Aloria Story Progression Burning The Black Tower

The recently announced secret mission sign-ups were rounded up in Regalia and put on a boat to the front lines of the Elven war, on the Kade front. The participants speculated for hours what their mission would actually entail. Some speculated, because of the descriptions of aerial combat, that they were going to test out a new experimental airship. Some had even brought along airship manuals and practiced for the potential rough movements of an airship in combat, but none could be quite as well prepared for their actual purpose. When arriving in Daendroc, the participants all mounted a number of carriages and horses which moved along a supply train to the actual front. The distance made was quite long, several dozens of miles had to be made on foot, while others could be ridden over old Elven Empire roads that had become overgrown. During their transit, some Elven scouts were encountered, but no actual combat was seen by the supply train. Towards the end of the first leg, for the last five miles or so, quite some distance overhead, the participants were welcomed by the thunderous clapping of wings. It was the Imperial Dragon that circled overhead. Perhaps to some, their mission was now more clear to them, however to others, the fact that they had now truly reached the front line had started sinking in. Indeed, both sides of the roads were littered with both wounded soldiers, triage tents and corpse piles alike. It was very evident that whatever battle had been fought here, had been fought hard, and many Regalians lost their lives in what seemed to be a standstill.

When the supply train came to a stop, the participants were greeted by the local field Marshal and the officer staff, while they surveyed the area. It was a valley of sorts, where all the trees had either been cut down, though it was more accurate to say that they seemed blown down. Several barrages of cannons heralded the passage of time as they were led through the camp, shooting explosive rounds at a large tower-like structure on the horizon. Due to the smoke and impact of the explosives, the full shape of the tower was hard to make out, but those who did wager a glance could easily make out its eery design. A frail thin tower with a black stone color and strange spikes sticking out of the stonework. Near the top, a variety of purple and blue lights danced back and forth, a ghostly yet undoubtedly magical display. The Field Marshal referred to the tower as a Void Well Tower, explaining that the Elven frontline had finally met up with the Kathar legions. Before them stood a tower filled with heretical magics and vile contraptions aimed to channel void Energies into the mages present. Certainly, this knowledge made the clearing in the area all the more evident: Magic had been used to burn down the trees and singe the Regalian soldiers to charred corpses. Craters with eery purple fogs remained behind, miasma too poisonous for any mortal man to approach without the cleansing Magics of a Mage nearby.

It was here that the Field Marshal explained that the mission was in fact an attempt to tackle the first Void Well Tower that the Regalian Empire had encountered, with an aerial assault. He explained, while the Imperial Dragon circled overhead high in the sky, occasionally bellowing a roar which could be heard for miles, that the participants would be using the Imperial Dragon to deliver a fast and powerful strike on the tower from the sky, as a ground assault had resulted in huge disproportionate casualties for the Regalian side. Perhaps it was in this moment that the participants realized that they weren’t going to ride an airship into battle, but actually the Imperial Dragon. With the call of a horn, the Dragon was called down to greet the participants, doing so with swiftness and a large gust of warm air as it descended in a clearing in front of them. The Imperial Dragon could obviously not speak, but the same judgemental look that its humanoid form was always privy to appeared all the same. The Field Marshal then started explaining the course of action.

The first group, Group A, would be in charge of crafting the Imperial Dragon’s harness that would be used to mount the riders on its back and sides. A forge nearby was made available to them, while large quantities of leather and cloth were supplied for security belts and strappings. Immediately, Jared Kade, Nikkidroth Bristlemaille and Julian Fournier went to work instructing the smithy apprentices on their initial design. Eleanore von Rahm was in charge of the belts and security attachments, leading a group of weavers to design a strong cloth and leather weave used to hold everything in place. The smiths went for a light design, with a caveat. It was by Jared’s unconventional design plan that the harnass which was to be mounted on the Dragon should be as light as possible, so light in fact that some hooks of the armor had to sacrifice a skeleton structure in favor of metal hooks imbedded into the Dragon’s flesh. There was some hesitancy about this plan, but eventually it was agreed upon by the other smiths, and they started the production of the lightweight chassis. The Dragon relented, even at the prospect of being in constant pain, everyone agreed that maneuverability and flexibility to unexpected circumstances was paramount. Jared continued to mount the hooks into the Dragon’s shoulder and back, while Eleanore von Rahm finished the first sets of cloth attachments and straps. Nikkidroth Bristlemaille and Julian Fournier would continue to make the delivery cage, an attachment that the Dragon was meant to carry up to the tower with a select few soldiers inside who would assault the tower from about halfway up the staircase to avoid the defences at the bottom.

