Chapter 5

Yes, but the taking of my sister was some time away. Dawn to Dusk on the world of Starside/Sunside is long, some three of your Hell-Lands days. And before I could attend to my own needs, I had to inspect my Aerie and see to its defences. Few had been foolish enough to attack me since my Ascension to the rank of Lord, and the speed with which I had toppled those who had so dared served as a warning to those who might. The older, more established Lords and Ladies watched with guarded interest, waiting to see if or when I might slip up, expose myself to them. But each day that they held back gave me time to reinforce my Aerie, to breed more Warriors and Flyers.

And with each new wave of defenders I set, they would have to strengthen their own offensive forces, in turn buying me more time to reinforce my Aerie ... It was a delicate dance, do you see? Appear too weak, and an individual Lord might attack. Appear too strong, and an alliance of lesser Lords or one of the greater Lords- Shaitan the Unborn, Radu Lykan- for he had not been banished here yet- or the like may send forth a great assault to bring me low, to serve as an object lesson to upstarts whose reach exceeded their grasp. But in this, my oneiromancy was invaluable, and I used my cunning and guile as best I could.

Although my hybridised Warriors- the Wulfen, as I liked to think of them- were excellent predators and pack hunters, masters of stealth and the quick kill, they tended to be ... unpredictable. Their territorial nature served me well, and in the dim minds of my creatures I could see that they still adhered to the pack structure of the tainted Grey Ones who served as the pattern for their intelligences.

I decided that it would be best for me to take advantage of this; to create an ... Alpha Wulfen, yes! And such a creature could lead the Wulfen packs in the defence of Furystack. I sat in my studio, idly scratching the crude design for the beasts onto the flesh of a thrall who had particularly displeased me, resulting in it having been flayed alive and sent to the provisioning. I could see it now; head and shoulders taller than the Wulfen, a full eight feet. A larger, more powerful jaw, six eyes beneath a heavy ridge of bone. Two eyes facing back, to guard its rear and scan the skies for danger. Four arms this time, instead of two; one pair similar to those of the Wulfen, ending in massive, flesh-tearing claws, the others heavily muscled, capable of wielding weapons. Many Lords scoffed at such and idea, breeding a weird array of creatures that relied on venom-spitting or acid secretion to kill, but a Warrior with hands more like my own might be made able to do any number of things. To capture, instead of kill. To manipulate more complicated objects, perhaps some sort of bone-wrought, living crossbow. Or, should the need arise, death-metal blades...

Gathering up my designs, I went down to the breeding pits. I decided to experiment with the creation of the Alpha Wulfen before putting it into ... what, full production? And so I took a pair of Trogs for their heavy bones and musculature, a dim but strong Szgany Thrall, and one of my tainted Grey Ones, binding them together and laying them to rest in one of the transformative vats. Such a complicated creature would take time to metamorphose, however. And I could afford to be patient, could I not?

This accomplished, I saw to the more mundane administrative aspects of the Aerie. I shall not bore you with the details or the gruesome nature of them, for I see even now that you shift uncomfortably about in your seat.