Untitled - Curious Pastimes

would be revealed in time. With these enigmatic words he left the battlefield trailed by his relieved
but puzzled troops and allies, happy that they had rescued him but frustrated by the manner of
their ‘victory’!
With the withdrawal of the Tagmatoi forces the factions gained possession of their power stone
which it was quickly determined by Brother Joseph and various ritualists to be the key to their hold
on the Great Circle, after much investigation it was determined that the Tagmatoi had somehow
shifted some of the power of the circle to draw upon their own plane, thus preventing the factions
from accessing it. Why had they surrendered it and Hapsburg so readily, did they and now possibly
Hapsburg know something that everybody else didn’t? Whatever the truth of the matter a combined
force of ritualists from every faction was soon gathered to perform several rituals of immense power
to regain access to and thus control of the circle, eventually they succeeded and once again the
natural order of things was restored along with the flow of the wellspring and the factions were
once again able to access the Great Circle of Teutonia.
After spending much time with his new bride Hapsburg went that night to the Circle where he
was joined by the Tagmatoi Despot and after announcing that they were to perform a ceremony to
restore him to his people and to then completely restore the Circle to it’s former state both stepped
into the circle and then the despot in an astonishing show of power sealed the circle completely. As
everybody nervously looked on they suddenly both turned as one against each other and without
any attempt to defend themselves they both slew each other quickly and effectively whilst quietly
whispering to each other! Nobody was expecting this turn of events and whilst rirualist’s hastily
worked to unseal the circle, healers prepared their best spells. All of this was however in vain as
the seal suddenly dropped probably as the Despot died and the healers reached their bodies both
were totally lifeless with their spirits flown to where the gods only know, each however had a calm
look on their lifeless features and perhaps the hints of knowing smiles! What was the purpose of
this seemingly unnecessary act and what did they know that others didn’t? Had Hapsburg confided
in anybody what they intended to do or had he even know? These were all questions to which at
this time there were no answers so with tears the Teutonians bore his body back to his new bride
and Tagmatoi swiftly and saying nothing to anybody stole into the circle and bore away their own
leaders body presumably to enact their own form of funeral rites on their fallen leader.
That night it was a sorry and confused mood that enveloped the camps, in the Teutonian camp
Hapsburgs funeral was held and his widow made her brother the new leader of the remaining war
band. That night it was decided that with the apparent removal of at least the immediate Tagmatoi
threat it was decided that the remaining war hosts would engage the forces of the Brood King on
the morrow, they hoped to be helped in this endeavour by a magical box given to them by Buboes
a member of the Brood Council who had apparently turned upon his former master.
So in the sunshine of the next day the forces of the AlGaia, Lions, FirCruthen and the Steppe
Alliance set forth to try to finally remove the threat of the Brood King forever. His forces had been
located the previous day and seemed themselves to be determined to bring matters to a close finally,
attacking the war hosts again and again. Such was the ferocity of these attacks that the factions
soon decided to stand on the defensive and try to lure the Brood King to them.
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