, the Grand Marshall deployed the majority of the Silvermasks to the area west of the last disappearance, spreading them out over a wide berth, shaped like a bowl facing the east - so that even if the mysterious killers veered north or south, they would pass under the winged hunters if they were heading at all west. Some other Silvermasks were sent to the south of the Union, to hunt for any cultists coming up from the Coven.

But the two most elite Silvermasks, Arthrent and Kilrei, were sent directly to the patrol where the last scout had disappeared. They were to look for clues, and try to track the Kyms (if indeed they were Kyms - that was assuming they were right in their assumption that these mysterious killers were Vampyres). They were to try and drive them a into a position where they could be surrounded by the other Silvermasks.

Arthrent was the greatest Bari-catcher in the Black Union. Over many years, his innovative trapping techniques had led to the capture of over five thousand Bari for service in the Armed Forces’ cavalry units. He was held in very high regard for his talented contribution to military efforts, and had earned many awards and medals without even joining the military… Now at last he was officially a soldier.

Kilrei, on the other hand, was known for different game. As a young lad he had been a hunter of bears and giant mountain boars, hunting by himself after the teachings of his late father. In recent years, he had grown older and hunted game no Dwarf had ever dared to go after before: from the giant rock-worms in the deepest tunnels known to Dwarves, to the vicious fire-breathing Wyrms that lurked in the highest cliffs and mountain peaks. He had already been riding a Gryphon for years before he received his training from the Riders. He was something of a folk hero, and had no medals or awards despite his accomplishments as a big-game hunters. This was because the Court saw him as a bit of a wild card. Nonetheless, many regarded him as the most talented hunter in the Silvermasks, even though he was much younger then Arthrent.

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“Feline tracks here…” Kilrei muttered as he stomped through the snow in his heavy boots, cutting aside a bit of underbrush with his silver axe to get a closer look. “Damnit! Just mountain lion tracks, again.”

“Keep looking,” Arthrent grunted.

So they went on down the patrol taken by the scouts, looking for any clue of a struggle, or at least some feline tracks that didn’t belong to bloody mountain lions. But it was useless. The slope of the land rose and fell, and they passed into grasslands. The sun shone down on their faces - they didn’t actually wear their silver masks, as they were uncomfortable and would greatly reduce the hunters’ vision. Those masks were more of a ceremonial possession.

Arthrent kept looking for tracks, while Kilrei whistled for his Gryphon and took to the air, surveying the area with a short telescope. Eventually, he spotted a strange mound among the grass. There was no sign of a struggle, but the mound was definitely an odd sight up in this isolated area of the surface. He descended, and once his Gryphon landed Kilrei jumped off the flying mount and took a shovel off his pack. Digging up the grave, he discovered the body of the scout. It was relatively fresh, that was good. He said a quick prayer for the scout, then whistled for Arthrent.

The older hunter swore when he arrived and saw Kilrei’s discovery. “Lets get him to the nearest base, he needs to have a stone tomb. He’s already suffered dishonour by being buried in loose soil this way… We’ll find the bastards doing this soon,” Arthrent said, taking the body and putting it before him in the saddle. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the stench, he took to the skies.

“I hope so. Think of all the other scouts whose bodies still aren‘t found,” Kilrei muttered, mounting up and following.

 

[Solus]

((Awesome post, Viggy :D))

The Dwarves were getting close. Too close.

They didn't like it.

"They're carrying silver," Dagon whispered, too quietly for anyone to hear unless you were listening with your mind as he slinked out of the cubby they had hidden in for the day.

"You think I don't feel that?" Matthias retorted. "We will just have to be more careful and go a long ways before we feed again. Our trail is becoming too easily tracked," he said, before turning and running southwards, almost perpendicular to the direction they'd been heading before. It was fortunate they had chosen feline Kavari for this job. Their paws were light on the northern snow, leaving as little trace as possible. They were fast and could fit in surprisingly small spaces. And, what's more important, Dagon and Matthias were black of fur. In the night, it would be hard to catch sight of them running through the northern forests that made skirts for the many mountains jutting out of the earth. What's even better is that moonlight bounced around so unpredictably against the jagged mountainsides - perfect for sneaking through the Black Union undetected.

For several nights they ran straight southward before turning to head towards the capital of the Black Union - their goal.

Soon it would be all over.

