Groje

After a restless 2 days march, Arabor's legion of the dead reached their old capitol - Horehuson. Once a proud city of around 10.000 inhabitants, you could now only see some remains of fortified buildings made of stone, which endured the attack of the bloodhound during the Age of Chaos. Those inhabitants, who could not escape the initial, surprising attack had faced a cruel fate, with their flesh teared from their bones alive, and then all of the remains being fed to the Juggernauts and Korgoraths. With these grim memories in his mind, Arabor speeded up the approach to the city. Soon the bloodhound had realised their appearance and horns gave alarming sounds, ordering the troops to defend their new home. Surprisingly Arabor could only identify some regular battleline troops taking position in the outer defence ring of the city, but he could not see any elite units bolstering the defenders strength. Additionally the overall defence seemed to be organised by a blood stoker, also not the highest of the bloodhound officers. Nevertheless, with nothing else then revenge in mind, Arabor ordered a charge on all flanks, with fierce close combats starting around the central gate and the remains of the city walls, soon. Skeleton sword & spearmen faced Bloodreavers and Warriors, the center was attacked by Arabor and his personal grave guard. Slowly the deathrattle horde was pushing back the enemy step by step, ready to establish a first beachhead within the outer defence line of the city, when suddenly new horns could be heard! Surprisingly, they did not sound from within the city but from the death rattle's back, where no one paid attention to during the charge. A raiding party of Skullcrushsers, Horsemen and Korgoraths was returning to the city and now charing the death rattle in its back. No panic could be triggered within the undead ranks but being now outnumbered and surrounded, the skeleton ranks slowly started to crumble. Arabor tried to sense if he could find urgently needed reinforcements within the grounds of Horehuson, but no dead bodies could be found - all victims of the bloodhound in the past were fed to the beasts of the horde. But there was something else - not within the ground which Arabor scanned up until now. Within the dark shadow of the city ruins, a lurking dark presence was watching the battle. At night, when clouds would cover the stars and moon above the silent valleys it had haunted careless Bloodreavers who dared to roam the streets of Horehuson alone, causing terror in their bloodthirsty souls. The more Arabor focused on this presence, the more familiar it appeared to him, until suddenly painful memories from the past filled his mind, when he realised whom he had discovered. Quickly he strengthened his control over Worm and with the united witchcraft of the two wizards, he pulled the dark presence completely into this reality. Out of the sudden, creatures of green and white light materialised within the old royal tower, their eyes filled with fire of lust for total revenge. Arabor had summoned the spirits of the slain inhabitants of Horehuson and now as they were unleashed, they charged with loud screams into the battle against their tormentors from the past. The Nighthaunt charge was led by Athelwyn, Arabors beloved wife, who became one of the first casualties, when she organised the defence of the capitol against the surprising attack of the Bloodhound cavalry. Also of her, no bones remained but her spirit refused to leave this place and her husband and now she has returned in form of a Banshee. The ethereal creatures easily passed walls, enemies and friendly troops and attacked the bloodhound cavalry, which slowly grinded through the back ranks of the death rattle horde. Spectral scythes and daggers penetrated the thick armour of the juggernauts and within minutes the tide was turned towards the armies of the dead, erasing the remaining bloodhound quickly. Athelwyn took care of the Bloodstoker on her own. Remembering how he tortured her in her previous life, her dagger took care that his end now was as slowly and painful as hers had been. Within half an hour, the Bloodhound was butchered in all parts of the city, but Arabor realised quickly, that this was not the main body of the army. From Athelwyn he learned that the main army had moved out 2 weeks ago for a big raid in another region. They had headed towards the realm gate of Aremberg, which was also the most important escape route of the free people of the singing valley, when their exodus after the Bloodhound invasion started in the Age of Chaos. With hate and revenge being the dominant feelings which endured over the centuries, Arabaor and Athelwyn had not much to talk about when they met after the battle. Too many feelings and memories where simply lost during their stay in the in-between-world so they quickly ordered their joined forces towards the road to Aremberg, determined to hunt down the Bloodhound so their souls can finally find some peace.