The Wings of Doom [Private]

[TheDarkDM]

A shadow sped over the Earth Spine, east from Tzalteclan towards the Kapital of Lanteroc. It was a shadow never before seen in the dominion of the Saroc, and its vast darkness moved with terrible speed.

Nezetkhamun landed without ceremony in the courtyard of the Megadeth Khaboss, the same courtyard where his disgraced grandson had met his fate all those years ago. His baleful golden eyes raked over the guards atop the walls like a bolt of lightning, and the exhalation of his breath was as thunder. Eventually locating a leader amongst the rabble, his neck coiled until his mammoth head loomed over the warrior.

"I must speak with Megadeth Khaboss Stormskull. Now."

[QuintonBeck]

The arrival of Nezetkhamun in such a manner was most unorthodox and further rather frightening, even to the hardened Khas and Khabosses who had seen Ahmes take his draconic form during the war. What they had seen was nothing in comparison to this. The Kha who was addressed by the elder dragon obeyed promptly the order and disappeared within the great palace built in Monto style but now swarmed with Saroc and bedecked with banners of Stormskull's heraldry and racks of weapons taking the place of benches in the courtyard turned proving grounds.

Within minutes the massive, in comparison to the other Saroc if not Nezetkhamun, blue form of Urindak Stormskull appeared followed by the Kha who had went to fetch the Megadeth. He was dressed in the fur he often wore, draped loosely across his body and held no weapon though his stance and face betrayed a readiness for battle.

"My friend! What so demands this urgency!? Who might we need to crush? I shall ready the hadnik and we shall be mobilized by dusk! Send runners to Ahmeskarras, inform Ahmes his men need to be readied for battle," the Megadeth ordered the Kha who had brought him to the courtyard.

[TheDarkDM]

Nezetkhamun breathed heavily from the speed of his coming - for unbeknownst to the great Khaboss he had flown straight and true as an arrow from the shores of the Sea of the Golden Sun. His breath sent ripples of heat through the air, and with every inhalation the red fury of his being shined forth all the brighter from beneath black scales. Yet at the appearance of Stormskull, his breath halted, and he turned to look at one of the few beings truly worthy of his respect.

"Peace, Urindak. It is no new enemy that demands my haste, but a doom from the depths of time. I fly from Kemuliaan, where the dead gift enlightenment to those found worthy. I fly, for in that enlightenment came a name of senseless dread, a name of the deep desert from which your mighty people arose."

Nezetkhamun's head moved closer, until he was staring Stormskull full in the eyes and abolished all else from his sight.

"I must know, my friend, of the Kazul."

[QuintonBeck]

At Nezetkhamun's words he raised a hand to halt the Khas scrambling to prepare for war and as the last word left the great wyrm's voice Stormskull straightened his back and his eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath and with a deathly whisper he responded.

"Do they come for us Nezetkhamun? If they do, contact the Frosten in the north, the Planin, the Imperium of the Salterri, any who will listen. Our hadnik is strong but the tales speak of the terror brought by the force of full Kazul. Holy Ilistik spoke of a time when they would follow, but if it is now we are not ready."

[TheDarkDM]

Nezetkhamun listened, and as Stormskull spoke the terrible tension seemed to leave the great wyrm's limbs.

"No, they do not come. Not yet. But they will, Urindak, of that I am now certain. I live the existence of the timeless, yet in their name resounds an end to all things. If what we have built is to endure, we must make ready. I must know, my friend, everything your people know. Even the merest whisper may prove the difference in weathering the coming storm."

[QuintonBeck]

"This is good they do not come," Stormskull said with tension leaving his body though still his eyes betrayed a wariness of the subject.

"I was not Megadeth when we Saroc still roamed the great desert. My predecessor, the Megadeth Holy Khaboss Ilistik Bonecarver was our last Megadeth to retain memories of the wandering times in the desert and with his death so too came the end of any Saroc having living memory of that waste. But stories endure Nezetkhamun. Our history is muddled and much has been lost as we have been forced into subduing the lands of the Monto but the stories of the Kazul do not leave the circles."

"Most common told is the story Rise of Kruvik, Megadeth before Ilistik, and his death to exodus us from the great waste to the Thumping Plains of the south. It is said that for many decades the Saroc wandered the great waste, surviving by raid and by wit. It is not only Saroc who wandered in these times. Others make paths through the sand though stories not speak of who, only know them as prey. They make water of the ground and live within great desert. They sustain Saroc as grass to bison. In these times Kazul unknown to Saroc or the prey. It is said Saroc hunting party sent by Megadeth-name-forgot to track prey was readying to attack when great beasts rise from the sand and drag the screaming prey under before silence."

"This hunting party led by not-yet-Kruvik does not know what it has seen, goes and tells Megadeth and is not believed. Bad Megadeth not listening to his Khaboss. Saroc are continuing on and are attacked by these sand rising beasts, these Kazul as prey say to call them, and Megadeth-name-forgot dies. Kruvik becomes new Megadeth and organize Saroc. Train us to track and hunt Kazul. They are beast, same as prey only harder to kill. Kruvik hadnik become legendary. They kill Kazul in many numbers, but even most powerful hadnik dies from Kazul and the fight cannot sustain."

"Megadeth Kruvik knows Saroc can not last in these great wastes. Prey is thinning, Kazul growing stronger, Megadeth Kruvik leads Saroc west until nearing the Thumping Plains. But Kazul not want to lose Saroc because Saroc prey to Kazul and they try to stop Kruvik, try to stop the Saroc. Kruvik leads hadnik and opens the Kazul up from inside out, breaks the biggest Kazul ever seen in half and Saroc arrive in the Plains. Kruvik dies that the Saroc live. Then comes Megadeth Holy Ilistik. Ilistik says Kruvik breaks Kazul for now, that they near the Saroc, they that chase Saroc are gone. But, warns Ilistik, Kazul are not gone. Only a broken hand was Kruvik's slaying, the Kazul body still intact. Need to build strong for when they come."

Stormskull took a breath, this was clearly a story well known to the Megadeth.

"Kazul not come to the Plains, not follow Saroc, and as we focus on Plains and Monto a lot of Kazul gets forgot. But not the terror. Not the power. They are reason the Monto must be tamed. If Kazul stir again for Saroc blood they will find it not easy to take but they will still take what they may. Kazul is bad. Only Megadeth Kruvik known as badder. But they are dumb without big Kazul and Kruvik kill big Kazul so make them dumb for long time. Give Saroc time to prepare, but also time to forget. If Nezetkhamun hears of Kazul from corpse of Kemuliaan it may be they not as broken as believed. This means much bad."