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A messenger from Coven desired audience with the head of homeland security. He was most definitely a Kavari, as told by his bright yellow, spiky hair and pointed ears. According to the attendant, he, calling himself Suven, wished to help them hunt down the two rogue Vampyres, that that was what he'd been sent here for - that he wished to be sent to where their best trackers were to lend his hunter's nose. After all, the Vampyres didn't want to hurt their alliance in any way - they wished to help the Dwarves in any endeavor they might seek to accomplish.

And Suven was their best hunter.

 

[Viggy]

((Thanks, I was worried I had been too long-winded so I’m glad you liked it ^^ Your posts are awesome as well!))

“Not one sighting, not one new clue - not so much as some tracks. They’re ghosts,” Kilrei grumbled with an air of defeat. The two Dwarven hunters were at the nearest military outpost, having flown here and delivered the body of the unfortunate scout. Now they were sitting in a low-ceilinged cave, huddled over a stone table with maps spread out on it. The patrol lines where scouts had disappeared during their rounds were outlined in red, and the one spot where they had found a body was marked with a black dot. The maps were not bringing any revelations or epiphanies to the hunters, and this was becoming a headache.

“Maybe they’ll be caught by the watch we set to the west… Or at least spotted!” Arthrent replied.

“Yes, maybe... For stone’s sake, we’re working with Gryphons! The most keen-eyed creatures in the world are with us! And we’re still not even catching a glimpse of the murderers,” Kilrei went on pessimistically.

“They’re Vampyres. They almost definitely travel by night, The Gryphons can spot a mouse from miles up in the sky, but only if there’s light to see it by,” the older hunter pointed out.

“So… what sees in the dark?”

At that moment, one of the guards entered the cave. “Sirs! Someone here to see you sirs, sent by the Grand Marshall himself.”

“Send him in,” Kilrei said simply.

“Er…” The guard shuffled uncomfortably. “He can’t really get in… You’ll need to greet him in the tall-hall.”

Both hunters blinked in surprise. The tall-hall was the main above-ground part of a Dwarven outpost's fort. These rooms always had a gateway to the surface, as well as high ceilings: so that taller races could meet with Dwarves inside. So the fact that they had to meet this man there meant that he was either freakishly tall for a Dwarf, or not a Dwarf at all. What was going on didn't dawn on the hunters until they reached the tall-hall and saw Suven.

“Do you have any information about the fugitives?” Kilrei asked immediately. The young hunter assumed that because this was a Kavari Vampyre, he had come with information on the Kavari Vampyres they were hunting.

Arthrent shook his head at his fellow Silvermask, making Kilrei blink in confusion. “He doesn't bring information, but he brings himself. I know a fellow hunter when I see one,” the old Dwarf declared. He turned to Suven. “The Coven sent you to help us in the hunt, didn’t they? Glad to have you. We’re not finding these fellows easy to track," he said, smiling wryly.

 

[Solus]

((Aw, thank you. ^-^))

"We're not supposed to be," he replied gruffly. "Suven," he said, referring to himself. He wasn't really one for introductions.

Who better to catch a thief than a thief? So better still to send a Vampyre after a Vampyre. The Vampyres had excellent nightvision, for one - after all, it was the only vision they had. And this Vampyre was especially skilled in stealth and reconnaissance. And, being a Vampyre, hunting was not merely a skill, it was a way of life; and as such, it could be perfected to an art and, of course, thoroughly enjoyed. Suven was a master of the hunt. He had hunted down many lives before, and he planned on living to hunt down many many more.

Not only to feed did he hunt, but also to bring justice. He had often hunted down swans before - traitorous Vampyres. The thought of a Vampyre betraying Coven often fueled his hunt. No matter if a Vampyre was freshly Turned or not - once you were a Vampyre there was no changing it - to betray Coven was to die, and die very slowly and painfully.

Suven looked down at the Dwarves, one eyebrow cocked. Such a short people. And yet Coven was so dependent on their alliance with them. It's just as well. For the moment.

He crossed his arms and relaxed himself. At least the rogues were giving the Vampyres a good name when it came to stealth. Not a total loss here.

"Where were they last seen?" he asked, shuffling around again. He always felt much more comfortable in his wolf form - having to deal with being a biped was not his thing, but he could not communicate with any others besides his own kind in it. A necessary evil, thus.

 

[Viggy]

Suven didn’t seem comfortable. Perhaps it was the fact that they were underground, a lot of the other races seemed to prefer the surface. But it didn’t really matter, Suven went straight to business and the two Dwarves appreciated that greatly.

