Battle in the Skakdi Fortress

"And who will deny me my feast? You, a pitiful amalgam of lesser races, bandits, thieves, and, yes, one thought dead? An experiment in desperation. You would stand against me?"
"Yes, creature. I would stand against you."
— Annona and the Golden Being, Sahmad's Tale

Battle in the Skakdi Fortress
Battle/Conflict
Conflict	Annona attacks Aqua Magna Skakdi, intending to feast on their dreams
Combatants	Annona Golden Being Skakdi Sahmad Telluris Metus
Location	Skakdi Fortress
Result	Annona transported to another realm Telluris died Metus and Skakdi cured Toa Mahri freed

The Battle in the Skakdi Fortress was a conflict between two extremely powerful beings on Spherus Magna.

Goals

Annona

• Feed on the dreams of the Skakdi to restore her power.

Golden Being and Skakdi

• Drive off Annona.

Sahmad, Telluris, and Metus

• Kill Annona once and for all.
• Restore Metus' ability to dream.

Summary

After Sahmad broke out of an illusion Annona had trapped him in, he was rejoined by Telluris and Metus. Annona disappeared, and the three miscreants ran from her lair, escaping onto the surface of Spherus Magna, only to find that Annona was already there. Sahmad convinced Telluris and Metus there was nowhere to run, and that Annona had to be stopped now. As Annona began to teleport, Sahmad, Telluris, and Metus latched on to her, and found themselves deposited off the coast of Aqua Magna while Annona approached a coastal fortress.

Annona reached the fortress, followed by Sahmad, Telluris, and Metus, and distracted the Skakdi residents with illusionary warriors, before being confronted by the Golden Being. The two beings boasted of their respective abilities, before the Golden Being conjured stone spikes that wounded Annona. As Annona began to die, the Golden Being turned away and left her to her fate. In desperation, Annona consumed all of the latent dream energy in the Skakdi at once, restoring her power and driving them insane. The Golden Being's power automatically made the Skakdi's maddened dreams real, and aberrant things appeared as the fortress began to dissolve. During this time, the Toa Mahri were freed from the Golden Being's control, and were no longer compelled to obey the Skakdi. Telluris charged Annona, only to be promptly incinerated. Sahmad, with Metus' reluctant help, broke off one of the stone spikes and hurled it at Annona, successfully impaling her. Shortly after this, Metus fled the scene.

The Golden Being then made telepathic contact with Sahmad, and communicated a plan to him. Sahmad wished for all the people of Spherus Magna to lose their ability to dream, thus robbing Annona of her food source. Annona ceased hostilities and negotiated with the Golden Being, offering to leave the Skakdi alone if given a world in which she could sate her hunger. The Golden Being convinced Annona to let Sahmad dream this world. Sahmad wished for a world populated by beings like Annona, intending for them to feed on each other and go extinct within the year. Annona then departed to this world, unwittingly dooming herself.

Aftermath

Sahmad spoke with the Golden Being and restored the ability to dream to all beings on Spherus Magna, including Metus and the Skakdi. The Golden Being told Sahmad that it would not remain on the coasts of Aqua Magna for long, and Sahmad offered to join up with its army when the time came. Sahmad then departed the area, returning to his homeland in the north with the intention of paying respects to his slain people.

The Golden Being later recreated the fortress.

The aberrations created by the mad Skakdi's dreams were not banished, and remain at large on Spherus Magna.

Appearances

Online
Story Serials Sahmad's Tale (FA)