Match 21179 WarDuke vs. Death Adder

[JohnnyChany]

 

The League of Malevolence gathered in their hidden sanctum within Prismeer, a realm known for fey enchantments and sinister beauty. The group, bound by ambition and mutual distrust, assembled to discuss their latest plot. 

At the head of the table sat Kelek, the long, gray bearded evil sorcerer and self-proclaimed leader. To his right lounged the silver haired magic user, Skylla. Her violet staff rested across her lap while its crystalline tip glowed faintly. Zargash, the gaunt cleric and devout worshipper of Orcus, leaned on his bone-white staff.  His pale, sunken face wore an expression of great impatience. Zarak, the stout half orc assassin, stood in the shadows. His leather armor blended almost completely into the darkness. Finally, the mercenary, WarDuke, stood near the back with his fiery sword sheathed at his side. His red eyes focused completely on Kelek from beneath his winged helm.

“Valor’s Call,” Kelek began, his voice full of disdain. “Their sanctimonious crusade against us grows tiresome. We need power to crush them once and for all.”

Skylla’s lips curled into a sly smile. “I may have a proposition. Have any of you heard of Death Adder?”

Zargash’s skeletal fingers tapped his staff. “The warlord of Yuria?”

“Indeed,” said Skylla. “Death Adder has an ancient lineage traced back to the giants who challenged the gods. He is a fearsome conqueror and his prized possession, the Golden Axe, is an ancient weapon forged by the gods said to imbue whoever wields it with great mystical powers including the animation of inanimate objects and the power to kill the undead.”

Kelek stroked his beard. “And you propose what? Recruiting him into the League?”

Skylla shook her head. “No. Why share power with another, when we can take his power for ourselves?”

Zarak laughed. “So, we should relieve him of his Golden Axe. A bold move. But how would we accomplish this? The five of us challenge his entire army?”

Skylla’s eyes gleamed. “His armies are already preoccupied. A barbarian, a warrior princess, and a dwarf are already making their way to Southwood Kingdom to confront Death Adder via the Fiend’s Path. They are driven by revenge and have yet to be stopped. We strike now, while his army is distracted.”

“You have a suspicious amount of knowledge about this faraway land,” noted Zargash.

“I find that gathering useful information is a much better path to power than simply praying to a demon,” Skylla replied curtly.

Kelek nodded. “She has laid out a great opportunity for us, and we should seize it.”

The League of Malevolence traveled to Yuria. They gathered together on the outskirts of the Southwood Kingdom to put their wicked plan in place.

“We send WarDuke in to grab the axe,” Kelek declared. “It is a large weapon wielded by a massive warrior. WarDuke is our best option to even hold such an object.”

Although distrust ran rampant amongst the five villains, it was a hard point to argue and they all agreed.

WarDuke’s helmet tilted slightly forward. “It shall be done.”

“The rest of us will take separate positions close to the castle. Should those three heroes make it to the castle before WarDuke’s quest is complete, whoever is in their path needs to halt their pursuit. We can’t afford them interfering,” input Skylla.

Skylla raised her staff and chanted an incantation that shimmered with eldritch energy. Working together with Kelek, they cast a spell that cloaked WarDuke in a veil of invisibility. Without another word, he departed.

The battlefield outside Death Adder’s castle was a chaotic scene. Ax Battler. a muscular hero wielding a mighty broadsword, cleaved through a line of Death Adder’s soldiers with ferocious strength. Beside him, Tyris Flare, a lithe warrior with fiery red hair, danced through the fray, her sword left trails of destruction. Gilius Thunderhead, the grizzled dwarf, swung his battle axe and felled foes twice his size.

WarDuke moved silently through the chaos. He watched with dark amusement as Tyris unleashed a burst of magical flames, incinerating a group of armored brutes. Ax Battler clashed his blade against the shields of Death Adder’s elite guard, while Gilius’s hearty laughter echoed as he toppled a massive ogre.

The urge to join the slaughter gnawed at WarDuke. The violence was so inviting, but he pushed it aside for now and fixed his focus on the castle ahead.

Inside the fortress, WarDuke made his way through the grand halls in hunt for his prize. At last, he reached the throne room. There, seated on an obsidian throne, was Death Adder.

The warlord was a towering figure, eight feet of muscle and menace. His crimson armor resting over his chiseled body. His helmet, shaped like a demonic visage, concealed his face, save for glowing red eyes that burned with malevolence. Beside him, resting on a pedestal, was the Golden Axe.

WarDuke’s gaze lingered on the axe, he knew the spell cast upon him would run out soon so he would need to move quickly if he did not wish to waste it. But, he did not care. His bloodlust overpowered his restraint. He wanted to annihilate the man before him and pluck the axe from his cold fingers.

Sensing his presence, Death Adder rose from his throne. 

“Who dares intrude upon my domain?” he rumbled.

WarDuke became visible. He lifted up his skull adorned shield and his flaming sword. 

“Speak! Who are you?” Death Adder demanded.

“I speak with the flames and razor-sharp edges of my sword. They beat words to hell!”

Death Adder grabbed the Golden Axe. “Fool. You challenge Death Adder? You will die screaming.”

[Callisto]

Learn More About
WarDuke
Read more about WarDuke at Wikipedia
Official Site: Wizards of the Coast Links: Wikipedia

Death Adder
Read more about Death Adder at Wikipedia
Official Site: Sega Links: Wikipedia Giant Bomb Villains Wiki

[Mercenaryblade]

Glad to see Warduke getting a match already. 

 

Now this is definitely a good match. DeathAdder is a cheating bastar, especially in 'Revenge of Death Adder' when he keeps coming back and has a magic eating shield. 

WarDuke is no slouch though and has some epic DnD items on his side. 

[JohnnyChany]

18 hours ago, Mercenaryblade said:

Glad to see Warduke getting a match already. 

Since I started looking into some of the unused characters I have been really drawn to a lot of the D&D characters. A Lot of great options.