Amazons of Bana-Mighdall

Bana-Mighdall, Somewhere in Egypt

July 2006

Bana-Mighdall, the City of Women, a city state magically hidden in Egypt by an impenetrable sandstorm. It is inhabited by a faction of Amazons known as the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall. Like their Amazon sisters from Themyscira, the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall have hidden themselves from mankind for millennia. Its founder and first, and current, queen, Phthia, is the adopted niece of Queen Hippolyta herself.

When the Amazons freed themselves from Heracles and drove him and his forces away, Phthia's adoptive mother and Hippolyta's sister, Antiope, advocated for vengeance but was rejected by her queen and sister, Hippolyta. Not one to be denied an action that she felt she was owed, Antiope cast her girdle at Hippolyta's feet and rejected the Olympians and anything related to them due to their inaction when Heracles enslaved her and her sisters. From henceforth she would never ask anything of Olympus. After having made her declaration, she took all the Amazons who would follow her on her quest for vengeance and pursued Heracles back to Athens.

Antiope led her army straight through Greece, destroying any resistance, until she reached Athens. She lay siege to the city, even though Heracles was no longer there. Theseus eventually came forth, begging forgiveness for Heracles' madness and asking for peace. Antiope, who had once been enamored by him and very much still in love with Theseus, agreed and called off the fighting despite the protestations of many of her Amazons, including her daughter Phthia. Theseus welcomed the Amazons into the city, but they rightfully remained on their guard, even after Theseus and Antiope were married. Antiope soon gave birth to a son, Hippolytus, but her happiness and her life would soon be tragically cut short when Circe aided Ariadne, the bitter and vengeful first wife of Theseus, to slip into the palace unseen and stab Antiope in the heart with a dagger before she escaped unnoticed.

Phthia was found standing over her half brother's bed. She believed that Theseus had murdered her mother, and she was protecting the baby from him. Theseus believed that Phthia had murdered Antiope out of jealousy and had planned to murder his son. He had Phthia and all the Amazons in the city banished forever. Antiope's tribe would then travel to Egypt, where they pledged themselves to the Egyptian gods and became the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall. Since then, they have lived peacefully in the hidden city of Bana-Mighdall for millennia.

Unfortunately today, that peace has come to an end with an invasion from an army of demons. The demons are tall, winged humanoids with heavily built and imposing figures. They have three digits on each hand, which are also clawed. They are clad head to toe in golden armor, with helmets that have hornlike protrusions that cover most of their heads save for the mouth, exposing their sharp teeth. Unknown to the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall, these demons are no normal demonic enemy. Rather, they are genetically created monsters in the laboratories of Apokolips, home of Darkseid. To those who have faced his army before, they are known as Parademons.

The attack came unannounced with the boom of portals in the sky from where the demons fell. Despite being caught completely off guard, the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall were able to mount a proper defense that would have been quite effective had their foes not been Parademons. Unfortunately for them however, their foes are Parademons and the Amazons were unprepared for their lack of self preservation or their willingness to result in tactics that cripple them. Were it not for their impressive fighting prowess, the blessing from the gods and the fact that they have their very own version of Wonder Woman in the form of Shim'Tar, Akila, the Amazons of Bana would have fallen by now. However, that will not be sufficient as even now the Amazons will be overrun eventually simply due to being outnumbered.

"Artemis!" exclaims Akila as she notices a group of Parademons make their way towards her friend.

Standing at six feet tall and possessing a build almost as powerful as Wonder Woman, Akila strikes an impressive figure on the battlefield. With the blood of her enemies covering her golden sleeveless cuirass, white skirt, brown skin and black hair, Akila would have been able to strike fear in the heart of her enemies had they not been Parademons.

Not willing to allow her friend to be surrounded, Akila slowly makes her way towards her friend as she cuts down countless enemies with her Khopesh, a standard egyptian sickle-sword that evolved from the battle axe.

"I saw them coming." says Artemis as she cuts down a Parademon with her giant battle axe, Mistress.

