Glade 45, 105, Evening
The catacombs beneath the Temple of Light were a beloved holy place. They housed to ashes and monuments to nearly every Dawnmartyr that had died during the Graveplague, as well as those of any believers that wished to be housed there. It was believed that to be placed there would allow one's soul to go to Arcas' holy sanctuary in the afterlife. The catacombs themselves were beautifully built of light colored marble, quartz, and limestone and were a warm and comforting place for any who came to seek knowledge, hope, or help.
Even now, the catacombs continued to help even as magical bombs thundered against the shields of the temple overhead. The light that emanated within was warm, inspiring hope, even now when it seemed that the Imperium was about to smash the final hold of the Dawnmartyrs and wipe their order from history. Another bomb smashed overhead, sending spirals of dust down upon the tents and shelters that now formed a shantytown in the holy mausoleum. People were tired, hungry, scared. Rations were running dangerously low, and nearly eighty percent of those down here were civilians that called the island home. They weren't warriors, most were farmers and fishermen. Many were children.
The rest were a mix of Dawnmartyrs and Ecithian warriors. Their numbers had been cut down heavily since the war began three years ago, shocking the entire world. The story was that the Imperium was hunting down the Dawnmartyrs as a terrorist group, responsible for orchestrating multiple attacks against the Imperium. This was pulled from the lips of several captured Imperial soldiers before they were sent back to the darkness. Ships of steel came in the night, somehow eluding the sight of the Seers and Galetira herself, and unleashing deadly salvos on the coastal village of Ailos, quickly forming a blockade.
From this position of strength, ships began to seek out coastal cities and villages of Ecith and bomb them as well. Several villages were completely destroyed. Dratir was in ruins. And now there were boots on the ground in Ailos, the temple and all escape routes surrounded. The Dawnmartyrs were on their own right now, Ecith was out of reach, cut off, and no help came from anywhere else.
And Arcas was still dead and it seemed that would not change.
There was a council going on between the highest ranking members remaining of the Order, overseen by Grand Marshall Raikon. The group consisted of Raikon and Knights-Marshall Si'uvi Tikor, Allbright, and Ounfriar'uv, as well as their direct reports, Torchthief, Tukor, Shiryo. The meeting was open to anyone who wished to attend, there were no secrets among those in the catacombs in these days.
Raikon showed a barrier that was around the temple above them. "Ounfriar'uv, how much longer will our shields hold?"
The Orkhan man looked exhausted, the shadows beneath his eyes deep and dark. He and every other mage had been pouring every drop of aether into the defenses of the temple. The man sighed, "The salvos keep getting stronger. My best bet is that the primary shields will fall tonight. The inner shields protecting these catacombs the day after. We're drained dry, all of us are walking around with hallucinations and double vision and nausea. We've pulled from every dragonshard so much they are all cracked and unusable."
"Allbright?"
"There's around half a million souls on the island and another half more in the waters around us. We are less than three hundred combat capables left, and most of us are exhausted."
"But."
Allbright nodded, "But there is a thinner spot in their lines. It is from where they resupply their forces at Dratir."
"Tikor?"
The elf woman considered, "We have seven hundred civilians here and rations will be gone within two weeks, but the defenses will fail before then. There is only one course of action here, and it is extremely unlikely to succeed." She waited, "We take the majority of our forces north, through the center of the island, where the Imperial leadership is located. Loud, fast, and hard, we hold nothing back. As they turn their gaze on us, the remainder head south, punching through the thin spot in the lines, and make for the mainland."
Raiken nodded. "Then the choice is simple. We fight in the light of day and give a chance to those who came to us when we were needed most."
Speaking to the group, "Allbright, get everyone prepared and mobilized. Ounfriar'uv, you and the other mages drain our inner shields and take what you can from these catacombs, and hold our shields until dawn. Tikor, come with me, it is time to open His Tomb."
He stood up from his chair, "Go."
