Urz'ag Ruz'ad was old, even by the standards of longer lived races, old enough to remember the white and gold ships of the Aelfr as they first landed upon their shores. He had witnessed the burning of the once great goblin cities, the shattering of the mighty Orc strongholds, and the sinking of magnificent temples of the Lizard folk. He watched his people slowly succumb to groups of fractured tribal warlords, each generation becoming more brutal and twisted. He had long since given up hope of saving his kind from their own fatalistic nature, but he still could not stand to see his people ravaged as the Wyverns invaded their warrens in the Seven Peaks.

It was only under the threat of such powerful and fearsome creatures that the tribe put their petty squabbling aside, he mannaged to rally his tribe to escape into the lower tunnels and abandoned mines of the Old Dwarven Empire. Though in their frantic movement they accidentally tunneled into the human keep, it would provide saftey, but also he knew they would suffer retribution. The time of the Alliance of beastmen had long past, as had the Elven Dominion, now was the age of Humans, still Urz'ag refused to go quietly into the dark of night.

The war horns of the men served as a rallying cry for the ariving human forces, he anwsered in kind with their loud booming war drums that echoed throughout the mountain pass. Trapped between the approaching humans below and the Wyverns above he decided to face the threat he could face with force of arms alone. He called out orders as he tried to organize his skirmishers into something resembling a formation, archers took to the walls and gate houses firing into any exposed flanks from arrow slits.

He knew these humans would be far better prepared then the troops they managed to overrun by pure shock and awe. Urz'ag's only hope was that the portcullis could hold the forces at bay till they could find an escape route, before getting into position him self he donned his anciet wargear. An orichalcum breastplate battered by centuries of fighting, its enchantments near failing, his sword Wind Splitter, once a gift from a Dwarven diplomat before the great collapse and inter warring of the two species. A ring of arcane sheilding with only one a single spell left, this would likely be the final battle of the last king of the goblins.

Taking one last look at his old friend, the shaman Ur'gosh Zar'zag, he charged into the forces that began trying to flood the gap created by the arcane blast that destroyed the gate. Gripping the runic blade he could feel the enchatmet that increased his spped wash over him as he hacked through his enemies, the blade rending armor and flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Ur'gosh had taken his last few minutes to write the final page in an age old tome he used to record the history of his people, prehaps the only first hand account left in existence of their history, "what once was has come to an end, never more shall or people have hope, or the last king has fallen". He cut his hand and channeled the power of the spirits of nature commanding them to preserve the book externally, before channeling the rage of natures flames down atop the heads of their enemies.

The sounds of battle echoed down into the lower levels signalling the party to make their presence known, the dwarven captain organized his forces to slam into the rear of the goblin forces tasking the others with eliminating key targets. Seeing a goblin carrying a staff surounded by an aura of flames Adrian dashed forward signaling Margitte to support him as he engaged the goblin mage. Tagrid and Annabelle stayed close to his sides protecting his flank while Margitte fired arrows from the shadows of the fort.

Ur'gosh felt an impact against his flame sheild and was forced to abandon his spell in the face of a dark haired young man with fierce emerald eyes barring down on him. He poured all his power into his sheild as a sword impacted a split second later, he swung his blazing staff in retort. A dwarf intercepted his blow but the explosive force from the enchanted staff shattered the ordinary sheild and toppled the dwarf.

Annabelle rushed to check on the dwarf before coming under attack by an unusually large goblin wielding a mace forcing her to try and defend her downed ally. She shook in terror beneath her adamtine carapace but gritted her teeth with determination and swung her hammer. She winced at the sickening wet crunch as the goblin's skull gave out under the weight of her blow and splattered her with blood, bone, and brain matter.

Adrian was shocked at the skill of the mage with a staff, each swing of the staff had to be carefully parried lest he connect with the head of the staff and be blown away like Tagrid. The way the goblin mage regarded him seemed strange, the look upon the toothy green creature was one he could only interpret as sadness.

