On the Eve of Invasion

For an hour she prepared for her mission. Outside Praetor Mizmal Avayo's palace on the Vullanese island of Noce, a rogue thief and hired assassin was about to strike big. She did not know who hired her, but it was through a letter. From the city of Wicksburg on the Boathrian island of Hantele Nira Abelsworth aka. Abigail the Rogue received some letters with cash from an anonymous figure. They promised to pay for her journey to this island while the conflict dragged on into the fourth year. She had to use a name he gave her, Mira Greenshade. Not only was Abbigail supposed to infiltrate this palace discretely, she was also supposed to poison or stab the Vullanese Praetor of this island. Those were the only words the anonymous pen pal wrote to her as orders.

Along the way she managed to recruit some people to aid her in this mission. Five different accomplices and allies with professions like rogue, smuggler, an urban ranger from Gaskouth Ladai, former Noce high priest now a merchant, and a Noble Lady who knows how to entertain. Their names and actions that helped her get this far will remain with her. Erizo Viscapanni the male rogue who got her equipment for this mission, and got the keys to the palace. That was not with out killing a few threats, and bribes to make copies of those keys. Lerris Al-Ganerez the smuggler who discretely transported her to Noce with Erizo. Najwa Abbas the Urban Ranger who tracked down the Praetor's whereabouts, henchmen, acquaintances, the Lady, and the high priest to help them. Former High Priest Fargoz Winnzel brought her inside the perimeter of the palace using his status and Merchant cart to hide her. Noble, Lady Sauffet acted as the hired entertainer whilst the real one was tied up in their hideout.

Hearing Sauffet's voice said she was very close to accomplishing her goal. So close to the target Nira prepared to take out her target once the rest of the room was cleared. Praetor Ereg Gadnosis of Noce city of Reegvah liked to be alone after a few hours of dining, socializing, and partying. The host, Avayo kept doing something to Sauffet that made her giggle, and scream with delight. According to her pen pal Gadnosis was a known slaver and human trafficker. That was known publicly. What was not known was his cruelty to specific slaves. Reports of certain slaves of status going missing became frequent since he became a Praetor. Even some Mages, and other arcane users went missing after being in his company. Nira aka. Abigail, Mrs. Greenshade had to kill him in order to end the disappearances. Climbing into the window of the room next to the scene of the party she hid under some furniture that had a coat of arms draped over it. She waited for everything to quiet down before making her move.

Fireworks burst outside drawing the party goers outside. It left Praetor Ereg Gadnosis alone in the room. Nira slowly came out of her hiding place with a drawn dagger coated in poison. As stealthily as possible she entered the room he was in. This Praetor sat in a chair facing the fireplace. He was reading something in his hands that appeared important. Curious Nira took her time before striking. She hovered over him as he read the document. Reading over his shoulder she read the words Vestrisians will attack soon. Prepare island troops for invasion. Ereg scoffed at this believing to be a joke. He went on to mock the document not believing in some imminent invasion coming. Those were  the last words he spoke before she drover her weapon into his chest from behind. When Nira pulled the poisoned weapon out sirens went off signalling attack. She ran back to the window hoping it wasn't her who triggered an alarm. On the roof she witnessed a dark sky full of aircraft dropping bombs on the city. AA guns went off, bombs exploded upon impact, and fires sparked all over the city. Noce was about to be invaded.  

Intervention 1134 (Piozen) Check up mission

For exactly ten years the planet of Piozen has suffered an catastrophic apocalypse. The first time it happened the dead reanimated because of a strange cult attempting to resurrect an ancient entity. Piozen was the home world to arcane users, magic users, and elemental dabblers. Even the occult and other dark powers had its hey day in the planet's ancient history. This Apocalypse was mainly the dead being reanimated. Attempts to resurrect the ancient entity was not the only cause of this apocalypse. In certain universities, catacombs, ancient tombs, abandoned structures, and the usual underground lairs. Out of mere coincidence more than  one thousand six hundred Wizards, and Necromancers attempted to resurrect corpses and skeletons to use as guards. Something went array causing zombies, skeletons, and other monsters to emerge.

For months the dead rose from their resting places and locations of necromancy. Causing widespread chaos that sent many cities into complete ruin and desertion. Out of sheer panic people horrified by the rise of the dead killed one another in fight to flight mode. Local authorities could not handle the pressure and fled off world. Crowd control personnel made all attempts to calm or quell the crazed panicked chaos. After ten or more personnel were ripped or bludgeoned to the death they opened fire. Six cities become lifeless as the dead spread around in some pandemic. Piozen was overrun with the dead flooding the civilization that had been built upon the graves of the ancient dark culture. To many the dark culture that had once ruled over Piozen was a crazed overzealous cult of necromancers who performed unspeakable arcane powers. Neighboring planets and the IGC came down to intervene to quell the dead pandemic that gripped the planet. Well over 84% of the planet's population were infected, killed, or forced to flee. The remaining 16% of the population being male and female ages 13 to 51 managed to stave off the dead. Immediately after the pandemic was put down they urged for civilians to stay away until it was 100% safe. Now these survivors who numbered 1,515,129 managed to survive, and repel the dead from behind a fortress at the end of a gorge, became overwhelmed by a renewed pandemic.