“I’m afraid there haven’t even been any confirmed sightings - just speculation and sketchy reports from farmers and the like. Always talking about two big cats, who are apparently headed west. The reports always come from the same area of mysterious disappearances, which have been ongoing for a while now. Scouts going missing on their patrols. Today we found a scout's body, no more then a day or two old, buried in the valley to the south of here. We’ve got many of our fellow Silvermasks - which are Vampyre-hunters, if you'll pardon that expression - waiting to the west of that spot, with Gryphons. So if the killers maintain their course, then hopefully they’re walking into our trap right now and will be caught. But if not, then we’re stumped. We’ve found no way to actually track them," Arthrent explained.

"Ur Naldann is in the west. It seems like that's just the last place they'd want to go, as the capital area is very heavily patrolled by the Gryphon Riders. And yet it seems to be just where they're going," Kilrei added.

 

[Solus]

"Hm," Suven said, leaning back. Only a few days old, huh? "Take me to where you found the body," he said, knowing he could pick up their trail by scent if it was that recent. Being a Kureman had its advantages.

((Sorry it's so short. :())

 

[Viggy]

((Sometimes there’s lots to say, sometimes there’s not. Don’t worry about it! :3 ))

“As you wish,” Arthrent said with a nod, going to the outpost’s gate and stepping outside. Kilrei and Suven followed.

The outpost’s above-ground gate opened into a low crag of the mountains. The three hunters had to climb about ninety feet on a well-made (but still very dangerous) stair, which was carved into a cliff. Arthrent reflected to himself that it was a particularly dangerous trip for Suven, as the steps were short and small, designed for Dwarves. But then, the Dwarf couldn’t be sure if Vampyres even died when they fell a great height. They were very mysterious creatures. And besides, Suven did not fall. If anything his balance was greater then that of the Dwarves.

When they reached the top of the cliff, Arthrent and Kilrei led the way to yet another wall of rock. They pushed on one of many off-coloured spots in the stone, and the rock grinded and shifted away, to reveal a cave. They led Suven inside, the rock grinding shut again behind them, and they walked through many twisting tunnels that constantly climbed upward. The Dwarves muttered memorized directions in their own language, turning left and then right and then right again, on and on until they turned a corner and abruptly found themselves in the moonlight again. They were very high up now, on a narrow shelf among the towering mountains, and the air was thin. Three Gryphons were sitting on nests of branches and bones.

Arthrent gestured for Suven to climb up onto the largest of the flying creatures, then climbed up onto the second. Kilrei mounted the other. “Hang on tight,” Arthrent grunted to Suven, then gave a gentle word to his Gryphon, who took off immediately with Kilrei’s and Suven's mounts following. Normally the hunters chatted with the Gryphons as they rode, but it was something of a secret that the proud avian beasts were capable of speech, so this ride was a silent one thanks to Suven's presence.

When they touched down in the valley, Kilrei led the way to the grave he had dug up. Both Dwarves watched Suven intently, hoping coming back here with him would shed some new light and hope on their mission.

 

[Solus]

((Thank you. :) I hope by "sunlight" in your post you mean "moonlight," otherwise you just RPed Suven's death. :p))

Suven followed the dwarves through their labyrinthine city, through passages hidden in the rocks. It was very interesting to see how the dwarves built their towns. It would be useful to know.

Throughout most of his travel, however, he wanted to switch to his wolf form, but he decided against it. For one, he didn't want to startle them or make them think he was planning anything, for another, being taller made him feel superior. Besides, at the moment he didn't need to switch to being a wolf, not unless the passages got shorter, then he would have to to fit, but as it was, it didn't, so he didn't bother.

When they finally were again out in the fresh night air, Suven relaxed. It was a refreshing thing, the wild air. Not that he could breathe it, but he could feel the gentle breeze. He didn't know whether the breeze was warm or cool, he just felt it. That was all he could feel now.

Following the dwarves, he mounted a Gryphon, a separate one, as if he and a dwarf got on the same one the Gryphon might have trouble carrying them. While he preferred walking to flying, it was a much faster mode of travel, so he'd give the Gryphon as little trouble as possible.

He did follow the dwarf's advice in hanging on, though. Though Suven could not be killed or even hurt by falling any distance, it was for one not a comfortable thing and would be a bother, as he would have to wait for the Gryphon come down and mount it again.

