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[Bailos]

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The night was long....Standing from the balcony of Mardoth's tower in Umbra, he looks off, surveying Umbra. He almost wanted to cry....and if he could have actually even cried, you may have verywell seen a tear stream down his cheek. A wreck of emotions, with nothing but a bunch of rambled, screaming thoughts, and scared instinct to guide him now, but still he stood.

Soldiers running up and down the steps, the sounds of blades clashing in the distance. A few vague rumbles of possible explosions......and here he was, beside Zalar, trying to manage his fate beside those who still remained.....but still he stood.

[A flashback and recounting of events]
Only two Ancients reared their heads now, after the paladins shattered the power of The Skull. Every waking moment, he couldnt help but let the memory of watching the paladins complete their ritual, and null the energy of The Ebon Skull run through his mind...he still felt the pain of melting away, falling apart.....as if he very fabric of being was torn back from this plane, beyond the shroud......But here he was now, able to manifest in the face of this peril and tribulation......but still he stood.

Then tonight....Huddled in the Chamber of the Ancients...those that remained, plus a few others loyal to the cause, debated on what to do. Plotting a comeback.....how to retrieve their fallen power.....then the horsehooves came. They start to swarm....Only a few at first....In a bold act, those of The Order stormed out. The fighting force fought back the paladins long enough for the others to escape down into the maze. Huddling once more together, the gate opened and they were ready to leave.....but in a look of horror, Sadrien Church, nephew to Darrien, dropped his jaw and shouted "The Skull! With all the damned luck, we forgot The Skull!"

Looking solemnly down on the others, Bailos spoke back, "I'll go...." Slipping in and out of shadows, he recalled outside and made his way, between the fighting, up to the top of Charnelhill. Grabbing the now defunct skull he slipped back down into the maze and met with the others, and gated off to Vorik Dyn, to escape those still fighting.....but still he stood.

Receiving word soon after from the winded refugees of Charnelhill, Sadried and Aerilyn, the small group forged back to Umbra, where they were told Zalar had grouped the remaining fighters. Getting to the commandpost, the orders started coming down as they all made ready to defend Umbra....bitterly.

[Back to original time]
Still clutching to The Ebon Skull, Bailos cradled it in front of him and stood overlooking Umbra. Zalar but a few feet away, the others behind them on the second level of the tower, all with tragically concerned faces, and all of them doing their best to pull together at the time, Bailos spoke.....
"How can this be, Zalar?...How can it simply be my legacy...*our* legacy....to be the ones that let it fail? To lose The Skull?" He continued......."There are those who said this day would never come... What are they to say now?"

Turning away from the balcony, Bailos looked over the troops in the tower. The fighting had seemed to stop for the night. Recon had revealed the paladins have wasted no time in setting up camp at Charnelhill....The temple and the Hill were lost territory now....A long war was to come......and Umbra was ground-zero. Doing his best to inspire morale, he gave a speech, tried to drum up the soldiers there, help them cling to a dismal hope that was fading fast with every inch of ground lost. The word was sent out.....To the Orcs, to the Cult of Necromancy......to anyone....mercenaries, assasins.....all who could answer it. The great battle of our time was about to take place.

Shambling into a small room in Mardoth's tower, Zalar and Bailos, still in their weakened state took some rest for the evening. Bailos was still clinging tight to The Skull and a guard was posted outside the door, ready to evacuate the pair of Ancients at a moments notice.

Would the light burn away the filth of this land....or will the shadows continue to grow, and fester?

Speaking in deep, solemn tones, one final exchange happened between Zalar and Bailos before the pair took their rest
The DeathKnight started. "Through it all..."
And Bailos sincere reply, "...We still stand"