Slaegidorn....

[Hans Vermeer (Cole)]

Mossflower Woods holds a lot of deep, dark secrets in it's forests. Some good and promise great reward. Some bad and make you wish you never been there and found it in the first place. Some places were left behind and forgotten like Brockhall....

Slaegidorn was one of those places like Brockhall. Left behind to it's fate and forgotten by both Redwaller and Long Patrol alike. Ever since it had been abandoned and left to it's grizzly fate. It had managed to survive and even turn from a small defenceless village to a heavy armed stone fortress!

No one knows where it is. The only time beasts ever see it is when they unknowingly walk right into it's territory and never come back out alive! It's location though is in the mountain ranges East of Salamandastron and north of Bat Mountpit.

You know when you enter it's territory when you start seeing the fresh, decayed or skeletonized bat, wolf and grey or black furred fox corpses and numerous other dead beasts pinned against stone walls or impaled on pikes or spears, often in rows or packed out together. When you pass through it's outer dense forest range, you'll end up forced to go through between mountains on small paths that are often gated and guarded by numerous soldiers and finally when your forced to travel more upward in more less oxygenated heights. You encounter the huge stone fortress itself, which even now compared to most castles is massive and can house possibly thousands of beasts.

Over countless years. Slaegidorn has be able to produce a huge population without encountering war and has possibly killed thousands of beasts in it's lifetime. All of those killed deemed "Missing" by the world outside it's borders....

[Garret Strife]

Dante looked again at the positioning of the stars. He'd been sent out to find the prisoner that had escaped. A Black Fox. Taken under suspicion of being the last Strife, 'he' had escaped before this could be varified. Dante had then been dispatched to recapture, or kill, him. The only place he could be was somewhere in the mountains, likely in the mountain ranges East of Salamandastron and north of Bat Mountpit.

So that was where the Assassin found himself. He'd noticed a strange lack of life in the area he was in. Not on any map, it had no reason to be, with a reputation of causing disappearances, and no settlements within it, he was traveling blind. Another thing he'd recently noted were strange noises in the night, sounding similar to bats, but deeper, more primeval.

He was currently in the mountains, where the land was treacherous, and the path nonexistant. He had yet to see a single living creature.

Continueing anolng his trek, he found something. The corpse of a massive bat, with vicious teeth and claws in it's exposed skull. There was a two-pronged spear jutting from it's torso. Dante ripped it out, and examined it. He'd never seen or heard of bats like this, and he'd never seen a weapon made quite like this one. His attention was caught by a scream, in the distance.

He silently ran toward the sound. He stopped at a clearing, where there was a stoat leaning against a tree, clutching a bleeding arm. There was a great chunk of flesh taken from it. Dante stepped up to him, and lowered his cloak.

"At ease, friend. What did this to you?"

"A demon! One of the winged hellbeasts! We killed a few earlier this week, but they never end! They're... You're not resident of Slaegidorn."

"Where? Tell me where this place is, and I can help you get there alive."

"It's too late. I have been tainted by their vile fangs. I couldn't tell you the location of Slaegidorn as is. No outsider can know, or they would come, and bring the hordes of hell with them! For they are naive, they do not understand."

"If you choose to die, so be it."

"And the regular beasts, don't go near them! If their fur is black or even gray, they suffer the dark taint of the dark forest! The stripedogs, the clawhounds, the greatfoxes. Just leave this place, or you will surely die."

"I live my life in the shadows of death."

"Just... just..."

"Rest now, you foolish beast."

Dante arose, and cast a glance about. He saw nothing, no... Wait, what is that? It looks like smoke. That must be him, who else would camp up here? He thought, and dashed toward the sight.

[blackfox7]

A lean, tall rat with a tail like a mighty bullwhip was climbing a mountain slope when he heard the sound of swift footpaws above him. Curiousity overtook him and he hastily hauled himself over the ledge to see a grove of woodlands with smoke rising in small wisps overhead. The rat warrior unlooped his spear from his belt (he didn't want to lose it in the climb) and padded forward, ready for trouble but secretly hoping he wouldn't have to slay anything.

