Role

Chapter 2

As the years passed, the A'krei tribe began to dwindle. The shells of their
eggs were brittle, fragile in the arid heat. The A'krei were a breed of water
birds, and their progeny were reliant on the humidity and temperate climate
of the Waters Arailen of yore. Fewer and fewer chicks were successfully
hatched from every clutch, and fewer and fewer Warriors of the A'krei were
trained.

With dwindling numbers, Faulkren's tribe became vulnerable to attack. The
Scions had always been the proverbial devil on the doorstep, but the
seclusion of the High Peaks of the Tahril combined with the fierce strength
of the A'krei warriors kept the relatively few Minions of the Eternal Night
at bay. Until recently.

Under the Lich Lord Tavlin, the nightwalkers multiplied and swarmed out into
the Araile, their influence spreading to the places once beneath their
notice. One moonless evening, the Eternal Night gathered and struck in force
the Village of the Akrei, crashing into it like a giant wave of despair.

Tacticians and true Warriors, the Akrei had prepared for such an event. The
alarm was passed from Arial to Arial, their high-pitched screams raptor-esque
and fierce, multiplying in the night until the air seemed to quiver with the
battle cry. A small defensive force broke away to hold back the onslaught,
while two other groups gathered the only two eggs that had survived from the
years clutch. The entire generation of Akrei, once numerous as the pines on
the shores of the Waters Arailen. The first group, with Faulkren cradling the
egg in his claws as gently as possible, took off into the night and headed
west. Their goal was Loch Terradian. The second group was never able to take
flight.

The Nightwalkers quickly overcame the token defense, but they were not
stalled for long enough, barreling into the second group of egg-bearers and
swallowing them in sheer numbers.

To be continued...