My introduction to Erebus

Preface

Spurred on by Evernoob's excellent Fall from Heaven 2 stories here in the Stories & Tales forum, I decided to download FfH2.

I did not have BtS at the time, so I downloaded the most recent version for Vanilla, 0.23. However, the most recent version for BtS is 0.31. So I entered into this game with the idea that if I enjoyed the mod as much as I thought I would, I would then purchase BtS, download the most recent version of FfH, and proceed from there. Because updated is alway better.

And enjoy it I did. So much so that stories began to appear in my head, unbidden. So now I will share them with the forum with my apologies in advance for my shortcomings as a writer.

Fair warning: This game caused me to purchase BtS almost immediately. As such, I cannot guarantee that this game/story will go to completion, on account of 0.31 making me very very happy. As a long-time lurker, I always wished someone would warn me of that sort of thing before I started reading a new story thread, so I do so now.

Structure
As far as I've played this game so far, I have 3 "good" stories in my head and a fourth one that's tolerable and covers some gameplay results.

I will consequently mark out 4 chapters to fill in. If I play further, I'll backfill where appropriate.

Finally, this is my first story/AAR/anything, so if you read this shortly after it gets posted, expect to see some placeholders for screenies. I suspect that this thread will get finished piecemail, so I've set aside an area at the bottom of the OP to document where I am.

Fall from Heaven
If you're not familiar with FfH, get thee to the Mod Development forum! I'm not a big modder or a mod-player, but MAN is this mod/game (sorry, it is almost its own game at this point) good.

A good number of these stories are just what came to me as I played. I lurk the FfH forums a lot, but I don't know everything that's canon. So if I get off track, please remind me gently where I've gone astray. Thanks.

Revision History
23 May - added chapter 3
22 May - finally added Ch 1 & 2 screenshots
15 May - chapter 2
14 May - OP, chapter 1, chapter 2-4 placeholders.

Tuesday, 5th of Midwinter, 364

Dear Mom,

Happy birthday! I hope you and the rest of the family are doing well. I'm upset that I can't make the trip to Cahir to see you, but alas, it's all duty all the time for the first 2 years in the Forces. Which I hope provides a valid excuse as to why I haven't written since I left home?

It's certainly been a tough road to get here. The first six months were spent entirely on the training field. We even spent an entire night out there once. You'll be proud of me; I can now fall asleep while standing. And you thought I'd never develop any skills...

Speaking of which, please inform Dad that I am not walking headfirst into death. Yes, there are some soldiers who have to clean out orcish "cities" and others that spend their time along the more dangerous Calabim border, but I'm safe as snow. I've been stationed in the Glenlands. I just keep a lookout along the elvish border, which requires very little effort. 350 years of peace do count for something. And life on active duty is much easier than training. The truth of the matter is, I'm much more familiar with the pubs in town than I am with danger.

I've learned something new about Grandpa's last days. It turns out, he may not have been as crazy at the end as we thought. One of the regulars at my favorite pub is an old diplomat, about Grandpa's age. Who'd have guessed, right? Folk that old are so rare, what are the odds I'd find another? Anyway, he says that some of the things that Grandpa said in his last weeks were true. The vampire twins used to belong to the Fellowship of Leaves. It is only since the time that Grandpa was a bit younger than I am now that the Calabim have turned so openly dark. Whether Flauros and his wenchly sister were ever devoutly interested in Cernunnos is open to debate, but for 200 years, they kept up the appearance. So Grandpa was right about that. He was also right, apparently, about the overland road system being a relatively new development. Cities during his youth were more or less autonomous and connected only by river. Grandpa's 2 for 2 so far. Perhaps you had better investigate the possibility that the herbalist's daughter really is your sister.

Finally, please be sure to give my love to little Croce and Vig. And tell Vig to get an apprenticeship soon. He's almost too old to get one, but he doesn't want to end up like his older brother and "disgrace" the old man...

I will see you in another 18 months when I get my first leave.

Your son,
Bagge

Subpeldin V'nash stood atop the hill and looked over his straggling column of axemen. After 4 months of non-stop marching, they looked less like a military unit and more like a cluster of refugees. He was just about to start cursing loudly again when Peldin Banner rode up beside him.

V'nash put his heavy cursing on hold for a moment. No need to upset Banner. True, Banner was put in charge of this force despite little experience. True, Banner was born into his rank while V'nash had earned his lesser one with grit, determination, and the mouth of a drunken pirate. True, Banner thought himself wise when, in fact, he was far too young to be. But some things about him were tolerable. He was much more competent than most nobles. He wanted to learn. He shared his own knowledge. He drank like a fish. He always shared credit with his men to his superiors and did not share the blame. He was certainly not the worst Peldin to be stuck out here with. Despite himself, V'nash almost liked him.

Banner smiled as he always did. The only thing that made his constant enthusiasm acceptable to V'nash was the utter falsity of it. Banner was at least as miserable as he. He started in, "Scouts tell me that we reach the end of Lanun territory by nightfall tomorrow. Then it will be less than a week to reach the objective."

