Downfall – The Tragedy of the Warriors: An Act in Three Parts

Good Guys:

The Elders – Leaders of the Land

Warrior Rosen – Secondary Army Commander

Warrior Falcon – Rosen’s apprentice

Warrior Reese – Best rider and Tertiary Army Commander

Warrior Mickelson – Army General

Grandmaster Damascus – Commander of Chief of the Warriors

Bad Guys:

Vikram – Demon Lord

Mosul – Demon warrior and Malachor’s old friend

Malachor – Illegally-born human in possession of Dimension Key

General Urahu – Commander of Demon Army

Ekert – Holy city of the Warriors

Hasbelk – Village outside Ekert

Blackstaff – Major outlying city

Ruthane – Northern skim city

Kerhout – Village on the Cardinal Front

Krylaengaten – Demon capital

Dynison – City nestled in the Karna Mountains

A group of demons kill the Warriors guarding the Keys and steal the Dimension Key, escaping the holy city of Ekert as alarms are raised. They give the Key to Malachor, a human agent of the demon lord Vikram, who rides away as the demons turn back to buy him time. 

Warrior Rosen, the secondary commander of the army, is woken by his young apprentice Falcon, and is alerted to the theft. He rushes to the Vault and slays the demons fighting there before confirming that the Dimension Key has been stolen. Hours later, Rosen and his friend Warrior Reese meet with the Elders, the direct descendants of the first Warriors, who rule the Land and regulate the use of magic, and with Grandmaster Damascus, the centuries old commander of the army, who decide to send the two after Malachor, as they are the best riders among the Warriors.

In a series of flashbacks, the history of the Keys is revealed and we learn that they were created by the Warriors. We also see the founding of the Warriors as peacekeepers of the Land after a major war against the demons previously inhabiting it. 

Rosen and Reese visit the village of Hasbelk and investigate, figuring that Malachor’s steed would need Raging Spirits to continuously ride for such a length of time. They interrogate the village leader, who admits that a large quantity of Raging Spirits were stolen from him. Venturing on, they study hoof prints in the wet mud and deduce that Malachor most likely traveled west from Hasbelk.

Meanwhile, Malachor himself rides hard along a desolate road and secretly meets with Mosul, his old companion, who prepares a trap for the Warriors. In Ekert, public unrest leads to the Elders sending Cheve, the minister of propaganda, to give a calming speech. His remarks leads to further unrest, however, ending with his assassination. Damascus becomes suspicious of the Elders’ motives but sends Warriors to keep control within the city limits.

Along the road to Blackstaff, a major outlying city, Mosul ambushes Rosen and Reese. The two Warriors fight the seasoned demon before Mosul escapes, his ambush having wrought no benefits, to which the Warriors decide not to pursue him, as their more pressing mission is to hunt down Malachor. As the two ride across the stormy plains, a series of flashbacks detail their childhood friendship and Warrior training together.

Far ahead of them is Malachor, who, traveling in a hurry, smites other travelers in his way on his path to Blackstaff. He reaches the city and meets with Inkor, the ruler, who is sympathetic to the demons and who allows him houseroom.

Nearing the city, Rosen scries Falcon to check up on him and asks him to do as he would. The two Warriors arrive in Blackstaff and search around. Finding nothing, they use magic to ascertain the Dimension Key’s location and find that it’s inside a chapel. Entering the chapel, the Warriors find Malachor kneeling before an altar and battle him. Malachor fends the two off and is able to escape as other demons collapse the structure.

Across the Land, the Elders relive their own Great War against the demon lord Vikram and are scried by Rosen and Reese, buried under rubble, who alert them to the increased demon presence in outlying cities. Consequently, the Elders, watched by Damascus, decide to send envoys to Willbrook, a northern border town.

Emerging from the rubble and out into the Land, the Warriors follow the demons, concealed by magic at the expense of speed, through many deadwood forests. In one such forest, they note the demons making an unexpected turn and follow them, becoming trapped and ambushed by the demons, lead by Mosul, and a wakened giant. This time, it’s the Warriors’ turn to escape and they ride for Blackstaff.

Meanwhile, Malachor, who had arranged the trick and gone up ahead, reaches the Ravine, the dividing border between the Elders’ rule and the demons’ land, and has a flashback where we learn he was born to two humans under a blood moon, which was illegal. He crosses the Ravine. Leagues away, the envoys reach Willbrook only to find the town destroyed and everyone slaughtered. Before they can transmit their findings, they too are slaughtered by demons.

