The BlackSand Tournament I: Round I, Duel III

From Gadreel Creeper of the Moon

Gadreel Creeper of the Moon (6039)

Gadreel was comforted by the night. Hiding in the shadows. Creeping under the dim light of a full moon. That made for a solitary life. But he didn’t mind it. He preferred being one with darkness. Being free to carry out his destructive instincts.

Gadreel always wore his spiked helmet, fully covering his face and only letting a glimpse of his shadowy eyes through. Folks were easily scared by his sinister appearance. But most of all, they were intimidated by the loud chainsaw he carried with him. Sometimes held in his right hand, sometimes hung on his back, that chainsaw had seen hundreds of fights. Gadreel’s brutal strength meant he could easily handle it as it if was a light sword: with impressive speed and precision. Afterall, he was a Fronod fighter. A warrior trained in the distant Forgotten Lands.

And fighting he understood. That was the reason for his quick journey to BlackSand. A couple of days earlier he had heard about a tournament with gold prizes for winners. Not that he needed additional incentives when it came to ripping apart someone’s arms with his chainsaw, but a few gold coins wouldn’t hurt.

Gadreel reached a small hill from where he could get a good view of BlackSand. Cold wind was hissing through his helmet, carrying dust and sand. In front of him laid a vast plain covered by a thick layer of dark black sand. Scattered detriments of something Gadreel didn’t recognize glittered under the moonlight. On the left side he could admire the Salt Sea, its tall waves braking loudly against the black shores. On the right, the Mountains of Light were hugging the entire plain, casting an even darker shadow onto the barely lit city.

He glanced approvingly at that view. That place almost felt like home: a dark, lonely place. Left alone to the mercy of nature.

Gadreel decided to camp there for the night. Under that beautiful moonlight. Cartillen, his loyal mutant turtle laid next to him, and they both fell asleep.

Loud stomping woke them up shortly after. The moon almost gone behind the horizon. The sun rising. Gadreel stood up, calmly. Nothing could really spook him. Yet, he was curios. The stomping continued in the distance. As he looked towards BlackSand he saw a group of several large beasts running towards the city. “Those are not horses…maybe ceratops?!” he asked Cartillen, not really expecting any answer. He had never seen ceratops from this close, but plenty could be found where Cartillen came from.

Awoken, Gadreel decided to march on the city to learn more about the tournament. As he reached the wooden city gates, he found several flyers pointing towards the fighting pit. Everything was dusty and covered in dark, thick sand. After a few minutes he reached the entrance of the fighting pit. Wooden bleachers and fences delimiting its perimeter. Once entered, he signed up for the tournament. The wizard taking down his name informed him to comeback in three days time for his fight.

What he saw when he returned to the arena three days later slightly surprised him. A fairly sizeable crowd was already in attendance, almost filling out all the available seats. The ground of the fighting area seemed extremely wet. A few wizards dressed in white were running around. Two of them were carrying someone out of the pit on a stretcher. “Interesting…”

He then heard a loud voice calling for his name from the bleachers, inviting him to the middle of the pit to start his fight. “Let’s do this” he yelled as he run towards the center of the arena.

From Rogue Disintegrator of the Lost City

What brought Rogue to BlackSand was a mix of faith and duty. He was a warrior swore to the Sun God. The one true god spreading light, truth, and righteousness across lands. Rogue’s duty was to be the living proof of the Sun’s powers to the unfaithful. That was why he made his way to this almost-forgotten city. The Order of the Sun God had instructed its disciples to head to the darkest corners of the Runiverse and profess the Sun God’s truth.

As soon as Rogue heard of a tournament hosted in BlackSand he knew that was his opportunity to abide to the Order’s directive. “I’ll showcase the power of the Sun and convert any unfaithful on my path” he grunted proudly, stroking his golden sword.

Walking down the dusty streets of BlakSand, Rogue could not help but wonder how beautiful that place could become under the guidance of the Order of the Sun. A rich, glorious city led by the One Truth.

When he reached the wooden entrance of the tournament arena, a wizard wearing white garments and a blue hood was silently standing. “Is this the right place for the tournament?” Rogue asked with his bass voice. The wizard lifted his head and stared into Rogue’s eyes. After what felt like a couple of minutes, he finally reacted by simply rising his right thumb in approval. Confused, Rogue entered.

Sitting at a table not far from him there was another wizard wearing a long purple rogue. His face round, stony looking “Ah…” Rogue grunted “A corpse eater” he whispered, “a dark creature that walks in the shadows…”

The wizard lifted his head, staring at Rogue. “A Lost City warrior” he said, “what a pleasant surprise! Let me sign you up for our third duel. I look forward to witnessing the power of your sword and shield” he continued, waving his hand to dismiss Rogue. “Calm down…” Rogue thought to himself, his hatred for creatures like that boiling his blood “this is not the place, the time will come.”

His calling had always been fighting off creatures of the night such as goal, zombies and vampires. Corpse eaters were on top of his list. But those were rare, powerful wizards that very rarely exposed themselves. “What brought him so out in the open?” he wondered as he left the arena to find an inn for the night.

A few days later it was time for his duel. That morning Rogue woke up early to fully conduct his Sun routines. He ended with the ritual Sun prayers, invoking his blessings. “May your light fill me with courage, strength and righteousness. May your heat dissipate my fears. May your power embolden and guide my strikes. May your enemy face your wrath, against which all darkness fails.”

Basking under the sunlight, Rogue entered the fighting pit. With his golden sword firmly held in the right hand. With his shield engrained with a Rune of the Sun in the left hand. Both charged with the one true power of the Sun. He lowered the visor on his helmet. He was ready to fight.