The ride lasted a few uneventful hours before the lead dwarf's descent, which his own Gryphon followed until they'd touched down miles northward and east of where they began. Upon landing, Suven shook his head to relax himself and settle his hair back in about the right place - it felt a bit odd to have it sticking out in all directions.

After dismounting and following the dwarves to the "grave," Suven finally allowed himself to get into "the zone." He immediately switched to the form of a large wolf, at the head barely taller than the dwarves, large and golden. He trotted over to the grave and began snuffling around for anything vaguely Vampyrish.

Most of the smell was of dwarf - rotting dwarf, he might add - and was of no use. The smell of dwarf was very overpowering, but he kept sniffing. It was hard when he had no specific scent to follow or to look for. He'd just have to pay attention for the Vampyric scent, which was fairly distinctive. Hard to describe, but nonetheless distinctive. He continued to sniff around until he began upturning a bit of the earth that had been dug up to unearth the dwarf - though it mostly did smell like rotting dwarf, he could pick up the vague scent of something else At last, something to go on, he thought, sniffing harder and digging a bit - they must have spent some time here burying the dwarf.

Embedding that smell deep in his memory, he began snuffling around the site for other traces of that smell. Suddenly, his vigorous pacing, nose to the ground, halted as he picked up something. Following that, he picked up the pace for about twenty meters to a large, full bush. He continued to sniff, the scent was very strong here. Sniffing around the ground, he began to instinctively dig, and after a foot or so he came across another body of a dwarf the pair had evidently buried - this time much better and covered by a bush.

Ugh, and he stank, too.

He sneezed and backed off as he let the dwarves investigate.

 

[Viggy]

((Lol, woops… made some edits to that post to fix it *nodnod*))

The two hunters gaped for a few seconds as Suven transformed into a great gold-furred wolf. They had heard about that ability, but had never actually seen it happen before. Nonetheless they quickly recovered from their awe, and they stood by while the Kavari Vampyre snuffled around the empty pit that had briefly housed a Dwarf. He seemed to have found something, so the hunters followed him toward some bushes. There, both swore violently as Suven unearthed yet another scout’s body.

“Those bastards,” Kilrei snarled, lifting the body and putting it atop his Gryphon. He tied the corpse down tightly, and patted the Gryphon’s haunch to send it home with the grim delivery. Kilrei would have to ride the same Gryphon as Arthrent now, but it would have been an abomination to leave the corpse out here, and it wasn't as if they could carry it around with them on their hunt. Besides, the older Dwarf was pretty light.

Speaking of Arthrent, the white-bearded hunter was hunched over the area of the burial. The wind had blown the snow about and lost them any tracks the rogue Vampyres might have left. Once more, they were too late to find these criminals by traditional methods.

“Can you smell which way they went after burying our comrades?” Arthrent asked Suven.

 

[Solus]

((:D))

What do you think I'm here for? Suven thought with a mental eyeroll. He hoped all Dwarves weren't this dim.

With a slow stretch as he got up, he began snuffling around, sniffing hard for the track of that distinct smell - pair of smells, actually, but, still - so that his nose was half in the snow in search. At last he seemed to find something as he paced around, and he snuffled harder for confirmation. Upon finding it, he took off, nose close to the ground to take quick sniffs here and there to doublecheck, first trotting, then running along as he got the gist of their travels, still sniffing around to make sure.

Suddenly, however, he stopped, having lost the trail. Severely annoyed, he once again began sniffing around for it. They hadn't covered their trail - the dwarves didn't use hounds as a rule and they weren't counting on a Kureman like Suven so that couldn't have been it - they just must have changed direction, and in his hurry he passed the turning point.

After a few minutes, though, he once again found it - they had a made a sharp southward turn - and once more he began to run - well, trot - the dwarves had to keep up, after all.

After a few hours tracking, he finally came upon a hotspot - a little cave that was just brimming with their scent. They must have stayed here for the day a few days before to avoid the sunlight. There was a trail leading out and still southward, but he wanted to investigate the cave quickly. Besides that, in a few hours the sun would rise and he would have to change into his cloak to survive.

"You know of this cave?" he said, quickly switching back to his humanoid form to speak. After all, if this was a mine, there could be many casualties inside. Especially if it was privately owned, then no one would notice it had been raided. If this was a home, it was likely anyone inside was long dead.