Neverdark

Syndicator Schneider, General Deepcut and Harkon Stormwarden, independently, are the first to reach the landing platform. It is teeming with the King's undead troops, but a few blasts of storm energy clear enough room for the airships to land and start disgorging soldiers. The soldiers quickly cut through the first rows of the dead. The King's influence must be weaker at this distance from the palace, allowing the troops to quickly make it to the more defensible bottleneck around the gates of the city.

The second wave of soldiers takes care of disposing of the dismembered corpses, tossing them off the fragment and otherwise preventing them from harming anyone. The strike force, composed of Catequil, Bezeth, Imogene, Anja and Sarr proceed to land.

Catequil's armour shines through the darkness as he charges into the ranks of Undead at the gates, tossing them about, coming to the aid of Schneider, Kopeck and Harkon's troops. The party is offered a momentary respite once these undead are taken care of. Following the plan, Schneider, Harkon and Kopeck will direct their forces towards the palace's front entrance while the Strike Force finds another way in.

Schneider, Kopeck and Harkon race to the bridge leading to the palace, hoping to be able to secure it before undead reinforcements arrive. On the narrow bridge, the human troops supported by the storm mages gain an advantage, securing the otherside and moving into the palace proper. Here, the undead seem better coordinated and more resilient. They change from horde tactics and trying to swamp the troops with their numbers to guerrilla strikes, using their knowledge of the palace's interior to their advantage. Several soldiers are lured into pursuing fleeing undead only to be torn apart when they break formation.

The Fallen Militia focus on keeping the bridge secure, while Harkon and Kopeck take the fight further into the palace, searching for the King. The Undead's tactics take their toll on the soldiers, and they are gradually worn down by the aura of fear, the darkness and the unpredictable attacks.

Using Bezeth's flying carpet, the Strike Force make their way to the roof of the palace. A short burst of lightning from Madam Imogene widens one of the cracks and the party heads down into the Structure. These rooms near the top appear to have been largely untouched by the destruction that befell the city proper, but sadly not by the ravages of time. Most of the works of art that would have been priceless are now worthless, though there may yet be several artifacts intact.

Heading further into the palace, you are beset several times by groups of undead, who are no match for you. Catequil's strength allows him to toss them about like rag dolls, Sarr and Bezeth's daggers decimate them as the two fight back to back in a whirling dance of death, short lightning bolts from Imogene cripple the stragglers.

It all seems to go too easily, and rightly so. You evetually come across large wooden doors, weakened by age, which a single punch from Catequil unhinge. In the centre of the room ahead is a creature fifteen feet tall, a throbbing mass of flesh and muscle, one of the King's Behemoths. It picks up one of the minor corpse soldiers and hurls it at Catequil hard enough to knock him back into the corridor beyond.

The behemoth charges, and the party scatters away from its path. That is, everyone except for Sarr, who passively waits in its path, chanting something. As the Behemoth reaches him, and is about to put an end to his existence with one swipe of its massive hand, it freezes in place, paralyzed.

Sarr walks around it, and with a few deft movements, hamstrings both its legs, clambers onto its back and plunges his dagger into its spine. He then releases whatever was holding the creature in place, and it tumbles to the ground, crippled.

The doors beyond lead to the throne room.

Kopeck arrives at the throne room at the same time as the Strike Force reach the balcony above. In the confusion and the darkness of the palace, Harkon and some of his soldiers raced ahead towards the throne room. Those soldiers are now in pieces, spread throughout the throne room, among them are pieces of a number of corpse soldiers.

Harkon himself is engaged in a duel with the King. He has several cuts and seems to be barely standing. The King knocks him aside as the rest enter the throne room. Kopeck and his soldiers charge the King, but with a wave of his hand, he pulls together the corpses scattered about the room into a Behemoth. Which then charges the soldiers. Their training and Kopeck's leadership stall the creature, forcing the King to devote his attention to controlling it. The appearance of a large bird made of fire above Kopeck's troops distracts the King long enough for Harkon to summon the last of his strength and tackle him.

The strike party takes this as their cue: Bezeth leaps onto the carpet, drawing the Sword in one fluid movement, Catequil grabs one end and hurls it forward with all the strength he can muster, steam shooting from his boiler. Sarr grabs it in passing, his arm swelling to twice its normal size, and hurls it down towards the King.

Bezeth crashes into the King, the sword going through both him and Harkon. A deafening shockwave spreads out from the point of impact. The King turns to dust. As his robes fall to the ground, the corpse soldiers keel over, no longer kept animate. Throughout the city, the undead stop in their tracks.

Harkon gets up, visibly shaken and a little unsteady on his feet. As the blade pierced the King, it lost its blade, leaving Harkon uninjured.

A massive cleanup operation is in order.