Argentarius let out mad laughter. "Amazing, this power! Cower beneath the power of magic, barbarians! Be blinded by the light of Azuth!" His cover-up act seemed to work good and even made him popular among his allies. They chanted with him and fought with renowned vigour. Every spell flung, weapon thrown and swing of holy mace, fell rider after rider. The horde was not easy to intimidate, they stood their ground and fought back with magic artefacts. Even some of their own magic users started countering Argentarius and his allies efforts. He got hit by a Fireball straight at his face and it actually hurt him a bit. Although not that much, he had to keep up the front, so he let himself be flung backwards and screamed in agony. His acting was so convincing that a cleric rushed over only to be hold of by Argentarius himself. "Safe your holy magic for those truly in need! I am fine and will hold steadfast to defend our home!" He wanted to shake his own hand in congratulations as the cleric and a few bystanders eyes shone with admiration.
After casting a fake Polymorph on himself, he turned into a Tiger with the Change Shape ability of his dragon body. The following carnage was a sight to behold, as he dashed from horse to horse, ripping their throats out. Blood sprayed everywhere, painting himself and the terrified half drow crimson. Trying his best not to just ram through everything in his way, as he still had the strength of an ancient dragon, he lunged at the riders, swiped his claws at them and destroyed their weapons. He left many like this, so his allies could finish them of and feel like they still mattered.
The carnage lasted for another few minutes until the first wave was annihilated. Now the wizards gathered themselves and braced for the main force of riders. Just then Argentarius noticed something off, why had the dark elves let their advanced forces just charge them? The drow were famous for their cunning and traps. "Everyone stay alert! They might have lured us..!". The rest was cut off as the air no longer carried sound. Silence spell, he thought. Then all hell broke lose. He lost sight of most allies as fields of absolute darkness emerged from out of nowhere. Argentarius could still see 60 feet, courtesy of his blindvision. Yet he wished that was not the case, as the people around started to be ripped apart by squirming tentacles emerging from the void. The ones lucky enough to avoid them in the absolute darkness, got devoured by freshly summoned demons.
Volleys of arrows started to pummel the Halruaan forces from different sides. They had been surrounded by previously invisible forces and were locked inside a meat grinder. Argentarius himself cast Freedom of Movement which prevented them from immobilizing him and Teleported at random to avoid the demons. He knew that most of these spells and the summoned creatures would only hold for a few minutes, therefore he zipped around the battlefield and ripped demons limb from limb. After 10 minutes as the darkness faded and the wizards got themselves together, most demons lay dead on the ground and many drow caster had been smashed to bits. In the still ongoing chaos no one paid mind to the still panting and raving foreign wizard, covered in black and red fluids from head to toe.
The following part of the battle was again more balanced as Argentarius and his allies flung spells at the enemy. The grey riders and their casters were now all visible and had difficulty defending against the decimated but very angry Halruaans. He cast the spell Globe of Invulnerability around himself and his nearby allies. Dark purple Witch Bolts and flaming hot Fireballs just scattered on the transparent dome. They could just stay in the open and kill anyone in sight, he had not yet encountered any Level 6 spell which could break his Globe. After the durations of the spell ran out, he started to fell exhausted and retreated behind his allies. By now almost a quarter of the Halruaans had been killed or injured. The drow had similar losses. As the battle dragged on the Halruaans slowly gained the upper hand, thanks to their combination of healers, melee- and ranged fighters.
The final straw that drove the drow towards retreat, was the arrival of the Halruaan army on their majestic skyships. Dozens of them loaded troops off, fired ballista and hurled magic fire down on their foes. Galloping as fast as the wounded horses allowed them, they fled back into the mountain pass behind the Nath. A pursuit was quickly aborted in favour of saving the wounded and securing the area. The skyships flew in wide circles to spot and eradicate stragglers. Argentarius aided in the rescue and clean-up mission, he did his best to appear caring and heroic. Well it was not like he had to pretend much, these guys had fought with him and faced some quite terrifying horrors, yet none had fled. He could respect that.
Tiberius, who survived but had to have his arm regrown, was upset about their loses and ordered a great ceremony to honour the fallen. It was to take place in the capital, a few days from now.
The funeral ceremony was held in the central plaza, Arbor Square, of the city of Halarahh. Near the Netyatch's Palace in the heart of the city, an expanse of parks, rivers, pavilions, and gazebos designed for strolling, chatting, or orating. A wide variety of temperate to tropical trees, many of which were flowering or fruit-bearing, filled the square. Vine-covered trellises created spaces for private conversations, and bridges spanned man-made canal-rivers, giving Arbor Square the feel of a vast, perfectly manicured garden. The square was adorned with colourful banners and flowers, but the mood was sombre and solemn. The sun shone down from a clear blue sky, casting a warm light over the gathered mourners.
