The End of the Road

[AnubianWolf88]

I like a coherent narrative to accompany the death of any fiction – even if that fictional story is told in game form. Herein I will attempt to craft such a narrative around the death (executed by WOTC) and subsequent rebirth (ala C3V and SoV and CUC and the Delta Committee) of Heroscape. I will be paying about as much attention to the “River of Blood” narrative on Valkrill as the TV version of the Walking Dead pays to the comics – inspiration only.


Heroscape is the only game or hobby that I have ever cared about. I am tremendously fortunate to live in DFW and play with GladDragon, Rÿchean, DrLivingston, Dignan and others. As an aside, this is my first fiction published publicly ever. I have, however, written hundreds of other pages that have been discarded and rewritten in other genres over time - maybe someday they'll see the light of day. I hope you enjoy what I have here.



AW88

[AnubianWolf88]

The scent of death hung in the air. Sgt. Drake Alexander could not escape it. Nonetheless, he was more at peace than he had been in 14 long years. The war for Valhalla was over.

"Nilfheim!"

"Yes, Sergeant Alexander?"

"Well met. Give my regards to your brood back on Icaria. I hope your life-clan bestows upon you the noblesse oblige you have earned here."

"SGT Alexander, you continue to impress. My clan most certainly shall. And they shall also bestow, according to custom, a bigger brood!" Nilfheim nodded majestically, showing more respect to the human than he had shown any other. “Furthermore, I shall take what I have learned here to the strongholds of the Nhah Scirh. That shall be the greatest victory.”

Sergeant Alexander had been the catalyst and the fuel for a strategy to win the war. That strategy hadn't been popular, and now only creatures of magic such as Nilfheim, the other dragons, and some of Ullar's army would ever return to their respective homelands off-world. Without the Wellsprings, Valhalla had become a refugee camp. Without the Wellsprings, death was, indeed, final. With that thought, Nilfheim left the Battle of All Time forever.

Tiring of war, the Primus Pilus Marcus Decimus Gallus, SGT Alexander, Raelin, and Nilfheim had approached Jandar and Einar with a simple premise. As long as the Wellsprings remained in play, the Kyrie Generals would be able to save and revive as many warriors as necessary immediately before death in battle. On Valhalla, this had become a frequent occurrence. The Battle of All Time had effectively become a series of skirmishes with potential casualties only as large as a Valhallan general could handle. The generals had effectively ceased bringing new forces into play from other worlds and other planes of existence – they were far too busy managing the regeneration and death prevention of existing forces. It also explained why Vydar’s forces had remained relatively small. As Jandar discovered with the Omnicrons, tech was hard to pull through a portal using the Wellspring’s power. Ultimately, Raelin explained, Jandar and Einar would need Ullar’s help, for the magic of Morsbane and Saylind were critical to the plan.

That plan was simple and therefore unlikely to fail. Strap a grenade to the Rod and newly discovered Glyph of Negation, pull the pin, and teleport it to the Source the Wellsprings – a Source confirmed by the combined abilities of several magic users. Simultaneously launch an assault directly into the heart of Utgar’s realm. Plan for casualties – Utgar’s primary advantage throughout the preceding years had been the speed with which he could regenerate his forces through exotic biologies and Wellspring mastery. Vydar, far removed from the front lines of battle, was another problem with a far different solution.

The Krav Maga agents had defected to Jandar when Vydar declared for Utgar, effectively becoming double agents. At great risk, they were read-in on the plan. Assignment: assassinate Vydar. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t honorable. But it had become necessary.

Needing the powers of Negation, Einar approached Ullar for his assistance. Surprisingly, he and his daughter Aquilla instantly agreed with the plan. Even Morsbane seemed ambivalent. Most of Ullar’s non-Valhallan armies could be returned to their homes without the Wellsprings, and the ones that couldn’t were good soldiers – they would follow orders. None were more tired of war than Aquilla, who had joined the conflict only when her own realm had been threatened.

The Last Alliance, as they termed themselves, executed the plan masterfully. Saylind stood in a near-trance, concentrating her powers on the destination of the Negation Grenade package. PFC Graham pulled the pin; the package blinked out of existence; SGT Alexander called out on his field radio to the well-hidden Airborne Elite – “Attack!”; An Aubrien elf with strong psionic ability called out to Ulginesh “The time has come.”

The combined powers of The Rod and Glyph of Negation snuffed out the Wellsprings’ Source. Utgar’s armies had grown sloppy and overconfident in battle, depending upon their master’s ability to save them seconds before death. This would prove their undoing, as the battle-hardened forces of the Alliance descended en masse upon Utgar’s command garrison. Utgar’s outposts were destroyed without warning at the very second that the Source was negated.

Utgar was awakened from a deep slumber at the instant that the Wellspring went dark. He didn’t know how, but his mystical power source was gone. He immediately called upon Taelord and his Minions to rally all available forces, as this loss was no coincidence. They went out from Utgar’s castle to discover the battle already joined, and a well-organized assault underway. All available resources were brought to bear, but it was pointless. The Last Alliance had successfully utilized Surprise, Mass, Manuever, and Unity of Command to obliterate the Utgar resistance.

Simultaneously, Agent Carr stealthily entered Vydar’s throne room. There he sat, fascinated with a bit of gear brought to him in a recent “gathering” from the portal. Carr’s Krav Maga Agents, led by the second-in-command Skahen, covered the exits. Vydar had always been perceptive, but this exchange was wholly unexpected.

“Et tu, Brute” Vydar purred. Carr knew he was exposed. Nonetheless, he attacked.

Kyrie generals had not gone into battle since the discovery of the Wellsprings, but their training in times past did not leave them. Hardier and naturally stronger than humans, Vydar was more than a match for Carr. Vydar struck with a strange weapon of coalescing light. Carr rolled. Vydar missed. Vydar had sniffed out the plot against him but assumed it was a heretofore unknown Kyrie attempting to usurp his leadership and his Wellspring. Little did he know. Moments after Vydar struck at Carr, the Wellsprings went dark. Vydar hesitated in the resultant shock. The Sword of Reckoning cleaved Valkyrie flesh.

Appearing suddenly through their patented smoke power, the Nakitas countered. In the firefight between KMA and Nakita, Carr and Agent K were killed. The Nakitas, fiercely loyal to Vydar after all that had transpired, fell and were no more. Agents J, L, and Skahen escaped before the wholesale slaughter began. Ullar’s might crashed into Vydar’s forces. Strangely, as quickly as this battle began, it ended. Once Microcorps and Gorillanators and ‘Trons began dying for real, everyone involved lost the intestinal fortitude necessary to continue the fight. Soon thereafter, news of Vydar’s death reached the battlefield. Laglor and the Gorillanators surrendered to their former allies quickly.

And so, Einar, Ullar, and Jandar joined for a small meal, their remaining kyrie armies in attendance, before departing to their respective kingdoms. Aquilla had departed suddenly - joyfully - with Sujoah, when combat had ceased. Valhalla was at peace.

[greygnarl]

Excellent.