Meanwhile, Rosen and Reese reach Blackstaff, which they find on the brink of war. At the same time, Malachor reaches Alankor, the chapel of evil, where he faces his fears and remembers his parents’ execution and his own escape. Fueled by hatred, he activates the Dimension Key.

In Blackstaff, Rosen and Reese see the sky flash red and bolt, riding hard towards Ekert as Blackstaff becomes overrun by attacking demons.

In Ekert, the Elders receive word that Willbrook has fallen. Damascus confronts them and the Elders admit that they are out of touch with magic, forcing Damascus to acknowledge that he will have to wage this war with his own wits. As he does, horns sound across the Land, rallying the people to war, and the demon army crosses the Ravine and amasses on the plains, helmed by the demon lord Vikram himself.

The story of Vikram and his journey from being a promising Warriors to being corrupted by the Demon Key is told. We see that he was sentenced to die, but killed his executioners and became demon lord after fighting in the first war against the Elders. We also see the Elders rebuild the Land in the aftermath of the war, but become complacent over the decades. 

Rosen and Reese arrive in Ekert and ride through the city as war preparations begin. Rosen meets with Falcon and tells him that this is the fight of their lives and to stick by him.

In the war room, Damascus concocts a plan to establish three fronts, one in the North, one in the West, and one in the middle areas, called the Cardinal Front. He learns from scouts that Ruthane, a northern skim city, is currently safe. In preparation, Damascus sends Reese to Ruthane and Rosen and Falcon to the village of Kerhout on the Cardinal Front.

In the demon capital of Krylaengaten, Malachor meets with Vikram, who appoints him Keeper of the Dimension Key and Mosul as his guard, before sending them to level Ruthane.

War begins on the Cardinal Front as the demon General Urahu launches an assault on Kerhout against Rosen, who commands his soldiers, Falcon at his side. After the opening salvo from Urahu, Rosen leads a devastating counter-attack, decimating the demons’ front lines and setting up a forward base. As a result, Urahu allows for constant bombardment of Rosen’s camp, pinning the Warriors down.

Along the Western Front, various Warriors lead campaigns, battling against the demons, as the Elders begin to cast a magical shield around Ekert.

Meanwhile, Reese arrives in Ruthane and, after looking over the war map, splits his troops into three divisions and sends them out to set traps. When the demon army charges, they are lured into low-lying fields surrounding the city and are massacred by the Warriors.

In Kerhout, as the siege continues, Rosen sends Falcon on a dangerous run to collect Warrior Mickelson, whom he tells to maneuver his troops into attack position. The objective is completed and Rosen provides a magical barrier as he pushes forward, leading the army, slaying legions of demons.

Inside the war room, Damascus learns from spies that a demon raiding party is stalking a medical caravan, intending to obliterate it. After mulling over the latest intel from the Western Front, Damascus allows the ambush to happen, which buys enough time for the Warriors on the Western Front to construct a siege cannon, which they use to blow through the vanguard of the army. 

The Northern Front goes badly as Reese barely holds a position in Ruthane, which only gets worse as Malachor and Mosul arrive. Reese duels Mosul and is wounded, managing to escape from the demon and hide, while Malachor uses the Dimension Key to manipulate gravity and earth, shattering Ruthane. He proceeds to go on a rampage through the destroyed city as Reese makes it to his steed, riding away as Ruthane falls.

On the Cardinal Front, after hours of relentless assault, Urahu pulls back and considers his options. Surveying the terrain and the uphill slope they face, he opts to send the giants. As he sleeps, Rosen dreams of the victorious Warriors defeating the demons. He is once again woken by Falcon, who alerts him to the giants. A team of sixty is marshaled to attack the giants, of which only three, including Rosen and Falcon, survived, Mickelson having been killed in the conflict.

As he rides, Reese warns the other Northern Front generals to retreat, citing the unrivaled strength of the demon army when Malachor is present. He arrives at Kerhout and rejoins Rosen in the fight against Urahu. As the two prepare for more war, Malachor burns through towns in the North, showing no mercy and leaving little to no survivors.

Meanwhile, Rosen and Reese scry Damascus, who learns the Northern Front has fallen. He decides to focus on the struggling Western Front, after being assured by the two Warriors that they can handle the Cardinal Front.

Malachor and Mosul join Urahu on the frontlines and move to flank the Warriors. Rosen notices this and is forced to spread his forces thin.

On the Western Front, Vikram himself leads a battalion, confident in his plan. The Warriors slaughter the battalion and break through the front lines, but find themselves cut off from the rest of their forces and are subsequently massacred.

