The Heavenly Host

The party stepped into the brightly lit metal and stone room. The room was enormous, well over fifteen hundred feet long and two hundred feet wide with something on the order of a two-hundred-foot-high ceiling. The huge space was filled with cranes, scaffolds and more equipment of different sorts than Barabus could even begin to imagine.

However, all of this was rendered insignificant by the room’s primary content: the thing that all the scaffolding and cranes were designed to work with. Barabus’s own mouth fell open even as he heard gasps from those behind him, including the knights. For once in Oorstemoth, no one spoke. The entire entourage was silent, staring at the vast... device? ship? vessel? that took up the majority of space in the room.

Vessel. It had to be some sort of monstrously huge vessel, Barabus thought, shaking his head. It was a thousand-plus-foot-long tube with rounded end caps. It was about seventy or eighty feet in diameter and made of solid black metal. Every inch of the metal hull was covered in runes, most currently only dully visible against the metal, but a fair number were glowing ominously against even the bright light of the room.

At each end were small towers protruding a few stories from the top of the thing. In the center, an even taller metal tower rose upwards. Along each side of the tube were large metal fins that stuck out at least another thirty feet. Like the body of the device, the metal fins were also engraved with runes.

Murmurs of surprise and shock finally began to rise from the assembled guests. Barabus looked up from the device and glanced at Heron, who was staring at the chancellor in complete shock.

Finally, Heron addressed the chancellor. “My gods, Dante! What have you wrought?”

Chancellor Dante Alighieri smiled even wider and raised his arms to gesture at his creation. “Ladies and gentlemen! Behold the future of law enforcement! Behold the vessel that shall allow us to extend the law to all parts of the multiverse! In air, water, fire, vacuum and aether! The law and its justice may now be served in the Abyss, in the outer planes, the demi-elemental Planes and every single material plane. As of today, there is no way to escape the law!”

Dante took a bow. As he rose, he raised his arms again and cried, “Behold! The Inferno!”

Chapter 112

The recently cleaned pipe organs in the volcano throne room swelled in unison with the voices of the fully assembled D’Orc battalions at the conclusion of the oath taking.

United forever in comradeship and battle
Our mighty Empire will ever endure.
The Great Empire of Doom will live through the ages
The dream of the people, their fortress secure.

Long live our Mount Doom motherland
Built by the people’s mighty hand.
Long live our people, united and free
Strong in our comradeship tried by fire.
Long may our crimson flag inspire
Shining in glory for mortals to see.

Through days dark and stormy where Lord Tommus leads us
Our eyes see the bright fire of freedom above.
And Tommus our leader, with faith in the people
Inspires us to build up the land we love.

Long live our Mount Doom motherland
Built by the people’s mighty hand.
Long live our people, united and free
Strong in our comradeship tried by fire.
Long may our crimson flag inspire
Shining in glory for mortals to see.

We fight for the future, and shall destroy invaders
And bring our homeland the laurels of fame.
Our glory will live in the memory of mortals
And all generations will honor her name.

Long live our Mount Doom motherland
Built by the people’s mighty hand.
Long live our people, united and free
Strong in our comradeship tried by fire.
Long may our crimson flag inspire
Shining in glory for mortals to see.