Meanwhile, Robert Carwell had been called in to provide architectural assistance. His job was to analyze the structure before them and calculate, if the structure did not defy gravity and Alorian physics, where the structural weak points would be to cause it to collapse. More specifically, he was taked with determining where the explosive black powder should be placed to cause a chain-reaction in the collapse of the tower, and what window of opportunity the participants would have to escape. Eventually, a plan was decided upon, and now it was up to the participants to engage in a practice round with the Dragon. One by one, members were hoisted onto the Dragon to engage in a test run, though two of the ranged warriors were eliminated off the bat. Alphonse Garrison and Vhilomir Kade would find out that using an Anglian Bow on a moving surface was practically impossible. The slow drawing speed of such a bow meant that their aim was horribly off, and they could not even properly string the bow with their legs wide apart from each other.

Others who were given a try had mixed results. Of the ranged crew, Edmure Howlester, Taliandra Jouhari and Alazael Sakiyiko could not control their stomach and were deposited back on the ground with sea sickness, which eventually resulted in them regurgitating their day’s meals. They were unfortunately not capable of maintaining their calmness while in flight on the Dragon, and were as such not suitable. Of the assault crew, only Ernesta d’Vaud, Julius Peirgarten, Yvette Viduggla, Markolf Siegward and Reyes Velasquez were able to contain their nerve. They would become the five headed assault crew mounted in the flying cage to be delivered to the tower’s middle section. There were however unfortunate accidents as well. Alexander Amsel and Camilla Caladwen made a very unfortunate landing on the trest flight, severely spraining their ankle and being unable to participate in the assault. Brand Norrvakt ended up even worse, losing his grip on the way down and falling face forward off the Dragon. His nose was badly broken and bleeding, thus making is impossible for him to participate. For the ranged support group, Keltie Ledsarge, who registered as a Firewave Mage, Merilya Jouhari, who also registered as a Firewave Mage were chosen as the flank shooters. Christopher Black only barely managed to contain his stomach when trying out for the test run, but since Charles de Nodier had an outstanding warrant against him in Regalia, was the only Military Theorist left who could fill the role of Caller, the person in charge of maintaining battlefield awareness and communicate this information to the Imperial Dragon as it needed to maneuver through the air. The highest scoring of all, was Haelmir de Catlanio, the only Avanthar on the participation list. His skill in the Recurve Bow, as well as his history as a horse rider made him an absolute natural when it came to riding the Imperial Dragon through the air, even capable of withstanding some of the more aggressive maneuvers like aerial loops and high pressure ascent and descent, while still being able to shoot his bow with relative accuracy. With all the teams assembled, the plan was given the go-ahead signal.

When the harness was properly mounted, Haelmir took the front position on the shoulders of the Dragon, strapped down by his legs on either side, while Christopher Black sat behind him, less comfortable capable of moving around, but secured more tightly in a sleeping-bag like device that would ensure he was capable of not having to worry about falling out of the harness and watch the battlefield around him. He was in a perfect position to give Haelmir orders by tapping him on the back, who would transfer the orders to the Imperial Dragon with his heels. Merilya and Keltie were both secured in pouches under the Dragon’s wings on its sides, safely restrained so they could not fall out, but had enough free movement with their hands to be able to cast their Elemental Magic. They were drilled for about half an hour on how to avoid casting fire against the Dragon’s wings, timing their casting correctly to avoid damaging their mode of flight. The others who were to assault the tower proper were all secured inside the cage, and Dragon started taking off, slowly at first due to the increased weight, but steadily once the weight had settled. The Dragon groaned under the pulling hooks imbedded in its flesh, with the smiths mildly concerned about the Dragon’s fatigue taking over because of the pain, but the Marshal assured all parties that the Dragon felt this was the right way to go about it, and before long, the Dragon started ascending.

As the ascent became faster and faster, the wind started picking up, shaking the assault cage back and forth. Eleanore’s belts held fast, causing discomfort, but not outright panic. Below them, an ongoing assault was seen from above, a perspective not many had seen before. Small groups of soldiers marched forward, beams and bolts of purple fire shooting from the Void Well Tower at the soldiers underneath, their battle cries carried far into the wind. The whole experience was surreal to some, fighting to others, but no doubt the most exhilarating experience of Haelmir’s life, riding a beast so large, the wind so furious, and the wide open sky around him as they ascended.

