Vorstuga River - Wickan Fortifications [Quest: Complete]

"Quiet, Vain," growls Andraste in between words. The Incubus is disrupting her concentration! Having a large throwing axe stuck in one's arm is distraction enough on its own.

At last, Gluttony had found his way to the human world again. What a wondrous place this was. Everything here tasted so good. As the fog cleared the hungry demon looked around surveying the place he had been called to. Ordinarily, Gluttony might have been bound by a summoning contract. Truth be told, Gluttony was not supposed to be here. It had always been uncommon for humans to call on the power of Indulgence. This was mainly due to Gluttony's reputation. It had been centuries sense Gluttony had had any sort of decent meal. It had been time to take things into his own hands.

Gluttony had stole into the realm of the wind spirits, one of the most commonly summoned daemons, and had consumed the powerful spirit that was being summoned for this battle. The summoning contract, by a paradoxical outcome of Gluttony's endless stomach, was both bound to Gluttony and not. Holding the contract, and the deamon who previously owned it, in his stomach had given Gluttony the ability be summoned. As the contract was lost in an endless void, Gluttony did not need to abide by it. Also, he was to hungry to care.

A loud rumbling filled the air as Gluttony's stomach growled. The noise reverberated in the daemons endless stomach and shook the ground like an earthquake. Gluttony leaped at the nearest person, a mage, with super human speed. He would take the unfortunate man in his powerful arms and rip him in half above his head. Blood would flow into his mouth and over his fat. Gluttony rips into the warm flesh, satisfying his desire to eat for the first time in a long time.

Silas's whisper was not heard over the chaos that broke out as the demon ate the wiccan mage. Oliver had already lifted his bow and was shouting. "Shoot that thing!" He let fly an arrow that struck the ugly beast in the neck. Rather then bleed the neck muscles absorbed the arrow and healed it's self.

"Burn it!" A hint of desperation in the boys voice. He looked to the mages and could tell that they were spent.

---

Ferndale arrived at the main battle after a long trek through the swamp to a horrifying scene he had not expected.  Seeing the demon eat one of his kinsmen he knew what to do.  "Turn the bastard into a pin cushion and burn it."  He growled as the archers were already drawing.

With the daemon there to distract them, no one had thought to interrupt Andraste's channelling. Finally, after several minutes of chanting, the water directly below the log connecting the two sides of the river explodes upward, slashing the log in half and throwing the pieces aside. It freezes into a tall, completely smooth wall of ice. After a few moments, however, the side of the wall that faces the Wickan side begins to form into a wall of icy spikes. Before anyone can react, the frozen spears dislodge of their own accord and rain down upon the Wickans like so many frozen arrows, burying themselves in anyone unlucky enough to be wearing anything but chain armour.

Andraste, meanwhile, finishes chanting, beginning to pant slightly, a few beads of sweat having formed upon her brow. The injury had already taken a lot of her energy to ignore; this incantation only worsened that effect. She rests her head upon Vain's shoulder and leans on him as the scene before her unfolds, quite thoroughly drained as the pain in her shoulder begins to re-emerge. Unfortunately, she had been too occupied with her chanting to notice the Gluttony demon, and so is unaware that a greater foe now stalks the battlefield.

When the great beast, Gluttony, is summoned combat seems to halt. The Wickans witness their folly first, then the mercenaries. The beast seemed almost impervious to the attacks made by arrowfire, and would no doubt treat the attacks of a sword the same way. That was when Hochmeister Konrad and his companions entered the area and found the strange sight.

The Wickans were wavering, already losing the battle and now looking upon their mistake. Andraste's magic was the icing on the cake: her ice shards slammed into the Wickans that frightened them beyong belief. They looked on in horror as their companions were impaled. "Run, run!" The Wickans panicked, throwing down their weapons and fleeing to the east and south. Their army had been routed.

Adrian made his way over to Andraste, who he had interacted with on an earlier engagement. "Andraste," he exclaimed, worried about her. "This is why the Brothers were created," he said, pointing at Gluttony, "because sometimes, magic falls into the wrong hands." Adrian motioned for some other Brothers to come to his side, these ones not nearly as armed or armored as the Knight-Brothers or Halftbruders. "See to her, quickly," he commanded, and the clerics offered their healing powers to her.

Hochmeister Konrad on the other hand was unsure of what to do about the demon. "Call on the Clerics," he commanded. Dressed like the ones who had helped Andraste, some Clerics took up position behind the shield wall created by the Halftbruder, and cast light-based arcs of power in the direction of Gluttony. Hopefully, the combined magical power would be enough to kill, or at least weaken him to some extent.

"Lord, look over there," Gustav said; he, Heinrich, and Dietrich had regrouped with Konrad, and all looked at mercenary Silas who was 'helping' Oliver. "What madness is this?"

"Not madness," Konrad said compassionately, "hope. Everyone deserves a second chance. Let one friend help the other friend, perhaps then the Wickan captain will realize his folly."

Sensing a familiar presence Gluttony went to investigate. Bursting from the water he rushed down the bank towards Vain. Stopping he said, "Infatuated with another women I see." Gluttony made no motion to eat her. He and Vain had never gotten along, but Gluttony realized he was in a perilous situation.

"Think you could help another demon out? A distraction perhaps...I'd owe you one." Just then a lance of pure energy shot at Guttony. He used the only defense he had. Opening his mouth to a seemingly impossible size he swallowed the blast of energy.

The demon was immobilized by the magic attack. Oliver nocked an arrow tipped with obsidian. He held his aim concentrating more then he normally would. Veins in his arm and forehead bulged and the edges of the arrow head began to glow.

---

At this time Haffalk and his dozen warriors were returning to the hill.  They were dismayed to find it in chaos.  Wiccans were fleeing haphazardly.  There was but one patch of order left.  Haffalk made his way to where Ferndale and his squad had concealed themselves at the edge of the forest.

"Hail, Fern!"  Said the gruff clans chief.  "This war may not be lost yet.  The enemy seems to be distracted by that... that-"  Before he could articulate what 'that' was Ferndale grabbed him by the lapel and shook him.

"Don't you see!  It's over. Even if we killed their general another would replace him." He pointed to the demon.  "This is the gifts out new god his given us.  That monster ate Dall!"  Ferndale was screaming, not caring if he gave his position away. "We have lost one war after another; our land; our sons; our dignity.  Let us kill this demon that we have summoned and regain some honor."

Haffalk stepped back, stunned.  Ferndale was usually the calmer one among the two.  "I..."  He stopped not knowing what he was planning to say.  He looked around at the remaining wiccan's who were helping injured companions.  "I will leave the demon hunting to you.  Fren Agle!"  He barked to his mages.  "Stay with Ferndale. Archers, we will cover the retreat."  With that he disappeared into the forest.

"You know what to do."  Ferndale said.  Indeed all four mages' eyes were glowing."

Consuming the beam of energy was like pure ecstasy for Gluttony. For the first time in a long time he felt the void that was his gut somewhat filled. Yes the satisfaction would end when the attack stopped. Meanwhile Gluttony hoped to suck down every last drop of the mage's mana.

Yet consuming such a feast left him immobilized. Hopefully he would not have to wait long for Vain's return. Gluttony could smell the spicy scent of fire magic simmering on the hill he had left. Tasty, but the demon only had one mouth.

Vain runs back to where Gluttony sits, Andraste still in his arms.

"You aren't gone yet? I turned into a giant flaming dragon. What more of a distraction do you want?"

As the fireballs arch towards him, he runs away and out of the blast radius.

"What are you doing, fatty? Run!"