V'nash allowed himself a smile. He turned to Banner and said, "We are mighty to have come this far."

Banner hated to rain on this moment, so he chose not to point out that the city still needed to be taken once they arrived there. Instead, he agreed boldly, "The mana node will be ours."

Three weeks later

Banner and V'nash rode out to the meeting point. The orcish chieftain and his guard were not there. Banner hoped silently that V'nash would keep his rough tongue out of the proceedings. V'nash reminded himself to be silent. He at least knew that Banner could outsmart an orc.

They had already spent ten days throwing rocks at the "city" (huts surrounded by a large wall), but the orcs were still not softened up enough for an assault by V'nash's axemen. The catapults were damaged by the long journey and the terrible pirate "roads" that they had travelled down. Admittedly, the Lanun would laugh at Elohim ports as being child-sized. But seriously, thought Banner who doesn't even have useable roads? And no inland cities to stop in? They had had to scavenge parts from some catapults to keep the others working. He wondered if the orcs were even bothered by the barrage, as inaccurate and infrequent as the rocks came. Still, they had agreed to parlay. That was something.

An orc emerged from the brush, slowly, carefully. He looked around and confirmed that the two officers were alone. Then he turned and motioned. Twelve more orcs spilled out, including Sludge. Banner considered most orcs to be animals, but Sludge had a head on his neck.

Sludge began, "Sludge says go home. Sludge not wanting to kill you. Today." He began nodding his head, apparently pleased with his benevolence.

Banner replied, "And I have no interest in killing you. But I must take Sludgehome for the glory of the Elohim Empire. That is what I wish to-"

Sludge roared, "Why? This land no good. Other pink ones not want it. You not from here. Why you take it? This land Sludge's."

Banner answered flatly, "True, the Lanun have no interest in expanding this far south. And Sirona knows why we want this frost-ridden, midge-addled, goblin-riddled zit of a city, but those are my orders. We will have it for the Queen."

Sludge made a motion, and twelve warriors crouched into attack poses. "Maybe you making mistake. Maybe Sludge not letting you go. Maybe you outnumbered."

Banner sped up his diction a little, knowing that the orcs were already past the limits of their attention span. "I wish to offer you membership in the Elohim Empire. Sludge, you will continue to rule Sludgehome. Our axemen will be at your disposal to keep the other tribes at bay. We will assist you and, if we need it, you will assist us. We will be friends, borglakl."

Sludge looked confused. Banner sped on, "We came here to conquer you. It now becomes apparent that we cannot defeat you on the field of battle. Your forces are too mighty. Perhaps instead, we can be find a way of settling this other than battle?"

The smile on Banner's face froze. If there was such a thing as a rationally self-interested orc, it was Sludge. But that was a big, big if. And if the if were wrong, he and V'nash would be done for.

Sludge looked up, still confused. "What you get out of this?"

Banner admitted, "The Elohim Empire gets friends in the south and friends that are strong warriors. Looking at us, you have to admit, we are not a warrior people. And I personally get to go home. I cannot go home until I get Sludgehome into the Empire. Since I can't do that by conquest, I'm attempting to do it by ensuring that the current ruler is happy to join us and knows of all the benefits he will see. Such as our axemen. And our rockthrowers. And keeping the other pink ones away. And shiny metal. And allowing you to take over other orcish tribes."

Sludge smiled. "Deal," he pronounced. After all, if anything went wrong, he could always crush the pink ones later.

Banner smiled. "Deal," he pronounced. After all, if anything went wrong, it would be problem of whoever they sent down to be the viceroy, not his. He would be on his way back north by tonight, with word of his Glorious Victory over the savages.

V'nash frowned. "Deal," he mumbled. He was going to have to fight these orcs eventually. And that big-city, momma's boy, blue-blooded dandy had just ensured that he was going to do it without catapult support. He hated being had.

Cahir could not come fast enough.

Diebel Totra leaned back in his coach. He tried to revisit the presentation in his head for when he arrived at the palace. He tried to worry about leaving Harshaw all alone in Innsbrook. He tried to lay odds on who would reach the capital first. Or at all. He tried to enjoy his opportunity to ride in the coach. He tried to think about anything other than the box.

It wasn't a big deal when the note first arrived from Cahir. It confirmed what they had already suspected: Perpentach had survived the Age of Ice and was king of the hill in a distant land. There were too many rumors, too many whispers at the ports and public halls of Lanunia for the Elohim to be surprised by that revelation. What surprised them was Falamar's response to the letter.

During his regularly scheduled meeting with the pirate king, Ambassador Harshaw had mentioned that the Elohim had received a Balseraph ambassador. The letter from Cahir had clearly stated that the Lanun already knew of the existence of the Balseraphs and had been trading with them for decades. Harshaw had planned on bludgeoning the poor Falamar into an admission of his secrecy and was thus stunned by what followed.