Ur'gosh held up a palm and forced his sheid rapidly burst outwards knocking the human off his feet, "this one's name is Ur'gosh Zar'zag shaman of fire and flames, if it is my destiny to fall today I ask to know my slayer" the goblin spoke to him in an archaic Tiberian dialect with a raspy dry voice.

Adrian picked himself up and catiously regarded the goblin as he spoke, it was unwise to give a spellcaster a moment of rest, but he felt a kindred warrior spirit from the shaman. "Adrian Black son of Duke Arrianus Black" he replied rushing forward with his sword in a deffensive position.

Ur'gosh sighed inwardly as he swung expecting his staff to be parried once more, only the defensive stance was a feignt as the blade slipped under the staff and sliced off one of his hands causing him to reel in pain. His foolish pride as an experienced combatant betraying him to a younger faster opponent, his last expression was a smile of relif as his head rolled from it's shoulders.

Annabelle faught side by side with a battered bruised Tagrid who used a shield pilfered from the fallen with support from Margitte who expended her quiver of arrows. Though his body groaned in dull pain Tagrid used his experience to crush the knees of his opponents, leaving them to either having their throats cut or heads crushed by the two women.

Their pincer attack had caused a panic allowing an enraged Havmal to break the goblin lines swinging his great axe with reckless abandon allowing more warriors to pour through the gap. They used their sheilds to trap and pin the goblin forces against the walls creating a frantic melee of desperation.

Urz'ag seeing the hoplessness of the situation was glad he had long ordered the women and children to flee deeper into the mountains, most would die but some at least would survive. With reckless abandon he threw himself at the giant of a man he thought was the enemy leader channeling the small amount of magic he possed into reinforcing his body.

Havmal only caught a glimpse of shadow as a blade cleaved through the haft of his axe forcing him to stumble back and draw his sword. The hair on the old warrior's neck stood on end as he couldn't break away from his current opponents to engage the new threat, the pain of an impact erupted from his ribs.

Urz'ag glared in annoyance being unable to cut the strange hide armor, what ever beast had provided such hide had been mighty indeed. He accelerated again gritting his teeth against the wear and tear that the increased speed did to his body.

Adrian seeing the guildmaster in trouble rushed forward to intercept the elusive ennemy, only his elven blood allowed his eyes to barely track the assailant. His blade cut through the air directly infront of Urz'ag coliding with his breastplate as he could not stop in time.

Ur'zag turned to face this new foe, his eyes awash with hatred seeing the young man's pointed ears, he accelerated with his blade at the ready.

The goblin blurred as he suddenly dashed under Adrian's swing, pain bloomed along his side and he could feel a hot sticky wetness running down his side in little rivulets. With the reach and skill of his blade he forced his attacker to deviate leaving a superficial wound. Urz'ag's eyes widened as he realized his neck had almost been severed during that exchange, he attacked again cleaving his oppenents sword off just above the hilt. A third attack would be the final attack, Urz'ag prepared to take the young man's head.

Seeing his life flash before his eyes Adrian grabbed ahold of the sickly sweet demonic taint running through his veins and unleashed a burst of pure black abyssal flames, Urz'ag's eyes widened in horror as he could not change direction. Black flames devoured his body as he screamed in silent pain, dropping the runic blade his charred lifeless corpse skidding to stop at Adrian's feet.

Seeing their seemingly invincible leader fall prey to such terrifying magics the goblin's frightul nature took over causing them to panic and break rank.

Adrian casually strode across the battle field enraptured by his new power firing concentrated blasts of abyssal flames into goblins attempting to flee. Havmal starred in dumbfounded shock as the young man strode through the carnage like an avatar of death slaying foes with a casual gesture of his hand, he had seen wizards fire, but something about those black flames sent a primal shiver down his spine.

The clean up didn't take much time as the rearguard poured into the courtyard and began chassing the remaining forces down into the lower tunnels, for Adrian the battle was over but the war within his mind had begun as he struggled to let go of the addictive power that coursed through him. Seeing him struggling, still awash with a black-purple energy Annabelle removed her sallet and grabbed his head forcibly kissing him. The gentle sensation of her lips upon his coupled with the tear stained face of Annabelle pulled Adrian back to reality allowing him to get his powers back in check.