[Hans Vermeer (Cole)]

The batslayer would die slowly and painfully from bloodloss, but his death would never be in vein. When one Slaegidorn beast is killed about 4 or more monsters are a killed in his place...

The smoke that both fox and rat had seen is a nearby Bat Slayer and Wolf Desolators camp, but now it was just a campfire surrounded by blood and guts and the corpses of the dead. The black fox Dante had been chasing is not far from this camp. While running though the rocky and dirt paths between mountains and that lead to areas where once in a while, your forced to take the path down into a what looks like very small (Mean not huge like in most picture you see. Just very very small like foots wide instead of miles wide. )craters and than the path back up and out of them from the other side to continue to the fortress. Unfortunately, these areas often had caves and tunnels on the insides of the craters at the walls. Which had beasts like wolves, wolverines, badgers or bears hiding in them. Most bears(Which were very rare to encounter.) here suffered from rabies or were born wild and deadly while badgers and wolverines and wolves were forced to hide in these places to avoid Slaegidorn Soldiers.

This was the terrain where the black fox had met he's end. In his panic to escape his manic killers-to-be, he had not paid attention to where he was going and ran right into a bear, which is as seconds are passing is already in the process of eating him, organ by organ, limb by limb and flesh by flesh. This bear was unsurprisingly also the Bat Slayer's and Wolf Desolators' murderer but the stoat who had been bitten had kicked some of the campfire's flaming contents in it's face. Having that wild natural fear of fire. It was scared off and the stoat left the camp to die in a more peaceful area.

[Garret Strife]

Dante was rushing now, knowing he was close to the fire. He burst through the foliage to a scene of extreme gore. There was blood, body parts, and mangled corpses all over the place. He looked about for the cause. He saw nothing, but he could hear snarling and flesh tearing. Silently, he stole to the edge of a crater, and down in it there was a bear ripping the black fox he'd been looking for apart. He'd already been torn in half, and one of his arms was in the bear's mouth, as the bear tried to swallow it.

Dante went to back away, when the edge he was standing on crumbled. He slid down, and slammed right into the bear's side. It turned, and roared at him, the limb dropping from it's mouth. It swung a massive clawed paw at him, but he ducked it. He flicked his wrist, and ducked another swipe.

[blackfox7]

As Azar rounded a bend in the trail he gasped with horror--littered about a ruined camp was a huge amount of gore and slain creatures! He closed his eyes as he passed and shuddered. What could have done this???

Coming out of the trees the rat warrior got his answer. Quite a distance from him was a colossal bear, bigger than any he had ever seen before. The crazed animal was crouched over the body of a mangled deadbeast and was preparing to slaughter another creature, a fox.

Azar swiftly unhooked his pack and stashed it the nearby brush and gripped his spear Silverwake tightly as he dashed furiously towards the bear. He had to help that otherbeast before that monster maimed him.

[Hans Vermeer (Cole)]

The bear roared in the foxes' face and reared up on his hind legs, being able to tower over a badger or wolverine. The fact it was already intimidating when it was on all fours was bad, the fact it was even more intimidating on it's hind feet only made it worse. If it had not been born here. It would not be this primitive and wild. It would be a educated beast, but this one was raised with nothing to learn from except from the wild. Kill and survive. that's was the rules in the wild. Beasts could easily turn primitive and savage as they can civilized. The Bear reared a paw back in the attempt to send it slamming down on the fox assassin with the power and force that would turn him into a pancake!

[Jasyn]

Jasyn Kaiden cursed his luck. His new employer sent him to search for new beasts to add to his ever increasing horde. What was he, A recruiter? No! Dammit. Worse luck was his companion, the sniper Serenji Swiftarrow. The fox looked at the weasel beside him. That cloak of his, did it have magic? He had trouble placing the beasts' full outline. Jasyn grimaced and clutched his scythe tighter. What was wrong with him? He was losing his nerve.

Jasyn composed himself and pulled the hood of his own cloak up, sheathing his gruesome visage in the comforting shadows. "Come then, this thrice-cursed place can not be far." His voice was composed, and sounded like it came from a formidable denizen of the Hell gates itself. Just how he liked it.

