A Different Kind of Villainy
May 26, 2020 15:04:05 GMT
Varis/G'Lorth/Sundilar, Pieni, and 2 more like this
Post by andycd on May 26, 2020 15:04:05 GMT
If Zariel was a different kind of villain, she would have thoughtfully moved a piece on a chessboard as she strode about her luxurious hideout, playing against an unseen opponent in a game too complex to comprehend.
If Zariel was a different kind of villain (and this may seem a little more on-brand), she would have laughed maniacally on a balcony as her plan finally came together in her mind, thunder crashing overhead with lightning illuminating her silhouette as she arched her face towards the tumultuous sky.
Zariel was not that kind of villain though, and so her grand scheme to make a vital gain in the eternal Blood War came not in her lair but on the battlefield. She was waist deep in a dead Balor’s entrails, holding off the mighty cleaver of a second with her warhammer Matalotok, when an idea that had been fermenting for a few weeks now fell into place in her mind. Her head tilted to the side as she looked up at the fiery visage in front of her and grinned.
“That could work.”
==
After the routing of the demonic horde, a task hellish in its monotony, the Archduke was careful to not immediately fly off, staying for the customary promotions and demotions of the devils who had fought well or poorly, extolling and rebuking in equal measure. No change in routine could be seen by any lingering spies on the battlefield.
Finally, back in her private chambers across the plane in her tower and palace, Zariel reached out a hand and summoned one of the latest Soul Coins to reach her treasury, the searing black disc floating out of nowhere to land in her cold palm.
“Repeat your story,” she demanded. “Tell me why you bartered away your soul.”
A wispy, trembling voice began to speak softly from the coin. “She promised me the power of dragons. I was to be feared across Kundar, the Scorching Badlands and ultimately the entire continent of Kantas! But instead I just got -”
Zariel waved a hand and the voice fell silent again as the great Archduke thought, staring across the room at a large map of the multiverse being held up by a couple of Lemures. Then she turned back to the coin and waved her hand once more. “And this ‘Kantas’ you speak of, is on Abeir-Toril?”
“Of… of course, Archduke. Where else could it be?”
Her eyes flared and the coin melted in her grasp, the soul screaming in agony as it was burned to vapor along with it. “Do not talk back to me,” she said to the empty air now, absentmindedly, her thoughts still on the map.
A few minutes later there was a scraping at the door. The door was opened by a servant in chains to reveal a humanoid fiend, her winged form clad in well-fitted blue suit trousers and a silk shirt. She dropped to a knee and bowed as low as she could manage. “You summoned me, Zariel the Overwhelming.” It was a novel title, and one designed to flatter.
The Archduke ignored it. “You brought the kobold’s soul from the land of Kantas,” she stated and pointed to a second map - this one of the world of Toril. “Point to this location on the map.”
The succubus cocked her head curiously, but nodded in obedience immediately and stepped up to the parchment. “That was the curious thing, your Grace. I have been to this world many times but never before to a place by this name. I took the opportunity to do a little digging for personal curiosity, and found precious little to aid me. Do not worry though, I know a little of navigating by stars.” She laughed, viciously. “Sailors do get so desperately lonely at sea - and looking at the sky above Kundar I would place it here.” She pointed at a spot in the middle of a large expanse of blue, nowhere near any other land.
Zariel stepped forward, towering over the well dressed fiend. “People have sailed those seas for centuries and not found a hidden continent. You are certain this is where it is?”
“Your Grace, I would never claim to be an expert navigator, but to the best of my understanding that should be its exact location, and has somehow remained hidden for untold centuries.”
Zariel smiled. “Perfect. You have served well, fiend. Die in glory.”
==
A few moments later, as the ash fell to floor, Zariel reached out and caught the map of Toril before it fell to the ground. The succubus and the lemures were vaporised - a necessary precaution. She brushed herself off, and walked back to her desk to begin writing.
If this ‘Kantas’ was what she thought it was, then it was perfect. The Blood War was thought to be eternal, but only because people thought they could see all the pieces. A new part of the board had opened up though, and with the Devil’s own luck she was the only one who knew of it. It would take centuries, but she had nothing if not time.
