Sanctioner

Miriam’s robes snapped in the wind, the dusty canyon air tugging at her hair and making her squint to keep the grit out. The sounds of battle echoed off the high rock walls as a formation of knights on foot surged forward under the guidance of a standard bearing paladin. Their formation was perfect, a disciplined line of armor, spears, and shields. Opposing them on the left flank and blocking any attempts to break out of the canyon was an irregular demon unit a quarter their size. But even with a paladin leading them, they were stymied. The air practically sizzled with the amount of mana choking the area, a result of the blasphemous forms the demons had taken.

Divine Release, they called it. An insult is what it was. There was nothing Divine about their hellish powers, their horns and tails and hideous wings. But…the power they had was undeniable. She watched as a tiny speck of a demon girl with red hair and no weapons shot from her lines like a cannonball, her fists cracking plate armor and shattering bodies. Her wings gave her grace, letting her change directions at a whim or turn leaps into brief flight. The paladin leading the knights challenged her and Miriam had to watch as the girl danced around his greatsword, eyes glimmering with some unholy magic. Her blows turned light, almost like taps against his enchanted armor but the paladin recoiled and crumpled like he’d been struck by a giant hammer. He fell and the demons rushed in to push back the now leaderless knights.

A bolt of magic hissed by her head and she refocused on her own fight. The center of the demon’s defensive line was far more organized than the wild flanks and they had mages in support. She lifted her hand in supplication briefly, golden light haloing around her before she extended her hand. The bolt of light staggered one of the frontline defenders, the holy energy clinging to his skin until one of the forward knights landed a strike. The holy energy flowed back into the knight, bolstering his stamina as he pressed the attack.

She had to be strategic with her magic. She wasn’t like a priest in the back, tending to the wounded. She was trained for the front lines, to turn damage and potential into recovery for her allies. To bring the Wrath of Kari to her enemies while providing the Succor of Her Light as the scriptures dictated. To bring holy cleansing to this Kari forsaken land!

But these demons just weren’t cooperating! Even with the help of those filthy cats and whatever trickery they’d used, the campaign in Sorthen had been successful beyond all expectations. Until now. Until these canyons! The demon rabble had organized and the push through the country had stalled. A frustrated snarl accompanied her next blast of holy light, blowing through the defenses of a faltering frontliner. His spot was filled almost instantly by the next in line before the opening could be capitalized on.

A low whistling cut faintly through the din of battle, its sound so strange that it stood out. It was a sound they all knew, something they were warned about and that the cats had said they would handle. But there were no cats here now. No aeromancers.

Miriam watched in growing fury as a trio of aerial mages swooped in from on high, missiles of magic, devastating beams, and condensed mana bombs fell into the back lines of their formations, scattering mages, riflemen, and healers alike. The aerial mages turned their attack runs into sharp climbs, expertly avoiding any return fire as they gained altitude for another attack run.

--

“The Battle of Three Passes was the one, great chance for the demons of Sorthen to turn back the invasion during the Four Swords War. Utilizing a new form of long range communication, General Ar’Golan maneuvered his forces into a blocking position at the Rake, a trio of canyons to the north of the capital and the fastest direct corridor to Marlone Bay. With the enemy forces split and communications finally able to move between demon commanders, Sorthen forces inflicted dire casualties on the invaders, particularly those of Westria due to the split nature of the attack and the lack of aeromancer support to combat demon aerial mages. The defense only lasted two weeks until the breakdown of demon communications removed their coordination and the demon forces retreated.

This two week delay in the invasion is said to be the only reason Sorthen continues to exist as a nation today.” - The Great War by Alan Printon