Only the Beginning: A Feast of Souls

*At the floor of the frigid Citadel, the two Ebonites stood together in silence.*

"Behold the binding of sacred and corrupt! The forging of Shadow's Edge, a weapon of untold potential! Bind it to your will and you shall wield unspeakable power! Fail, and your soul shall forever be its slave...."

*She stared at the weapon, exquisite in design. "Perfect for soul-extraction, perfect for my dominion over mine enemies!" She thought.*

"Listen well, Dutchess. IN accepting this weapon, your fate is sealed. Overcome or succumb. I have placed your feet upon this path. You are therefore my responsibility. Should you falter, I am duty-bound to deliver you from this life. Remember my words, Sin'dorei. and do NOT fail."

*Irihapeti stared at the Highlord of her Order with a gaze that could shatter a thousand suns. Her lips pursed into a smile*

"Is your lust for power finally sated, Sin'Dorei?" *His penetrating gaze semed to have went through her, examining her every motive, move and thought.

"I thought not. A final warning then...you now embark on the most treacherous leg of your quest. Bridle your aspirations, for if your aims are impure than your life, your very soul... is forefeit." His features betrayed by the battle-armor he donned. "The weapon you hold is but an empty husk, a mere shadow of what it may become. Only by devouring a thousand souls, shall its true potential be unlocked."

"Unlike Arthas, milord, I will go above and beyond the aims of this weapon. I will claim and sate this weapon's hunger. two thousand souls will fall to this blade's belly!" *The axe brightly shone at such a thought.....two THOUSAND souls. Delicious. Utterly scrumptious! He looked at the axe and grinned so loudly that it could be seen from behind his foul mask. The other commanders dare not turn to see their Liege smile, lest it be their end. With a simple nod, she left immediately for Acherus.*

Several hours later in Silvermoon, The Ebon Dutchess found herself in dialogue with the Baroness Aelberyn. "The light and shadow CANNOT co-exist together in harmony. Everyone has a little of both living in them. Do you know what happens when you combine them both together?"

*The red-headed woman in one hand smiled as a warm glow of Light grew out ofher right hand. Then out of her left, the Shadow grew siphoning from the Light. Irihapeti was to place her hand between the two once Aelberyn combined the two elements -- gently wrapping her hands in the void made by the two elements, and her hand.*

"Dear Baroness, I give you an solution to the complexity of Light and Shadow together. Behold....what your endless speeches cannot create. What you fail to realize, that the Ebonites can see." *Unsheathed the blades and presented to the priest, the axe blade facing herself with the handle pointed towards the priest.

"I will not touch that damned blade! I am not so naieve as to not know the nature of Death Knights and their runeblades! Who knows how many have fallen under such a terrible blade?"

Several days later......

*Irihapeti happened to intervene between a Tauren Ebonite and six-plus elves over some squabbling that was bound to escalate into armed combat. A city guard named Tiradell was there, as well as the Baroness and many others. The Tauren male was enraged over something and in the heat of the moment injured her with his runeblade. She fell to the floor, having not been in her battle armor. In having been informed about the decree of murder by Irihapeti, he relented and left the scene, with more than 15 elves present to take up arms. The Baroness offered spells of healing to the injured Dutchess, who delighted in suffering from his hand and hers as well.*

"Milady, are you ok?" Tiradell replied, though injured as well from the 'escalation' from the other Ebonite.

I'm doing what I do best! Suffering, dear Knight. What is your names? She asked, heaving at the moderate wound.

*Tiradell, Nostramos, Averaelia ((SP?)), and a few others heartily volunteered their names. While she volunteered hers.*

Nostramos made the fateful choice of bringing some suffering to the Alliance. Himself, and a warband of 6 others, (including Irihapeti) rode hard from an undisclosed location to Goldshire. The sleepy town was known to harbor some folks who couldn't keep their affection of each other discreet. To add to the madness, the Darkmoon Faire was in town. This event was notorious for bringing out increased tensions between the warring factions, even with the Scourge a prominent threat. Several members tried to take down tha warband, but was met with unsuccessful attempts. Another warband like Nostramos' own was spotted, some proudly bearing colors of the elite Black Omen.

It was when the bands were beaten soundly in the Human capital of Stormwind, that Irihapeti made a 'signal' to her leader. Her mistress sent word quickly to more of the Omen, and hard they rode to Stormwind. Many of the three warbands all fell back to Stonard to plan a diabolical attack upon the Alliance coalition. Irihapeti managed to get one good glimpse of the one they called Aktarin several times, as well as the paladin Telandriliya ((sp?)).

The huntress, and her own warband of the alliance was found deep withn the murky swamp far east of the city in heated combat with the Omen. Somehow, they managed to lose their leader to the Omen as a prisoner of war.

"Do not kill her, you get me?!?" The chieftain roared. "She must be taken alive. We will yet turn her to the horde!"

She did her part to supress the elven leader, using the coils of shadow to unwilling bring her to the destination the Omen desired best. Yet her fury was unmatched, roaring in defiance that made some of the lesser members of the party run in fear. The more senior members laughed and controlled her mind, such as to complete their objective. After twenty minutes of this charade, Iri's leader signalled to her that they should abandon their post.

"Hah! That Kal'dorei whore should do herself a favor and raise the white flag of surrender. Her and her minions who defy our directive." Irihapeti growled, spitting on the corpse of one they named Tzirak. This particular paladin was rumored to be fierce in battle, cleaving whole groups of orcs with a single storm of holy energy.

"Unlike the Omen, we will not belittle this woman! Abort this battle, NOW." Her mistress roared as she rode hard to stonard.

"It's only with repsect to you and yours I do this. Milady. Otherwise, I cannot explain what would happen should your absence be noted." She replied, calling to the shadows to return to Acherus. She kept up a mind link as to be occupied with the party's progress. She however, returned to the battle upon finding they pushed past Goldshire near the Kingdom of Stormwind's gates.

As she stepped through the gates, Aelberyn's words rang loudly in her mind...

"When we are tenacious in our work for others, we inspire the connection to them and those who touch them, that is what the Light is all about.......Not simple stubborness or defiance of reason in the face of what one wants or thinks is right. It stands firm for one's principle to the benefit of something beyond one's self."

She stood in the enemy's bank in the narrow corridor, counting the number of souls that had fallen to the blade, ringing loudly in her mind.

"One-hundred-sixty! One-hundred-sixty-two!"

Her grip upon the Edge of Shadow was resolute, her armor was clad in the blood of enemies and friends, both fell to mindless combat. Her eyes upon Reggie, tenacious in his slinging of frost bolts to numb her senses. She roared at him, for several times did they exchange spells and fell to the resolve of each other.

"ENOUGH! BOW to my WILL, SCUM!"

Fingers of shadow wrapped around his neck as he was pulled to her blade's most rugged end. She hissed as he fell once more. Many flung their spells at the door, Irihapeti becoming the focal point of the door. On one side lie the wrath of the Alliance, rabid dogs who would so much storm past her. On the other, the Omen and their allies. healing, fighting shadowy enemies who managed to get past her without detection.

"Don't stand in the door! Certain doom awaits you should you stand there! Fall back to the tellers!" The Tauren Chieftain roared over the din or war.

"I AM that line between us...and them. Come Alliance filth! My blade HUNGERS!" Irihapeti bellowed as her blade released a blizzard of frost directly in front of her, shattering twenty guards who happened to run in to quell the engagement. All the while, her blade singing ever so softly, devouring souls....

"Four-hundred-eighty-nine! Four-hundred-ninety-six! I like you Iri. I love your hunger for suffering. Add your soul to ME!"