IGC's Inquisitor Scotti Deborah Aximi looked down at Keene's log about the second outbreak. It began when non-Piozen came to the planet's surface to meet. Some princess with her countrymen, and servant met with a band of pirates who came with an ancient artifact that can raise the dead. That was not the only thing that caused the dead to rise again. A small band of adventurers opened a tomb deep under the catacombs of a holy city where the dead are laid to rest. They disturbed a necromancer lich. What happened next caused communications to be cut off from those who remained. After multiple tries both the IGC and neighboring worlds chose to send another intervention force. Intervention 1134 consisted of 1,051 Special Forces from Gaian Republics, 2,399 Crusaders, 5,097 Modernized Paladins, 166 Elite War Mages for the Liches, 1,561 of IGA's Naval unit of Gray Falcons, 1,165 Jaguar Knight Rifles, and 115 Dragon's Breath Unit. Aximi sat next to one of the Crusaders, and a Gray Falcon. They were to meet at least 9, 000 survivors who were mostly warlocks, and wizards.

Aximi's mission was clear to her, but not to the rest of this Intervention Force 1134. She was to find one of the cultist-scientists who resurrected them or at least their journals containing their discoveries. For her own mission she was assigned to a company made up of Special Forces, Crusaders, Paladins, Gray Falcons, and a single War Mage. In the presence of this 236 member company Aximi expected to be shoved around like some clueless tourist. To her surprise she was not. The leader or company commander, a Viscount Paladin Imore Bedecad saw her mission was of most importance. Her position as Inquisitor gave her access to everything. Upon landing more than 11,000 IGC and Intervention forces poured into the city next to the survivors' sanctuary city. Showing no remorse, mercy, or hesitation the Intervention forces took out 173, 096 zombies and ghouls in the retaken city of Ghameel. Ghameel was a walled city that allowed the Intervention forces to set up a base. Aximi and Bedecad's unit scoured every building in the city before going underground. All they found and killed were 116 ghouls, and 1, 317 of those zombies. For several days they kept searching this city clearing out more catacombs, basements, and cellars. While on the walls snipers shot 21, 467 more dead. Going outside to clear the area of other debris took some time, however it helped them see what was out there. Any bridges they came across were barricaded with vehicles, larger furniture, and anything that was not nailed to the ground. All the structures in the surrounding area were burned and trees knocked down. During these makeovers they killed more ghouls, zombies, found more survivors, and something new to them. A type of undead known as Bodaks who had been touched by pure evil.

Bedecad chose to go along with Aximi's mission while a Field Marshall Gregory Bartelbee marched northward. Eleven thousand went north with Bartelbee, whereas a company of 238 marched westward to the city of Ganon. That left 318 to defend Ghameel with 2,400 IGF troopers sent to hold the city with help from 34 Piozen security droids designed to defend private property, and 636 survivors. To add more to the defenses 136 Green Soldiers of a neighboring planet are sent to bolster defenses. Under the command of a High Wizard 155 warriors, knights, infantrymen, bowmen, nobles, raiders, and volunteers landed to help out. They managed to clear out two villages before reaching the new boundaries of Ghameel. While the defenders of what they cleared numbered over 12,000 the rest of the intervention force 1134 pressed the advance. Inside Ganon they fought usual zombies, ghouls, and those Bodaks. Along with these undead creatures they also came across some wraiths that were few and only haunted certain places. Going further they found tomb motes, and slaymates. Crushing the tomb motes was easy, however having the heart to kill a slaymate proved difficult. Aximi managed to trick the undead child into leading them to a necromancer hiding under a manor. A hallway full of blasphemes, zombies, and ghouls some how led by a quell. Aximi used a holy relic to defeat this one while the rest of the unit gunned down all the undead. They lost a few members to what was called forsakenshells, which were boneless bodies of the dead that strangled victims.

