Prelude of war

[torugor]

One year...one year have passed since Upir arrived in this islands. When he left the mainland he had great hopes. It was a dream what caused his travel...a dream of glory and prosperity. A dream he interpreted as given by Tempus himself and it wa enough. Enough for Upir to leave his old life as an acolyte to the tempuran church and come to this new land to become a priest. And so he did. He came, he prospered and became a strong cleric. But while this island was good for training it seemed at the same time all wrong.

One year...and no war. No conflict. Some savage orcs near Cordor, some bugbears...crows nest had a small village of yuan-ti closed by and the desert had even more orcs close. But having only one big walled city in the entire island meant there was no other power to oppose Cordor and no other power means no conflict...no war. Peace enraged Upir as there is no space for a tempuran in a world of peace. And so one year after his arrival Upir felt lost again. He was strong but he had no clue how to please his god.

And so he left for one more day of training in the desert. A writ to kill orcs in the sands...savages that would never build a real army not that it mattered. Sibayad was a small settlement that no-one would care if were destroyed by the orcs anyway. But it was good training and good money. Money to build a church of Tempus....a church for a god of war in a place of peace. Damn this was stupid.

Upir reached the orc camp and started calling Tempus`s blessings to be prepared for the battles. Those were savages but strong savages. After being completelly immersed on holy powers granted by his deity, Upir went foward towards the desert with a fire elemental by his side. All was going well, orcs being killed one after the other as he did many times completing this writ. Upir then saw one of the orcs running away from his elemental. Fear....fear of death were present in his eyes. Tempus have only one thing to give to the coward...death. So Upir went running after the last orc, his eyes filled with rage and disgust while he saw the orc passing behind a dune.

Upir reached the top of the dune and looked around...no sign of the orc. He walked down with caution having his elemental by his side. As he walked down he started screaming for the orc to get out of his hiding place.

-Come out you coward and face Tempus`s wrath. If you come quickly i will make it quick...if i have to find you in this sands your death will be slow and painful. It is your choice!!

Upir reached the bottom of the dune and looked around at the surroundings....dunes everywhere and sand...an no sign of the orc....and the drums started. Drums and orc faces showing up in the top of the dunes. Upir was surrounded and he knew he was in a trap. He smiled and clapped.

- It is fun how war is...Even us priests must be always ready for the chaos that comes from the battlefield. I praise you for this strategy...really I do..shows you are more than savages. Only problem is i am not going to fall without fighting!!! Come here you all and tonight i will fill this sands with your blood!!!

That was not only a threat to the enemies...but also a curse the hit one of the dunes and paralized their warriors as Upir ordered his elemental to move towards the smaller dune together and that day...he would die...but die fighting.

With this new axe in hands upir decided the best option was to go defensive, holding most hits with his shield while the elemental attacked. And so he did, holding 6 orcs against him most blades couldn`t pass his defense and he felt the smell of burning fresh while the elemental did his part. One orc was down his face melting with the fire in the desert but the orcs on the other dunes noticed the strategy and attacked the elemental. Three heavy hits and the elemental screamed in the desert almost dead. His last act was to explode in fire taking 2 other orcs with him.

Upir looked around. 5 in front, 3 remaining from the ones that came to the elemental and the curse would not hold forever...he was going to die there...alone in the desert. No temple built...nothing from the dream accomplished...and that enraged him. He called for his battletide blessing and felt enraged....enraged enough to jump against all those orcs and fight like he never did before.

In the first stike the axe went deep into the orc`s face. Another orc tried to pierce upir`s armor but the divine power inside him protected his fresh. The axe left from the first orc and passed through the neck of another one spilling blood all over their foes. the orcs went back worried....fear in their eyes..Upir was possessed.

That is the glory of war...when the blood pumps twice as fast inside, the fear becomes frenzy. Everybody move slowly and the axe comes down with twice the strength. This frenzy allowed upir to jump toward the biggest orc in the field and dodge his blade a few inches before it cutted him in half. This frenzy allowed upir to see the opening after the orc`s blow, hit hard his shield against the other, notice the blade was retuning and dodge again only to thrust his own axe down in the big orc`s leg, slicing it in two. the big orc fell screaming and Upir felt something hitting his helmet....and the sound made all become blurred.

And it was then...in the blurr he saw it. He saw the big walled city of Cordor in flames. He saw fight inside the big walls, fight from black figures armored to the teeth. That was no mere vision as he could feel the smell of blood and burned bodies. He could hear the screams of the woman and children as the man were dieing fighting the invading army.

Upir turned himself to the orc who hit his helmet with an axe. He was twice his size but Upir didnt care. He saw the big armor covering the orc torso, the big axe holded by both his hands....and even without thinking Upir jumped over him and kicked the orc in the Pufferfish where it was open. And as the huge beast screamed twitching in pain upir got his axe from below towards his neck, slicing the orc`s head off with blood pumping to the sky. And as the blood came down upir could see again Cordor and a dark legion entering its gates. A legion of warriors going all the way to the farmlands and he followed the flow of soldiers as if he was flying over the dark warriors until he reached the Bamble woods.

Then reality stroke again. The orcs were afraid..two of their leaders were down the last one came. Another huge orc who was paralized by the curse now was ready to fight. Upir`s heat was still strong when he went after the orc swinging his axe against the orc`s shield one time...a second time...a third time and the orc kicked upir to the face so hard he fell in the sand without his helmet.

As Upir fell in the sand he saw inside the woods the big fortress from where the dark soldiers were moving out to Cordor and he flied through the corridors of the fortress deep into it`s dungeon. And it was there...inside the dungeon he saw it..a big gate..big enough for an army to pass. Upir tried to enter the gate and saw only darkness....and so he recovered his senses dodging the blow of the orc`s axe directed to his face.

Upir went from the ground to the offensive, grabbing the sand and throwing it in the orc`s eyes. The orc went back some staps blinded by the sand. The blindness was enough for upir to grab his axe and throw it in the orc`s face. The big leader was down and the other orcs saw upir and upir could see the fear in their eyes

-Come...who is next? I am death!!! I AM WAR!!! I am the champion of TEMPUS!! I was chosen to bring war and death to this lands!! COME!!! Come and face me and die!!! Tempus gave me a task and none of you can defy the will of the gods!!! Come and die or flea in fear to fight another day!

The orcs fled. Even outnumbered Upir showed the strength of the tempuran. Upir was not to die that day. Because Tempus wanted war in Arelith. And Upir was the one to cause it.