Veliken War - The Arrival of the Burning Claw

[Shyriath]

It had been a long trip from Benacia, and a hard one. Storms tossing their transports upon the sea, a trek across the less stable bits of Kildare... but at last, the Knights of the Burning Claw were nearing their battle.In the air of the waning night, the devotees of the Burning Claw take down tents, pack up gear, preparing for their next march; the pale light of a half-moon only barely highlights the red armor, the golden insignia of the chicken upon each breastplate.Shyriath Bukolos, their captain, simply shakes his green scaly head. Too much had gone wrong on the way here... too much to delay them. Nearly an age ago, it seemed, had their order been summoned to this battlefield by the Kaiser's representatives, to fight for the glory of Shireroth.Shyriath turns around, attempting to keep his face impassive. An interspecies mix always has its share of problems, but the half-dragon is particularly prone to aches and pains of the body... an unholy mismatch of different physiologies, with none of the strength of his dragon ancestry, little of the flexibility of his human sire. But he knows his Knights must not see his weakness here.He calls on one of his subordinate officers, a lean young man with dark hair and intense eyes. "Lieutenant Murtil!""Sir?""Tell them to hurry it up. We want to reach the River Antya by the end of the day." The lieutenant nods curtly, and begins urging on the Knights. An efficient man, the lieutenant... much like his father, Mors IV (may B'caw keep him). Since the death of that Kaiser during the Benacian Revolt, Shyriath had attempted in his own way to shepherd the heir to the Line of Mortis, but with only partial success. Had Shyriath had his way, the young man would never have gotten involved in this particular conflict.Efficient, but headstrong. A scion of the Kaisers indeed.The lieutenant returns, saluting briefly. "All is nearly ready, Captain. We can start our last march within the hour.""Excellent," replies Shyriath. "We'll be at the Antya by next nightfall, and with any luck, across the river and hard by Apolytown shortly thereafter. Then we'll see what we can see."(Summary for clarity: The Burning Claw is in Kildare, roughly west and a day's march away from Apolytown.) Edited by: Gryphon the Pure at: 5/15/05 0:06