Eager to find the necromancer Aximi pressed on cutting down all the undead in her path until she came to a chamber full of skeletons armed and unarmed. She did not hesitate in sending a grenade into that chamber and diving out as it exploded. When she got up Aximi raced inside the smoky room to catch the necromancer before he made his escape. A shrapnel from the grenade found his leg. The necromancer was known as "Xiigdall" who served someone named "Aliscar". In order to get medical attention he was to spew out the whereabouts of one cultist-scientist, Dr. Vahgeeme. This Dr. Vahgeeme grew mad with his discoveries of resurrecting life, reanimation, and the occult worship. Xigdall tried to make an escape after that by pressing on a medallion. It conjured up two liches, and three demiliches that killed ten of their men. It took the full power of Aximi, and a few others to kill these undead. Xiigdall tried crawling away through an open wall. Having none of his lies and tricks Aximi regained herself and killed him. She did this at a slow wobbly pace before collapsing on top of his corpse.

Having the city of Ganon cleared of the undead spelled more relief for the Intervention and the survivors of this whole chaotic pandemic that hit the Piozene the hardest. For seven days Aximi searched for signs of the mad-scientist she was sent to hunt. She discovered clues, and the aftermath of experiments done by one of the cultist-scientists. His name was Phileeth Ogrell. Not the most intimidating names, but what could someone name themselves while working one many projects at once? Aximi knew names were important, which would help identifying one of these cult-scientists. Their next target was the grand city of Tezeen, which also had to be cleared of Zombies, ghouls, a few wraiths in the mansions, and certain areas. Inside Tezeen they came across skeletons, armed ones, vampire spawn, one lich, several slaymates that killed some of their own, a single devourer of souls another cultist awoke. It kept sucking up souls of the living. According to a volunteer several of those were found and destroyed before the second pandemic. While in Tezeen Aximi did her usual search running into more undead, a tomb mote of Ogrell, and a vampire spawn. Before it died it revealed the location of Phileeth Ogrell.

When she was ready she approached their leader who had just taken care of bodaks, and demiliches found in some urns their men broke. Both took a stroll one clear day after clearing another large market of zombies, ghouls, forsakenshells, and a few mummies awoken by clueless schmucks in the market. Aximi was more curious about who brought the mummies to this market district in the first place. They discussed what to do about Ogrell when he was found. Either they capture him, put him under arrest and sent for a trial or flat out killed on the spot. Aximi wanted him on trial yet felt the urge to kill him herself. Her gaze observed the city. Something about this world gave her the chills. Bedecad told her to keep calm as they came to a block they overlooked. Both of them paused for some reason. Their eyes studied the empty street before them. She expected to see more zombies, ghouls, skeletons, armed ones, and slaymates to come out of hiding. What they got was something classified as a blaspheme that could be the end of normal soldiers. With it were more tomb motes, and slaymates. Behind this little band of the animated dead stood Mad Dr. Phileeth Ogrell himself with some company. A Vampire Lord, an undead creation, and a member of the CSO.

They finally encountered him, but at an disadvantage. Bedecad fire a warning flare in the air to warn the others. It only made the Made Scientist cackle before sending his undead henchmen after them. Using what she had Aximi managed to defeat the slaymates, and tomb motes with ease. Bedecad shot the CSO member in the head then prepared to fight the vampire and the Creation. What happened next she could have prayed for if she knew the true intentions of Ogrell's allies. Whoever this Vampire was he grappled Ogrell leaving the creation to face Aximi and Bedecad alone. Aware of how strong Vampires are she was not surprised to witness it snapping Ogrell's neck like a twig. The moment Ogrell collapsed on the ground dead the Vampire already disappeared. Bedecad cut the creation to pieces. Taking a photograph of the Mad Scientist's corpse felt disrespectful however she had to do it.

Piozen had come under an invasion by a single faction of the CSO (Chaotic Surprise Organization). They did not know how large the invading force was. It was evident they did not have a full force. Aximie and Bedecad's company had to fend off a few waves while witnessing the invaders fight the hordes of zombies, ghouls, skeletons, and various undead. Even thralls of Vampires who hid underground appeared. Even Bartelbee's, and Keene's forces fought the CSO intruders. For eight full days the armies fought over the future of Piozen. It resulted in staggering casualties for the CSO who landed in the areas the Intervention Forces did not clear out yet. Thanks to their intruding invasion they probably cleared out most of the undead. As for the IGC's Intervention Force 1134, 171 died or got killed in some way, 788 were eaten alive, 507 of them lost their minds because of  what they witnessed and experienced. When the CSO invaded and attacked them the IGC lost 1,126, shot by the CSO intruders. It took another month before they could clear out the rest of the planet with extra reinforcements, which made up Intervention 1135. Aximi would have to prepare herself to explain to her superiors how Dr. Phileeth Ogrell died. As she sat at a desk in a mansion she could not help but wonder who this Aliscar figure was.

Another Depiction of the Gantronese facial features.