Before long, the Dragon had reached the necessary descent height, from where it started gliding towards the tower. By now, mages were visible on the Void Well, who had started casting magic at the Dragon in attempt to take it down. The Dragon’s wings received a couple of blows from the purple fire, but it continued along, while Merilya and Keltie cast their Fire Magic to deflect incoming Void Fire aimed at the cage suspended below the Dragon, keeping the warriors safe and perfectly timing their magical operations. Haelmir meanwhile took potshots at the mages above, missing most arrows, but occasionally hitting one or two, followed by the satisfying spectacle of a screeching Kathar mage plummeting down the tower.

When the assault landing started, the cage was roughly desposited on a ledge, causing the door to roughly swing open, and the occupants to move out, weapons drawn. Immediately, combat was met, though not all transitioned as smoothly as intended. The cage which was light, was too tightly attached to the Dragon who had trouble severing the ropes from its claws. The cage was dragged back as the Dragon attempted to gain altitude, causing the surface to slide away from Ernesta d’Vaud, who subsequently toppled over the edge. Merilya quickly reacted by using her Fire Magic to sever the connections to the Cage, while the Dragon dropped a few dozen meters to catch Ernesta as she fell. While this maneuver was successful, the Dragon’s claws could not avoid slashing Ernesta in the panic, causing severe lacerations in her sides. Ernesta was hoisted back up and put on the outcropping the other warriors had secured, while Katrina c’Aelrith stayed with her to protect the wounded Ernesta from Kathar assault.

With the warriors deposited, the Dragon took flight again in a circular pattern around the tower, the mages exchanging Fire Magic with the Void Flame Magic, while Haelmir kept taking potshots. Christopher Black occasionally beckoned for a change in direction or speed, depending on the positioning of the Kathar ranged weapons below to avoid arrows from reaching the Dragon. Occasionally the Dragon would also swoop past the tower, using its tail to strike Kathar off the building with a sweeping motion, all meant as support for the warriors who breached the tower below. The Dragon circled the tower like a hungry shark, rising, diving, sideways, upside down and with great speed and adrenaline.

Yvette Viduggla, Markolf Siegward and Reyes Velasquez cut their way through the Kathar guards of the buildings, depositing the explosives at the spot designated by Robert Carwell, before lighting the gunpowder fuse. Their retreat was hectic, especially since they now had a wounded partner. They arrived just in time to save Katrina and Ernesta, who had been cornered by several Kathar, Katrina who had her shoulder stabbed by a spear and was just barely holding them back from Ernesta who was incapacitated on the floor. With the Kathar dispatched, they used a torch signal with colored smoke to alert Christopher Black of the retreat call, which the Dragon heeded. Ernesta was put in the side pouch together with Keltie, while the others were attached with cloth harnesses to the Dragon’s back along with Haelmir. The Dragon then dove with wings to the back to gain momentous momentum, clearing the distance between them and the tower quickly before the explosives went off. The explosives on the inside were muffled, but had been secured to support pillars which were essential in the thinnest part of the tower. Indeed, as Carwell had speculated, the stonework started collapsing in on itself, the subsequent weight of each floor above it collapsing onto the next, causing a chain reaction. With a large purple flame, the tower went down, with cheering of the crowd below.

By the time the Dragon eventually landed and the healers were quick on the scene to provide medical assistance, it was obvious that everyone was worn out. The Mages had practically passed out from magical exhaustion, and the Dragon had been bleeding all over them from the hooks attached in its flesh. The Void Well Tower had been destroyed however, and the Regalian Cavalry quickly charged in to deal with the Kathar who had now started fleeing the scene. The battle was a success, though it had obviously taken a great toll. The Dragon eventually shifted back into Human form and was carried, quite unconscious, into the officer staff tend by a couple of Kade Guards who quickly rushed him out of view.

The participants in the assault were provided medical assistance where required and given a good cleaning while the army marched on. While the other combatants had not been chosen to participate, they still assisted in the ground assault. Alazael and Taliandra, despite puking, still participated in the ground assault to keep the soldiers safe with Fire Magic. Edmure Howlester assisted the officer staff with military theory. Siselle Haagenvig, Darius Silevon, Edair Wulfhelm, Mateo da Silva, Maximus Krupp, Alfred Rolfe and Mort Vanderberg-Hal all participated in the final battle on the ground, cleaning up after the Dragon-crew’s actions. Vhilomir Kade and Alphonse Garrison also joined the skirmishers who provided ground support for the Dragon assault with their Anglian Longbows. Eventually, everyone was put back on a boat back to Regalia, one experience richer, and some would hope viable for repetition.

Rolls provided by @Freema, my impartial random.org assistant. These single mission objectives will become more frequent in tandem with the Kade Frontline. The "Kehlen Frontline" will continue to feature major battles with dozens of player participants, while the "Kade Frontline" will feature more small-scale missions in tandem with the Imperial Dragon and the Dragon Knights.