Deltras and Storm Legion
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Note from the Author:
The Execution Ground of Deltras today is a monument in Asmodae, a bleak, forbidding tower in the desert, hewn from rough rock. We Elyos have no such monument to commemorate this brave Daeva's passing, cherishing him instead in our memory. I set down this account to compile the oft-conflicting tales of that fateful expedition into a definitive, truthful version. May Ariel illuminate the truth and guide my hand.
Deltras was renowned as a capable, faithful Daeva. Even as Brigade General, he always volunteered for the most arduous tasks. He claimed that his success in battle came not from leadership but from his Legion's camaraderie. In one famous incident, he refused to wear his silver parade armor until Lord Nezekan directly ordered him.
In the two hundred forty-ninth year after the cataclysm, earthquakes wracked the land around Verteron. A piece of Verteron itself was heaved into the sky, and from inside cracks in that rock a blue radiance issued forth. A courageous Daeva entered the blue light, then returned minutes later to report: it was a doorway to another space.
It was decided that a Legion would be sent to investigate this strange new realm, and the Storm Legion was chosen.
The Storm Legion soon coined the name "the Abyss," a seemingly endless expanse of whirling detritus totally unlike the comforting skies they were used to. Eerie calls echoed through the blackness. Before long, the Legion had stumbled across beings from long-forgotten nightmares--the Balaur.
The battle against the Balaur was fierce. Victory came with a high cost. Bloodied and spent, the Storm Legion was reduced to a mere fraction of their full capacities.
The Legion happened upon another portal, and, assuming it would lead back to Elysea, sought the promise of rest. When they emerged on the other side, they were shocked to find themselves in a cold and barren desert unlike any place they had ever been. Fearsome figures awaited them--strange creatures, tall and clawed, with manes of fur down their backs, but still Human enough. The Storm Legion drew their arms and stood their ground and the Asmodians did the same, their eyes glowing bestial red.
Deltras announced himself as emissary of Elysea and made plain his peaceful intentions. A commanding figure stepped forward and bade the Asmodians stand down, addressing Deltras in a strange tongue. Seeing Deltras' incomprehension, the man spoke in the ancient Atreian dialect, still known among Daeva. Deltras was shocked to discover that the man was none other than the Empyrean Lord Zikel!
Deltras knew his history. Zikel had joined in Lord Azphel's reckless aggression and caused the destruction of the Tower of Eternity. As their leader was a legendary madman, Deltras knew there would be no reasoning with the brutish Asmodians.
Deltras struck the first blow, drawing his axe with lightning quickness and smithing Zikel with divine ferocity. But even great Deltras was no match for an Empyrean Lord, and Zikel responded with a bolt of burning energy that pierced Deltras' armor and felled him instantly. The rest of the Storm Legion, realizing Zikel's indomitability, called the retreat. Alas, the portal had already closed behind them, and the Asmodians fell upon them like a pack of starved Worgs.
Only ten men escaped the slaughter, and only two of ten found a way to Elysea. The two of them, Triton and Akarios, came to Sanctum as swiftly as they could on their bloodied wings. Bowing before Lady Ariel, they made their report--the other Empyrean Lords had survived, and their followers now walked a path of darkness. Lady Ariel grieved deeply. The Balaur, the Shedim Lords--all Elysea's past foes and tragedies had rebounded in a day.
We must never forget the slaughter of the Storm Legion. The Asmodians are a vicious race, and they repeat their violence whenever given the chance. That is why we must focus Lady Ariel's purifying light on the other half of Atreia and purge shadows from our world forever.
