- The final resting place of virtuous souls who did not follow a particular deity in life had become something more now. A great table dark stone polished so brightly it seemed to reflect everything about it stood filled with papers, notes, maps. a dozen maiden's beautiful despite the armor they wore were gathered around it discussing. A large hourglass sat in a large wooden stand, the sands with in having been almost still for ages now stirred much faster than ever before. The beast... stirred from its slumber.
You had felt the calling Eir, from your mentor Sigrun as you awoke from the timeless slumber that occasionally took your kind. You recognized your sister Valkyrie at the table. Heldrath of the silverstring. An archer of unheralded skill. Eganin Viperstrike, her innocent eyes and always cheery smile hid the lightning fast sword-woman's skill with her rapier.
As you approached the table the light grew till it was almost blinding ...when it cleared you saw her. A being of fiery hair and angelic wings, the goddess of redemption, healing, honesty and the sun...Sarenrae.
Beautiful and haunting words echoed in your ears, though her lips never moved.
"Valkyrie, I am sorry that you have been finally called to use, after so long. It was hoped that you would never be needed, but time for this world grows short. The great beast stirs and with it... the end of everything...here."
She paused and the rooms silence loomed to prove the severity of the situation. The Goddess turned her head meeting Sigrun's eyes You know somehow that words were being exchanged even though your heard nothing, something about the tightening of Sigrins eyes, the way the goddess seemed to bore into her with a glance...She saluted, hand over her heart and nodded, spinning in place to go within two steps brilliant white wings burst from her back and she leapt into the air fading and disappearing from view.
Time crawled and yet passed in a flash.
"Eir of the black spear, youngest valkyrie of those serving us here. You have a mission."
The goddesses voice rang out in your mind, clear, proud, confident. As you glanced about you noticed that your sisters were gone, the papers and maps on the table were mostly gone, only a handful remained.
"It is time for you to return to your homeworld Eir, to find those worthy souls to bring here. War... war with the forces of entropy is coming, and we will need the help."
She motioned to a parchment on the top of a pile... it was a list of names, The top name on the list simply read. Eliah the Fallen
Akiton, -6505AR:
Eliah moved like a dancer.
The spearman he faced was clearly a master of his craft; each thrust honed to precision; each a strike meant to kill. Eliah spun his body to dodge each thrust, gone the merest of moments before the strike would land.
"Come now, can't you see that you have no chance of hitting me?" Eliah asked in a completely neutral manner. "I know where your strikes are going to land, before they do; What hope do you have to hit me?"
The spearman's only response was to lunge again, then bring the but of his spear swinging towards Eliah's head; the staff that Eliah carried magically seemed to interpose itself between the stout blow and the Archmage's head.
"I guess I knew this would happen" said Eliah with a stutter-step back and a quick incantation, which caused a thin green ray to spring forward from his gesture towards the spearman, which struck him square in the chest. As the spell took effect, the man's body turned to ash. He stood, stock still for the briefest of moments, before gravity won, like it always did.
"I just hoped that it could happen differently."
As Artur began looking through the man's belongings, there was a Crack! of displaced air, which he knew signified a teleportation spell. Looking up, he saw a three man hunter team this time: An unarmed warrior, an obvious spellcaster, and an archer.
The warrior then finished reading from the scroll in his hand, and to Eliah's mystic vision, all traces of their magic vanished.
What sort of... but Eliah's mental question was cut off as the monk charged, and battle was joined.
It was on this day that Eliah discovered that a new magical spell had been created, one devastating to wizards: Antimagic field.
Try though he might, he could not shake this warrior who could run as fast as a horse, and who brought this nullification magic against him.
It was a heroic battle, but a master archer and an monk against a wizard that was unable to cast magic was not meant to be a long battle. The mage, it seemed, had only been their ride.
Thus it was that Eliah fell, in the forsaken red sands of Akiton...
Eir stood from the table and saluted the goddess. "I shall saddle Stjerne immediately, and bring this soul to their new resting place." Eir said before she turned on her heels and was gone. Even with the time in her slumber, Eir didn't miss a beat. She made her ways through the halls, putting her helm on as she did so, to the stable that held the steeds of the Valkyries. A steed of a Valkyrie would live as long as the Valkyrie herself though like the Valkyrie it can be killed in combat, and this a tight bond is often formed.
Stjerne, a silver sleipnir, was Eir's steed. Silver was a rare color for a sleipnir, but it wasn't impossible. Often those Valkyries who did not bond to a steed upon rebirth find that they have rare or interesting steeds awaiting them. Eir and Stjerne were one of those pairs. Eir grabbed her saddle and threw it over Stjerne. Speaking in Auran she told her steed "We've a mission Stjerne. We go to the mortal plane or Golarian to claim the soul of Eliah the Fallen, he shall become a warrior here." With that she mounted Stjerne and off the pair went. Stjerne walking upon the air itself as Eir called for a portal to open. A portal to Akiton -6505 AR.