The Western Front is slowly forced back as the demons’ onslaught intensifies, Rosen and Reese are outnumbered and give the order to fall back, and Damascus pulls his troops from all Fronts and seals Ekert. Seeing this, Vikram consolidates his troops and lays siege to Ekert.

Over the centuries, we see how the Land changes following the wars. We also see how Falcon is like a son to Rosen and how Urahu’s children perished in the old war. We then see a vision of the ten Keys and what they can do.

At the end of the war, the first Warrior crafts the Light Key and uses it to restore the Land.

In Ekert, a war council is held to discuss the siege, and a decision to protect the city at all costs is reached. Not being to afford the loss of another Key, the Elders give the order to destroy the remaining nine. The order is carried out; however, Rosen is able to swipe the Light Key before its destruction. As he and Reese look over the city from their high-rise, they acknowledge that they can’t hold them out forever. 

Meanwhile, Malachor masters the Dimension Key and becomes one with darkness. In the city, the Warriors array in large-scale defense formation and prepare for the onslaught as Malachor uses the Dimension Key to bring down the shield. 

Vikram leads the demon charge, killing anyone in sight. Heavy fighting begins as the two forces collide in a colossal battle. It doesn’t take long before the inner city is overrun after the outer walls are breaches. Resolved in their mission, the Warriors rally and start to fight back. Throughout the city, Warriors and demons clash, resulting in monumental damage and many deaths. Damascus, for his part, defends the temple, slaying legions of demons as arrays his soldiers in strategic formations. 

Meanwhile, the headstrong Falcon scampers off, forcing Rosen to follow him, pealing off from a major offensive. In his effort to get back to his apprentice, Rosen takes down every demon in his way, swearing revenge on anyone who harms him.

Forced together by the advancing demon army, Damascus and Reese see the writing on the wall and make the decision to begin the evacuation of Ekert. The two oversee the process, opening a secret tunnel and ushering the citizens and retreating soldiers through.

Rosen finds Falcon dueling demons on his own and drags him away to be evacuated with him. On his way out, Malachor finds him and the two duel, Falcon running off. Heavily outclassed, Rosen duels the consumed human to a stalemate before fleeing.

As the last people are evacuated, Vikram takes the temple and slaughters the weak and frightened Elders and proclaims himself ruler of the Land. He uses his title to instantly obliterate anyone still inside the city limits. The Warriors watch from afar as the holy city of Ekert falls for the first time in history.

The humans are forced to flee over the massive Karna Mountains to Dynison, the last free city in the Land, where they prepare for the final push. As the Warriors scramble to muster defense strategies, Rosen masters the Light Key and prepares to fight Malachor, who is seen leading the demon army through the Karna range to finish the job. With the final hands on deck, Reese volunteers to watch Falcon while Rosen fights.

The time comes; the sky turns red and the ground begins to rumble and levitate as Malachor, now manifested with the Dimension Key, explodes into Dynison. The final battle begins.

In one area, Reese fights alongside Falcon and Damascus, the trio staunchly holding a position. Meanwhile, with help from the Light Key, Rosen is able to slay many demons, blowing through their ranks. Reese senses danger and narrowly avoids a death stroke from Mosul, who had just arrived. The brave Warrior commands Falcon to run and save himself before facing the formidable demon. The two engage in a furious struggle, rocketing through the city, until Mosul gains the upper hand slays Reese.

Seeing this, Damascus, in retaliation for the Warrior’s death, approaches Mosul in a fury and viciously kills him. The Grandmaster heads out to find Falcon, but an explosion of rubble stops him. Forced to single-handedly take on the legion of demons who caused the explosion, Damascus holds out for a respectable time but is eventually overwhelmed and killed.

Through all this, the red sky is broken by a shine of white light as Rosen fights to protect the ruined city. Hiding in the shadows, Falcon spots General Urahu enter the city and approaches him. The young apprentice duels the legendary demon, and is killed by Urahu by a bolt of energy to the head. “Rest easy, child,” Urahu says as he stalks on.

Later on, as Rosen fights, he comes across Falcon’s body. Howling in grief and rage, his emotions amplified by the Light Key, he slaughters Urahu and single-handedly drives the demon forces to the city limits.

It is here that Malachor enters to face Rosen, the demon army pulling back. The two engage in a monumental battle to decide the fate of the Land. After a time, Malachor, fully consumed, triumphs and blasts Rosen to the ground. With the sky whirling around him, Malachor stalks to the defeated Warrior and slays him.