Falamar appeared relieved to be able to tell the truth. For one who had risen to power on the strength of his personality and the tall tales about his powers, relief and honesty seemed an unnatural fit. Nevertheless, Falamar and his chief minister took turns regaling Harshaw and Diebel with stories of Perpentach and his people. The worst story was that of the box. Diebel had asked a second time to hear the dimensions. They couldn't be right. But Falamar insisted that they were. Diebel knew that a human body simply could not fit into that box. He wondered how badly they had to mangle the legs to get her to fit...

Musn't dwell on that thought Diebel. The other stories were about the power and reach of the Balseraphs. And of the deal made by Falamar to conceal the existence of the Balseraphs from everyone on his own continent until the day that Perpentach decided to announce himself. True, Falamar was a quick one to take any deal in his short-term interest, but to adhere to it for a length of time when he knew that it was not in his long-term interest to do so was... unprecedented, really. He was a master of playing leaders against each other. He had done so for years...

For Falamarisms...

Diebel knew that only caution regarding Perpentach (in concert with continuing large profit) would allow Falamar to adhere to such a restrictive agreement. That Perpentach had finally cancelled the agreement and announced his existence to the Elohim and Calabim could only mean that the time was come for something big. As crazy as the Clown King was, such an advantage would not be thrown aside so easily.

Thrown aside and then buried, like the box. In a grotesque perversion of the standard burial ritual, Perpentach had ordered that the box be buried on its end. In this way, Os-Gabella's head would be faced away from the heavens and the very gods who created her.

None of that, now Diebel chided himself. After the stories and the revelations that Falamar and his minister were only too happy to share (for they, too, knew that the arrival of the ambassador was a harbinger), Harshaw had set upon a plan. He, as the Ambassador, would remain in Innsbrook. His entire staff of five would be sent back to Cahir via differing routes. The idea being that if Perpentach really were making his move, five redundant messengers stood a much better chance of getting the information delivered than a single one did. As the right hand of the Ambassador, Diebel was sent via the most direct route. It was a rare treat to go home. And passing through the Bendland usually made him homesick for his childhood cottage. But today, he cursed the Bend and the extra time that it tacked on to the journey. It was also a rare treat to be in the ambassador's coach. But today, he cursed the flag it flew and the large target it presented to any Balseraph operative.

And just for a moment, his concentration lapsed, and he thought again of the box. He wondered how deeply it was buried. He wondered if anyone involved in the site selection or burial had been allowed to live. He wondered how long Os-Gabella's screams for mercy continued past the point where they were inaudible to the outside world as they continued to shovel dirt on her. He wondered if she still screamed now.

He shuddered, thanked the gods for his mortal body, and looked out the window of the coach.

Cahir could not come fast enough.

Wherein I've gone as far as I have. But not further.

If/when further gameplay happens.

And this is my final, and very probably unnecessary, placeholder.

Start please, I'd be interested to read

BTW you should probably just make new posts as you write, instead of taking up positions in advance. The reason is that when you edit your post, the topic wont be 'bumped' to the top of the forum thread list. So it might cause people not to notice the update.

Thanks for the tip, Jopa. I'll be sure to find a way to send up a signal flare once I get in more story.

Such as, "Chapter 1 doth be now complete (sans screenshots)"

Subscribed.

To add to what TheJopa said, its better to just post at the end of the thread instead of putting in placeholders. You also don't want to limit yourself to the amount of posts your story may take (the more the better for us lurkers).

Anyway, good luck against those vampires.

Chapter 2 is now up, also without screenshots. I'll get them in and chapters 3 and 4 written middle of next week.

Sludge smiled. "Deal," he pronounced. After all, if anything went wrong, he could always crush the pink ones later.

Banner smiled. "Deal," he pronounced. After all, if anything went wrong, it would be problem of whoever they sent down to be the viceroy, not his.

Click to expand...

What actually happened? You conquered the city or?

Screenshots added that should hopefully explain the last bit.

Part 3 tomorrow.

Chapter 3 up. This is my high fastball. If you didn't like chapter 3, you can unsubscribe now, because that's the best story I'm capable of writing. I hope you like it.

And in future stories, I'll just add new posts. But I'll keep editing placeholders for this one and just do it the right way starting with my first BtS FfH story.

Legate Damar said:

Chapter 3 up. This is my high fastball. If you didn't like chapter 3, you can unsubscribe now, because that's the best story I'm capable of writing. I hope you like it.

Click to expand...

If I had to nitpick, I'd say the only thnig ch. 3 needs would be a clearer separation between the Lanun and the Calabim scene.
Otherwise, I'm enjoying it very much.

Very nice

BTW if you are into more reading I wrote an story some time ago. It was about Bannor.

Bannor Chronicles

Letting everyone know that it may be an extended period of time before I pick this thread back up again, if ever. My wife is having medical issues (her back basically exploded), and it'll be a while before I'm back in Erebus. Given the length of time I'm guesstimating I'll be out, I'll probably start a new story/game upon my return.

Thanks for reading.