[Garret Strife]

The huge paw came down, with great force. Rocks were scattered, and dust was raised, but Dante was fine. He'd easily dodged the attack. He could evade most attempts from a competent beast, trained in combat, let alone a crazed savage. He nicked the bear three times, to get the narcotic toxin coating his weapon into the beast's system. He then sidestepped another attack, and punched the beast hard on the nose.

He could keep this up for as long as necessary, until he tired the bear out, and could go for the kill.

[Jasyn]

Jasyn and Serenji chanced upon the battle between the fox and the bear. Jasyn chanced a look at his compatriot. " Well. He looks sufficiently evil enough. Much as I hate to admit."
Serenji took the hint. In a blur of almost unseen motion, the weasel had his bow strung and drawn with one of his accuracy arrows. He drew bead on the bear's eye, and loosed.
Jasyn, meanwhile glared. He knew that a few stray thoughts seperated him from being killed in the same, cool manner. Irony be damned.

[blackfox7]

The big rat came up on the bear fast, but he wasn't so sure this fox needed his help anymore. That bear could have crushed him flat or torn him in half by now but for the strangebeast's skill. Still, even the most seasoned fighter makes mistakes. And he was obligated to help creatures in need of it.

The bear's side loomed high in his vision, and he stopped just a spear-length short of the crazed monstrosity. Inwards he flicked Silverwake once, twice, striking like a wasp as his old mentor had taught him. The beast roared, infuriated, and rounded upon him.

A well-placed arrow zinged out from nowhere and buried itself full in the huge animal's eye. It reared in agony and bellowed, the sound tenfold of what it was before. Azar stepped back, unsure if the creature would fall or continue to fight madly.

[Garret Strife]

Dante took the oppertunity as it arose, and drew his blade swiftly accross the side of the bear's throat. It bled freely, but continued to fight. It turned on him and snarled, once again raising a paw.

Dante leaned back slightly, and kicked the arrow shaft, breaking the shaft, and driving the arrow deeper into the bear's eye. He then swiftly skipped out of the madbeast's reach, as it continued to attack, not daunted, or slowed considerably.

[Jasyn]

Serenji winced as his arrow broke. It took a lot of effort to make each and every one of them, and he would rather scavenge them from his kills. The weasel grabbed a heavier arrow from his quiver and decided for a more direct route, he aimed high, and loosed; sending the armor-piercing arrow on a trajectory through the top of the bear's skull. Serenji watched as the arrow flew, then decided to pull out another armor- piercer just in case.

[blackfox7]

The bear fought unpredictably. Now it turned and ignored the fox, prefering a target that was closer and within reach of the deadly claws. The bear roared viciously, spewing blood from its nostrils, and swiped out at Azar.

The rat warrior leaped high, right over the massive paw and talons. As he landed he threw out a wide kick which stung the bear on the back of the knee. The creature was quite top-heavy and as a result lost its balance and reeled back.

The armor-piercing arrow sang through the air and met the top of the bear's head with a resoundant crack. It buried itself a good paw-length into the beast's head; the bear froze. Reddish froth bubbled out from between its sharp fangs as it swayed for a few seconds. Its eyes were white and rolled back, but suddenly it turned, bellowing in rage, towards the cliff. The monster lowered itself to all fours and pounded towards the two creatures on the hill, leaving deeply scored pawprints in the earth. Azar gasped--he had not noticed the two beasts on top of the cliffs before. They must be the ones firing arrows, so perhaps they were friendly.

[Jasyn]

"You did it now, archer." Jasyn growled. He unwound his chain and twirled the scythe, giving the chain momentum. Though he was paying attention so as to not get himself slashed by accident, he noticed another armor-piercing arrow flying by his cheek. He turned his head slightly to see the archer pull another arrow from the quiver at his side and launch it after the second, this one barely grazing his nose. Jasyn shook his head and lauched himself into the air, his chain trailing after him. He rolled around a he fell, and felt a tremor shake through his chain as the weight slammed into the bear's head, and into the arrow. The arrow buried itself all the way, but the bear continued, undaunted.
"What are you, a denizen of the Hell gates?" Jasyn slashed with his scythe, pushing the bear back.