Board Thread:Fun and Games Forum/@comment-25175520-20150521200045/@comment-107.196.174.179-20150524201201

Aboard the cramped cockpit of Rhall's command skiff, the archon sat deep in thought. Suddenly, the co-pilot spun around in his seat, and adressed Rhall.

"My lord. Incoming transmission on all channels."

After a moment, the archon spoke back.

"Lokass knows well not to disturb me on a hunt lest the matter is grave. Patch it through."

After a few seconds of decryption, a deep voice came through across the speakers.

"I am Skolas, kell of kells, lord of wolves, and breaker of binds. Bow before me or burn."

After several moments of dead silence, the co-pilot spoke again.

"Another transmission. Just data, no voice. Skolas is busy, he sends an ambassitor, negotiator. Krisiss she-archon of wolves."

Rhall sat mulling over this new information in his head. He had had the...displeasure...of meeting Krisiss before. She had intruded on the storm's territory a while back to restock her ketch's supply of ether from the local wildlife. Rhall had been sent to confront her and convince her to leave one way or the other. What followed was an hours long, agonizing debate in which she demanded the right to resupply for reasons varying from most of her house being in chains, to the storms not having a real reason for not showing up at the twilight gap.

That last one really grated on Rhall. She knew as well as any fallen that the storms absolutely HATED the kings. They got along well with the devils, were generally neutral towards winter, wind, and the wolves, found the blades, flames, and exiles annoying, not threatening, but the kings were intolerable. The devils, like the storms had found a medium between making plans for the future, and carrying them out. Winter threw itself at whatever problem was right in front of it, but they had always done that, even before the whirlwind. The wolves circled the prey before moving in, but were rarely bested. The blades were never strong, never warriors. The exiles were unworthy of being called a house. The flames were old, dying, merely a hindrance to greater plans. And wind was like winter. But the kings just sat back and watched, always boasting of greater plans, always moving in secret, always masking their numbers, but never taking action.

They planned the battle of twilight gap down to the last push, poisition, and manuver. Allying the houses, baiting the cabal in, gaining the favor of the dark to retake the great machine. But in the end, they would sit back and watch as the other houses spent their might to claim what they had fought so long for, only to be subjugated by those who watched, and waited, never commiting themselves even with their goal so close at hand. The other houses might be fooled, but not the storms, the kings planned to rule them all.

And that is why another house must step in to counter, and best them. The devils were blinded by hate for the city. Most cared not one way or the other. But now the wolves challenged their claim to supremacy. Were they worthy? Perhaps as a house, but not Skolas. Rhall remembered the news that flowed from the reef when the wolves scattered. When the dust settled, the new kell was one called Skolas the rabid. In the end, he brought ruin upon the reef, and his own house. He was too rash, too bold. Perhaps he could unite the fallen, but he could not lead them for long. The kings would find his weakness, and usurp his power. The "kell of kells" would eventually fall.

And that is why the storms must rule. They took action, but were not blind like the devils or wolves, dull like winter or wind, irrevalent like the flames or exiles, weak like the blades, or uncommited like the kings. To sieze both power, and the great machine, they would need a weapon. And humanity would provide. That is why they are here, to take what they need to save the fallen. And no other, not wloves, nor kings, nor cabal, nor guardians would stand in their way. His last "talk" with Krisiss had left them both with scars. He would not let that blind him. He would send her back to the inner worlds none the wiser of the storms plans, and believing his house to stand with Skolas. But should the kell of kells call, the storms would not answer.