LiCh LOrd’s skuLL, everBLight
COuLd aLmOst imagiNe
veNethrax saW him .
71
Even as her sensation of her own body began to fail her, she felt the presence of Everblight. The heat of his nearness was like the sun beating against her, and she felt like at any moment she would burst into flames. Beneath the dragon’s rage, she felt something she had not sensed before—his fear. She saw what was coming through his eyes. She saw the athanc shard pulled from her mutilated chest, saw Venethrax hold it aloft, his eyes gleaming and herself trapped inside it. She saw Venethrax hold the shard out to a draconic form so black and vast her sight couldn’t encompass it, and it swallowed her vision like an eclipse of the sun.
Everblight’s rage poured into her, a rage that burned hotter than any fire on Caen. It mingled with her own anger, her horror at the idea that she might ever fail her master so completely. She could not be the instrument by which he was delivered unto his greatest enemy. She was willing to die, but she couldn’t, not if it meant that even a tiny fragment of Everblight would find its way to Toruk. She couldn’t remember what it had been like to receive the athanc shard, but now she felt something of what it must have been like. Her veins burned with anger and blighted energy, with the knowledge of what would transpire if she fell and the conviction that it could not be allowed. The shard in her chest was like a fiery lance that pierced her, and she felt the heat from it radiate out, fill her, and expand beyond her.
Absylonia was accustomed to changing. Her flesh had never been content to settle into one form. But the change she felt now was different. Her wounds sealed, new blood pulsed in her veins, and she felt the radiance of Everblight pour outward from her to Proteus, healing his wounds as well. Through new eyes she saw Venethrax stop, watching as a fully restored Proteus suddenly stood tall and roared at the sky, tentacles flailing.
She had used Everblight’s blighted energy to heal herself and her spawn before, but this time the outpouring of energy didn’t stop. Her skull split, allowing room for curving horns to spring forth. Her back contracted and curled as new muscles and bones layered themselves into place in seconds; then two wings, still wet from their transformation, burst forth from her back and unfurled like banners in the misty air. These were not temporary gliding membranes like the ones she had formed earlier. These were true and lasting wings.
With the metamorphosis came pain, of course, as bones settled into sockets and muscles stretched into place, but the pain was eclipsed by the presence of Everblight. Absylonia had never been comfortable in her skin before this moment. She knew why now. It had been too limited
a vessel, constantly itching to change, always straining to be nearer to the glory of Everblight. Now it had found its place. The power that had poured through her had remade her in his image, and now she was nearer to him than she was to the Nyss she had once been. Now she was truly his daughter.
Proteus also had not stopped at healing. Bones popped wetly out of their sockets, and he, too, extended new wings. Though these appeared to be more of a temporary augmentation, obviously made of less stern stuff than her own wings, they would be enough to carry him with her out of harm’s way. Everblight’s energy poured outward from Absylonia with such strength that Venethrax was forced to shield himself. He poured all his arcane strength into his power field as he backed away, and the delay was enough to provide an opportunity for both Absylonia and Proteus to take flight.
Everblight no longer had to speak to her in order to communicate. She could feel his approval, his pleasure in what she had become. She knew she had done enough for now. She had drawn Venethrax far enough away, and she should take her remaining forces and withdraw.
When she took to the sky this time, strong wings carried her aloft, Proteus at her side. They were followed by a volley of shots from Venethrax’s ’jacks, but she quickly moved out of range. She circled once to gain a good perspective on the enemy forces arrayed below, allowing Everblight to better appraise them. She knew Venethrax would continue to seek to thwart them in their advance south, but also that several of Everblight’s other warlocks had made it around him and would continue on. She would join them soon, but first she needed to gain more familiarity with her new form and gather another army. Empowered anew by Everblight, she felt certain her next clash with Lich Lord Venethrax would be quite different.
feat:
metamOrphOse
Showing his favor, Everblight’s blighted power flows freely through Absylonia and responds to her call. When she unleashes a massive pulse of draconic energy, her followers are transformed. Their bodies seethe and change to emulate their master—limbs lengthen, muscles thicken, and wings sprout from their backs. They launch themselves high into the air before falling on their foes with a dragon’s fury.
Models in Absylonia’s battlegroup that are currently in her control area gain +2 STR and Flight, and their melee weapons gain Reach . Metamorphose lasts for one round.