Lord Tephys

It was there, near the entrance to High Pass that the leaders of the two armies met, face to face. The forest seemed to groan and the very earth trembled. Cruel laughter was heard echoing through the trees.

Lord Tephys raised his mailed fist into the air and swore aloud, "By the grace of The Mother, you will be stopped Child of Hate! Your cursed army shall go no farther then where I stand."

Lanys's derisive laughter seemed supernaturally loud as it rang out, almost hurting the ears of those around her, "Old fool, you feel such hate for me and in that I am glad. This only proves the strength of my father and his power! However, the hate you feel toward me is nothing compared to the sheer depths of hate I hold toward you and your kind. Prepare to feel the full force of the power that is hate itself!"

And with those words, the two armies clashed. Lanys seemed to close the gap between herself and Lord Tephys in but a single leap and struck at the old Paladin with a viscous fury. Like a hammer unto an anvil, Lanys's swords struck again and again against the upraised shield of Lord Tephys. The Paladin struggled valiantly under the harsh blows of the Child of Hate. The attacks were relentless and only seemed to become more violent as they continued.

Finally, the shield of the old Paladin failed him and Lanys landed a blow squarely upon the aged shoulder of the holy fighter. Dropping his shield, he staggered backward but clutching his wound as it bled freely he whispered for aid from Tunare. His hand glowed a soft blue as the wound healed and he smiled to himself as he felt the love of The Mother. His smile quickly faded as he looked up to see Lanys's hands glowing as well, a cruel smile upon her face.

Shouting out words in Ancient Teir'Dal, Lanys made a sweeping gesture toward her enemy, great streams of magical energy coursing from her outstretched hands and enveloping the High Elf. Lord Tephys clutched at his chest as his whole body was wracked with incredible pain. Stunned from the sudden and unexpected blow, Lord Tephys failed to block as Lanys struck a final terrible blow. Lord Tephys fell quietly to the ground and into the bosom of the Great Mother.

Meanwhile, a much different battle was being waged. Two seasoned fighters, leaders of men, both ancient and both veterans of countless battles squared off against each other. Like a deadly game of chess, Laarthik K'Shin and Galeth Veredeth circled one another in a deadly ballet of thrusts and parries. Both were opponents of equal skill but Laarthik, through the dark power he practiced, had the body of a young man. Galeth on the other hand, though in excellent physical shape for his age, was still very old.