Those who remained in the forsaken red sands of Akiton after just killing the wizard saw the portal open as a tall woman astride a sleipnir lept into the plane. "Remove yourself from the deceased and the area." Eir commanded. "Else feel the bite of Ibenholt!" She explained as she raised her hand an her weighted spear came to her. It seemed to be none of the murders wanted to attack the other worldly warrior. The Wizard among them could tell them what was before them, a Valkyrie and her steed, a pair none would wish to face especially after fighting a wizard even one without their magic. The group backed off and Eir dismounted Stjerne. The youngest Valkyrie made her way to the body of Eliah, kneeling next to him she cupped her hands over his heart and as she pulled her hands up a small glowing light came with them. Eliah's soul. Eir placed it in lantern like item that was on her hip before she picked up the body with all of it's gear. She hadn't allowed the group to loot the body. Eir laid the body over Stjerne before mounting her steed. "Back home Stjerne, we've a new arrival that must be taken care of." Eir told Stjerne in Auran, and as always Stjerne lept into the sky, running upon the air back into the portal that would take them home.
The body of the fallen felt heavy in your hands even as you tried to lift it up it became heavier and heavier. You could feel a strange energy open up behind it. Sveilgig one of your fellow Valkyrie appeared from the portal the heavy blade of her halberd gleaming. You always got the feeling that Sveilgig wasn't fond of you. She was always abrupt with her words the few times you had spoke with her.
"The Einherjar souls are the only things that can be transferred to the heavens Eir."
She began herself removing a lantern.
"Valin of Greydirge... you have been called upon to serve.... Will you answer?"
She spoke solemnly and slowly the ashen residue of the corpse that had been destroyed by Eliah's magic started to shimmer glowing almost a hot white. A mist rose to coalesce into a shimmering ball of blue-white light. The energy rushed towards her lantern and it closed for a moment...
"Oh sister."
She began dryly standing there watching her struggle with the body.
"Sometimes an item of power from the mortal realm is left behind. I fell.. the energies left in the ashes of the soul i have gathered, that sorcerer obliterated it with his spell. Also The way you collected the soul is..old, antiquated. Call on it to serve. The wording doesn't precisely matter, as long as you ask for it to serve. Its in the soul well already if you call to it, It should form... watch."
She began holding the lantern aloft.
"Valin. Attend me!"
She called out and the lantern began to glow with a brilliant energy. A bright flash of light flared out blinding them for a moment. A man stood there nude of form and flesh looking over himself in obvious wonderment. Had Eliah been there he would have easily been able to identify him as the master spear man whom had been sent to slay the rogue mage and failed.
Sveilgig chuckled and shook her head.
"There are usually clothes, his magic i think."
She added nodding to the body She held before sweeping off her cloak and handing it to the warrior who looked confused and embarrassed.
"Call to your wizard. He should form whole clothed and ready to go. His aid may be invaluable in your collection proceedings there are times when the souls chosen are not in a safe state. Ask Helgath about that time with the dragonlich someday."
Eir paused when Sveilgig came onto the plane. She listened to what her senior Valkyrie had to say, even if she didn't know how to address her in return. After all what does one say to another who dislikes them?
Either way she watched as her sister summoned the fallen Monk and turned her head away when she noticed he was naked, for courtesy at the very least. Eir set the body down and took out her lantern. Speaking clearly and calmly she said "Eliah the Fallen, you are summoned to serve." and she allowed the spirit to leave the lantern. Then she waited and watched.
"Eliah the Fallen, you are summoned to serve."
Eliah was unsure exactly where the voice came from, but he heeded it none-the-less. Moving towards the sound, he blinked as he realized that he was laying on the ground looking up at a winged woman.
"What is going on here?" asked Eliah in Celestial.
Sveilgig as the wizard once slain, formed there on the ground before the youngest Valkrie. It wasn't Eir's fault the gods had chosen to abandon Silmeria and replace her with Eir. The world was ending she should try to soften in her manner.
"Well done sister, summoned quickly and efficiently. I believe something... powerful, linked to your Einherjar is nearby, Pull out your Amulet focus on it."
She began Summoning the her soul back into the soul lamp.
Eliah stood and brushed himself off and realized he was naked. "Well. This is new. I've never been raised by a celestial directly before. If you were summoned on behalf of the Azlanti, you should know that I will not submit willingly to whatever tortures they have planned for me. I will end myself before that happens." For all his hyperbolic speech, Eliah was completely calm.
"The Azlanti means nothing to me." Eir said bluntly with a small roll of her shoulders. "You have been called to server, the world is ending. You get to help try to stop it." Eir explained before she motioned for Eliah to get his clothes from his own dead body.
"You think another of the souls is close?" Eir asked Sveilgig a bit surprised that she was being so helpful. Taking out a blue crystal pendant on a long silver chain, she channel some of her energy into the crystal.
Eliah stared down at his own corpse. It was an...odd experience, to say the least. He undressed himself and the put on his own clothes. As he was doing so, he asked "You said that I was chosen, but did not say by who. What power do you serve?"
"The gods." Eir answered. "Gods come to us and give us names of those who have been deemed worthy. You are the first I've gotten to bring forth on my own." Eir admitted. "But now I have been given a list to collect. Do you have any more questions?"
"Many, but nothing that can't wait. What is the plan now?"