While Akila poses an impressive figure, Artemis is down right imposing and could even be said to be terrifying. She stands at six feet two inches tall, has pale white skin, long red hair tied in a ponytail, green eyes, and possesses muscles that are more noticeable than even Wonder Woman. Unlike her friend's golden cuirass with a white skirt and sandals, Artemis wears a red, black and grey sleeveless cuirass, black pants and boots that are covered by knee high greaves, and bandages from her biceps to wrist that are covered in red vambraces that cover her forearm.

"Of course you did." sarcastically answers Akila with a slight smile that quickly turns into a frown. "Damn these creatures. If they did not swarm the city, I would be able to use the Bow of Ra without the danger of harming our sisters." mutters Akila as she casually tilts her head to the side, allowing Mistress to emerge from behind her and slay a Parademon.

"These demons cannot have simply spawned from those wormholes, they must be coming from somewhere." answers Artemis as she slides under Akila's Khopesh, allowing it to slay a Parademon that attempted to sneak up on her. "If we could perhaps find where they come from, we could potentially stop this." says Artemis as she explains her thought process.

"That would leave our sisters in a far more vulnerable position." refutes Akila with a slight shake of her head.

"This situation is no better. As it is we are already isolated from the rest!" exclaims a frustrated Artemis as she kills two Parademons before throwing Mistress through several more of them and calling it back to her hand.

"Perhaps. However, our presence itself draws most of the demons away from our sister." answers Akila as she snaps a Parademon's head with a kick while stabbing another one in the chest.

"Then perhaps it is best if one of us goes while the other remains." says Artemis as she smashes a Parademon's head to a pulp with the handle of Mistress.

Before Akila can answer however, the world around them turns gray, and time seems to simply stop.

"Shim'Tar of the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall." calls out a voice as a golden beam of magic strikes every Parademon present in the city, incinerating them.

Turning their eyes to the voice in the sky, Akila and Artemis spot the descending figure of a woman. She stands at five feet nine inches tall, possesses chocolate brown skin, black hair that glistens in the sunlight and brown eyes with a slight glow to them. She wears a simple sleeveless white dress that is covered in the torso by a similarly sleeveless white cuirass that blends into the dress, golden vambraces, greaves over her sandal laces, and pauldrons.

"Isis." says Akila and Artemis as they kneel in unison.

"Rise my champions. Now is not the time for such ceremonies. I cannot hold this spell forever, even now I can feel this war's weakening effect upon me." orders Isis as she makes them stand.

"How may we be of service?" asks Akila as she and Artemis straighten themselves out.

"As you have seen, Egypt faces a grave crisis that not even us gods are exempt from." informs Isis as she conjures an image of the Egyptian gods and goddesses waging battle against a lone fear inducing warrior.

While the warrior stands at six feet tall, neither that nor his bulging muscles are the cause of what causes one to fear him. Rather, it is black and red armor that completely covers his body and the black with red horn helmet that only allows his glowing red eyes to be seen.

"This is Steppenwolf, a god of the planet Apokolips, and the general of these demons that you face." informs Isis as the three watch Steppenwolf step on a jackal-headed god before backhanding a hawk-headed god away from him. "He attacked us unprovoked at the time of the demon's assault on your city began. Most of the pantheon has fallen and unless something is done soon we will all fall to him." says Isis in a grim tone. "We cannot win this battle alone, and even if you yourselves joined us you will simply fall before we follow along with you."

"How may we help?" asks Artemis desperately as she watches Horus, the Egyptian god of war, whom she believed to be invincible, be slapped around like a child.

"A few months ago a surge of unaffiliated divine energy was felt in the Atlantic Ocean near Gotham City. We believe that somehow a new god has ascended, seek them out. Perhaps with their aid and yours we may survive this crisis." answers Isis as she makes the image of the battle disappear.

"My lady, are you sure that it is wise to seek out an unknown god? And even if they decide to help, who will help our sisters in our absence?" asks Artemis with a frown.

"We have no choice. And as for Bana-Mighdall, I will personally defend it until your return. My magic seems to have no effect on him." explains Isis.

"Very well." answers Akila with a nod of her head.

"May Ra bless your journey, my friends." says Isis as she teleports the Amazons away.

