Chapel of Chains
The principal fighting for Thunder's Vale and the opening of the Seventh Abyssal Rift Crusade
The islands of Arc Royal, the old tarnished crown of the Arcadian kingdoms, have fought a withering brush war for three centuries against a foe elusive in the hinterlands of mainland Arcadia, and unassailable in their conquered land southeast. Of the Tijakim, history forgets when the demons’ thralls destroyed the nation of Sidonis and opened a rift to the outer plane of the Abyss, but it was so long ago their raiders and hordes are no longer human from exposure to the plane of pandemonium.
Thunder’s Vale is Arc Royal’s largest and greatest mainland exclave: a massive silver crown amongst jade and brass planes and bronze crags platinum with ice. Every three years, the great skysle Point Radovic comes from the Flint Sea to pass over the city: a cronegate on the floating mountain opens to Arc Royal’s ally, Lidovica, their counterpart among the nations of Greater Niyaroda and the eldest daughter of the ancient civilization of Thelos.
But this year of 14389 ΘR, as the antarctic winter winds finally let up, riots all over the city became a suprise attack, the great ancient monoliths ringing the walls shook apart and rained fire and lances of plasma, and demons fell from the sky. The bush war became an invasion. Reduced to ad hoc platoons conducting guerillas’ work, one such mixed unit are left to figure out what to do with a wayward undead after rescuing a hobgoblin priestess and brannoch soldier from the madness of the city underworks.
And during all this, Point Radovic edges closer every day, an omen only the truly mad know.
Chapel of Chains Part 1
In the blasted ruins of a city under seige siege, in the bright shadows of demons vaporized by ancient towers, a mixed group of warriors found survivors from the underworks while fighting a mob of the stooped invading mass. An implacable restless ancient appeared, speaking words of power and bearing no mercy.
Chapel of Chains Part 2
While the surface of Thunder’s Vale is a state of bedlam, the undercity is an insane asylum and prison mid-riot…
Chapel of Chains Part 3
In Part 2, the Primus and his hobgoblin cohort had a grand old time letting the Tijakim think he and his were trapped with them--proving the hobgoblin love for tea meant they only performed stronger when being kettled in tight spaces. With the Tijakim willing to pour much blood for those tunnels, the Primus brewed a plan to exact a steep price from the …
Chapel of Chains Part 5
In the last part, Tiber finally makes it back to the safe zone—and Rattles the undead is taken into custody by a powerful grizzled mage. Runt learned her mercenary company was bound for an unknown prize deep under the city—and would sneak through the defending army’s cordon to get there. The hobgoblins demolished the massive keep looking over the whole …
Chapel of Chains Part 6
Previously, Tiber finally met the paladin leading the defense of Thunder's Vale, under the approaching shadow of Point Radovic. Given a field commission, Lady Bochra tasked him to lead the rendezvous with the leader of the hobgoblin cohort and the latter's final century of warriors escaping the destroyed Morningstar. Before venturing underground, he met…
Chapel of Chains Part 7
Previously, Tiber Klepacki pulled the feat of three military objectives at once: find and relieve the last century of hobgoblins, capture the Russet Kites, and eliminate the Tijakim horde under the city. In the process, he captured a witch famous in Lidovica: Runt Scarlet.
Chapel of Chains Part 8
Previously, Tiber met up with the Old Bird and Praecantrix Maritime Lau, who introduced her older brother Marshal Lau, the awe-inspiringly fearsome Primus of the hobgoblin cohort. As the mixed forces of Thunder's Vale defenders rested before the next mission, Sister-Mistress Abigail Bochra briefed both what the next mission was: taking the massive Skydo…
Chapel of Chains Part 9
Previously, Tiber Klepacki and Marshal Lau led their kinsmen in vicious close-fighting on the rooftops of the Skydock road as Abigail Bochra stabbed and cut at the fore of Arc Royal’s soldiers thirsty for vengeance against their Tijakim attackers. Maritime Lau, injured from her sojourn out of the city’s depths, remained in the cathedral to care for the …