As she glanced out of her tower down to the courtyard where a number of troops of devils were preparing themselves for the next battle, a platoon of a thousand minotaurs practicing complex formations, and her smile broadened still further.
“That could work.”
If Zariel was a different kind of villain (and this may seem a little more on-brand), she would have laughed maniacally on a balcony as her plan finally came together in her mind, thunder crashing overhead with lightning illuminating her silhouette as she arched her face towards the tumultuous sky.
Zariel was not that kind of villain though, and so her grand scheme to make a vital gain in the eternal Blood War came not in her lair but on the battlefield. She was waist deep in a dead Balor’s entrails, holding off the mighty cleaver of a second with her warhammer Matalotok, when an idea that had been fermenting for a few weeks now fell into place in her mind. Her head tilted to the side as she looked up at the fiery visage in front of her and grinned.
“That could work.”
==
After the routing of the demonic horde, a task hellish in its monotony, the Archduke was careful to not immediately fly off, staying for the customary promotions and demotions of the devils who had fought well or poorly, extolling and rebuking in equal measure. No change in routine could be seen by any lingering spies on the battlefield.
Finally, back in her private chambers across the plane in her tower and palace, Zariel reached out a hand and summoned one of the latest Soul Coins to reach her treasury, the searing black disc floating out of nowhere to land in her cold palm.
“Repeat your story,” she demanded. “Tell me why you bartered away your soul.”
A wispy, trembling voice began to speak softly from the coin. “She promised me the power of dragons. I was to be feared across Kundar, the Scorching Badlands and ultimately the entire continent of Kantas! But instead I just got -”
Zariel waved a hand and the voice fell silent again as the great Archduke thought, staring across the room at a large map of the multiverse being held up by a couple of Lemures. Then she turned back to the coin and waved her hand once more. “And this ‘Kantas’ you speak of, is on Abeir-Toril?”
“Of… of course, Archduke. Where else could it be?”
Her eyes flared and the coin melted in her grasp, the soul screaming in agony as it was burned to vapor along with it. “Do not talk back to me,” she said to the empty air now, absentmindedly, her thoughts still on the map.
A few minutes later there was a scraping at the door. The door was opened by a servant in chains to reveal a humanoid fiend, her winged form clad in well-fitted blue suit trousers and a silk shirt. She dropped to a knee and bowed as low as she could manage. “You summoned me, Zariel the Overwhelming.” It was a novel title, and one designed to flatter.
The Archduke ignored it. “You brought the kobold’s soul from the land of Kantas,” she stated and pointed to a second map - this one of the world of Toril. “Point to this location on the map.”
The succubus cocked her head curiously, but nodded in obedience immediately and stepped up to the parchment. “That was the curious thing, your Grace. I have been to this world many times but never before to a place by this name. I took the opportunity to do a little digging for personal curiosity, and found precious little to aid me. Do not worry though, I know a little of navigating by stars.” She laughed, viciously. “Sailors do get so desperately lonely at sea - and looking at the sky above Kundar I would place it here.” She pointed at a spot in the middle of a large expanse of blue, nowhere near any other land.
Zariel stepped forward, towering over the well dressed fiend. “People have sailed those seas for centuries and not found a hidden continent. You are certain this is where it is?”
“Your Grace, I would never claim to be an expert navigator, but to the best of my understanding that should be its exact location, and has somehow remained hidden for untold centuries.”
Zariel smiled. “Perfect. You have served well, fiend. Die in glory.”
==
A few moments later, as the ash fell to floor, Zariel reached out and caught the map of Toril before it fell to the ground. The succubus and the lemures were vaporised - a necessary precaution. She brushed herself off, and walked back to her desk to begin writing.
If this ‘Kantas’ was what she thought it was, then it was perfect. The Blood War was thought to be eternal, but only because people thought they could see all the pieces. A new part of the board had opened up though, and with the Devil’s own luck she was the only one who knew of it. It would take centuries, but she had nothing if not time.
As she glanced out of her tower down to the courtyard where a number of troops of devils were preparing themselves for the next battle, a platoon of a thousand minotaurs practicing complex formations, and her smile broadened still further.
“That could work.”