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Metropolis, New York

July 2006

Like the city of Bana-Mighdall, Metropolis finds itself under attack from an alien force. Unlike Bana-Mighdall however, Metropolis' assailant is not of the demonic kind, rather it is a technological alien that simply goes by the name of Brainiac.

It had arrived in the city's airspace with four motherships around fifteen minutes earlier and had not bothered to make demands before deploying robotic troops to the city in an effort to round up all forms of relevant knowledge about Earth. The only known information about the enemy is that he calls himself Brainiac and claims to have collected countless notable cities through the galaxy.

Normally the Justice League would strongly object to such an act, however the majority of them are currently in space on a mission, leaving Earth's protection to what the citizens know as the Faceless Four, Aquaman, and Flash.

"Where did you say the others went again?" asks the Flash in the communication rune inscribed on his mask while running around the city evacuating the citizens.

"Thanagar." answers Aquaman as he uses the sea to draw the robots to him where he makes a quick work of them. "Apparently Hawkwoman's people are in the middle of a war and they need help."

"See, I don't get that. If her people are at war, why was she on Earth to begin with?" questions Flash as he phases through a robot and makes sure to scramble its internal system on the way.

"Apparently she was scouting for allies." replies Aquaman.

"Focus you two." orders Ambrosius as he conjures countless weapons that gleam in the sunlight and sends them flying through a platoon of robotic ships. "If Morgan were here, this would be over already." he comments in annoyance.

"And where exactly is Morgan? She would have already magic'd all of these robots away." says Flash.

"Apparently when one gains reality warping abilities, they should practice them before making use of them on such a grand scale." answers Scáthach. "At least according to Hecate who took her for a training session today." she says as she destroys countless more ships with Gae Bolgs

"And why aren't any of you going all out?" asks Aquaman.

"Because of collateral damage." answers Azula as she strikes down a mothership with a massive lightning bolt. "The robots are everywhere and the city still has some civilians." she says as she makes her way to the only remaining mothership and proceeds to bombard its shield with bolts of lightning.

"And also because this attack is nothing more than a probe at Earth's defenses." adds Ambrosius as he encases his spear in lightning before sending it hurtling through the final mothership when Azula succeeds in taking the shield down. "This was far too easy for an extraterrestrial opponent with claims as bold as Brainiac's. Even the Imperium put up a more impressive display." he says as he and the others gather near Aquaman at the docks.

Before the conversation can continue however, a pair of women teleport near Azula, prompting Ambrosius, Scáthach and Azula to place their blades at the newcomers' neck as a warning sign against any sudden action.

"Identify yourselves." command Scáthach with a frown.

"I am Akila, my friend here is Artemis, and we require the help of the newly ascended god. Could you please direct us to them?" asks Akila as she introduces herself and Artemis.

"*New god? Is she talking about Morgan?*" questions Scáthach telepathically.

"*Perhaps. After all, Morgan is the only one to have fully ascended so far.*" answers Azula.

As Ambrosius makes to answer the Amazons however, a flash of white light engulfs Azula, Artemis and Akila before they disappear along with the light.

"Merde?" curses Ambrosius as he uses every form of detection that he can in order to sense them. "I can sense Azula through the parabatai link, but it is extremely faint and I cannot tell if something is wrong with her." he says to Scáthach as Flash goes about canvassing the entire area.

"I can sense her too. However, I can also tell that there was no form of magic involved." she says as she takes out her Motherbox from her rune space. "Motherbox, can you tell me what happened here?" she asks, prompting the Motherbox to make a ping sound as it complies with her request.

With a few more pings the Motherbox completes its analysis and relays its findings to Scáthach, who frowns at the answer.

"They were teleported to an alternate universe. Unfortunately, Motherbox cannot follow because the trace of energy is too faint to follow." informs Scáthach.

"Azula is on her own until we can devise a different way to follow." says Ambrosius as he begins to draw runic symbols on the ground where Azula previously stood. "I will attempt to use our parabatai bond to trace her location and hopefully be able to teleport us to her using the teleportation rune on her. In the meantime, let us hope that she is not too harsh on the poor bastard who abducted her."