Basically we use the same rules that Blackmane used for his treads (Read the first post in "LET US ADORE HIM" for more info), but with some additions to keep things under control. (again read Blacmane`s first tread if you want to know what happens when we don`t use tight rules)
IŽll use a narrator, who is writing the story a few months after it happened, as well as a character. The narrator will be used to generate the environment, while my character will interact with everyone else.
IŽll try to chain events in such a way that no one stays by himself, so donŽt be surprised if the ice giants decide to rain death on you in such situations. This wasn`t necesary in chapter one, but since we are going to go into snowy mountains, the giants could get a second chance to rain death ony uo. ALL ADVENTURERS BEWARE!!!
You must post your character in another tread called "The Zalanthar Incident, Discussion". This tread whil also be the place for you to discuss with other players. While you can make OCC comments in this tread, if you wanna complain about something to me or other characters, then just say "I posted something for you to read on the Discussion tread". I dun wan unnending debates on the main tread.
Your character should be mediumly powerfull. If you decide to use the same character you used on chapter 1, remember to grant him an extra ability. (See my post on the discussion tread), notify that your going to use it with a post on the discussion tread, and finnaly edit your char`s BIO post, so that it includes all new items spells, and abilities. If you decide to use a new character, be carefull to make him about the same level as the other players. Read their bios for more info. This story starts just before the party meets king Aerlon, ruler over all the Khardian kingdom. You would be adviced to wear formal clothes Last but not least: No one can move other peopleŽs characters but ME and anyone else whom i choose to act as a second DM for this story.
IC:
The golden room was a truly magnificent sight to behold. The local stories and descriptions made no justice at all to it`s magnificense.
A huge pair of doors, completely covered in silver decorations were it`s entrance. Hanged on the walls, an inmumerable amount of exquisite paintings surprised the spectator. The characters represented on them were the ancient kings of past times. They seemed so real, that one would suspect magic had aided the artist`s hands. Several confortable chairs invited one to sit, and explore the room while resting on them. A large fountain, ocupied the room`s center. The sound of water contributed to creating an idilical environment. On the other side, another pair of Doors, these ones decorated with gold decorational motives, led directly torwards the the throne room.
Several nobles dressed in their best clothes waited on the chairs, for the king to grant them a personal audience. However, the peacefull tranquility of the Golden room was momentarily disrupted , as a new group of of people made their entrance to it.
The nobles rose from their seats, as they obviously tought this to be some kind of barbaric intrusion into their realm. Some of the newcomers weren`t even dressed properly, as if they had come from some kind of battle or adventure. And evern worse, they took a special group of seats, placed directly in front of the golden doors. Those seats were only for people who had been granted a special audience by the king, meaning they wouldn`t have to wait their turn as everyone else.
Several noblemans who had spent their whole morning waiting for an audience loudly complained to the guards. Yet they soon had to swallow their frustration, since this group of adventurers had REALLY been granted the privilege above everyone else. Yet their stares torwards the group expired an intense air of hostility.
The party tried to ignore the nobles as best they could, and started talking informally among themselves. Some of them had already known the others, but there were several new faces in their group this time. They only had one thing in common. All of them had been condecorated for their heroical actions during the undead siege, just a week and half ago.
None of them knew the exact reason for wich they had been summoned by King Aerlon himself. Yet they knew what generally hapened when a king tried to gather a group of known heros into his palace. It surely meant a difficult task, and an even greater reward.
"Are you Sir Gorfand?" a guard shouted to him.
Looking down in surprise, Gorfand saw two palace guards.
"Sir? I like the sound of that!" Gorfand thought and then shouted to the guards," And if I am?"
"Sir, the king summons you to his court," the guard replied.
"May I ask why?" Gorfand asked them suspiciously.
"We only know His Majesty wishes it, here is the official summons," they told him, holding out a scroll.
"Alright, coming down," Gorfand leaped nimbly off the roof, surprising the guards. Reading the summons, he knew it was official.
"Alright, take me to the palace."
Arriving at the palace, he was asked to leave his weapons at the door.
Leaving his weapons at the door, he followed the guards into a room filled with people.
Looking around he spotted part of his original group.
"So... Do any of you guys know why we were summoned here?" Gorfand asked the group.
[This message has been edited by mebored (edited 08-31-2002 @ 06:22 PM).]
Looking around he returned the stares of the nobles with a calm gaze. Some of the stares they were getting seemed far more hostile that he would have thought necessary but who knew how these nobles thought. "So... Do any of you guys know why we were summoned here?" Gorfand asked. Turning Val replied "No idea but from the reactions around us I would guess King Aerlon doesnt make a habit of inviting such people to his court."
His companions were mostly familiar but with some new faces, the notable omission was Aelin, he hadn't seen her since the events in the city. Valrenthian couldn't put his finger on it but he felt
The sound seemed out of place among the snap of bowstrings and the distintive rattlling whistle of arrows streaking toward target. The longbow was the rule here, crosbows were considered too clumsy and heavy.
"Better. Only half a span from the bull" Sighed the Range Warden. "Now if you could just hit the Gruor ignored the patronizing remark. He had in fact come a long way in the time since the battle in the temple. Taking up the crossbow had been something of an accident. The Order of Paladins, in gratitude for his help there, had decreed he be allowed to train at whatever arena he choose, but the Master at Arms had been hesitant. "A dwarf? Bah! My greenist man could take with one arm tied behind his back, on any field he choses." Gruor had accepted the challange, on the condition the the Master himself stand against him. And that they both competed with only one arm. The fool agreed, and Gruor chose the archery range. And won. A poor shot was better then no shot. But now a messanger hustled up, scroll in hand. "Goodman Gruor of the Mines? You've been summoned! By the King!" He slipped bow into the cradle on his back. Crossed with his old pickaxe, it made him look as if he had sprouted tiny wings and one of the other trainees had had the temerity to laugh in his face because of it. But only one. "Lets go den. Twould nae do ta keep da man waitin." Arriving at what he took to be the palace, deep in the inner city, he was ushered in after only a slight difference of opinion with the guardsmen over his 'wings.' They eventually let him past, the scroll did say "By invitation of the King" and for a dwarf that was unheard of. Whoever he was, they weren't about to bar him, but he knew the snipers in the galleries would be following him the whole time. "Wots dis all abowt? An whers da Elf? I still have a few things ta say ta dat one."
As Flinx approached the palace, out of breath from running six streets to the palace, Pip curled his tail around Flinx's neck and settled on his shoulder. The guards drew back, and one of them demanded that the Minidrag be left outside, for no pets were allowed inside. Pip replied by spitting at the man's scabbard. As the guard stared at his scabbard, the bottom half of it hissed and fell to the ground, and a few seconds later half of the sword blade inside also fell to the ground, melted away by Pip's acid spit. After that, the other guard led them in with a minimum of fuss. As Flinx neared the group of adventurers, he noticed that most of them had been present at the undead siege a week and a half ago. Sighing, he sat down as Pip began doing complicated aerial manevours over the adventurers.
"Leaving the desert was the best choice I ever made, father. Coming to these cold climes was uncomfortable at first, but when I proved the power of the Fire Sphere to these magickaphobe humans I quickly became a favorite among the king's nobles. If only I could have joined those followers of Thandor. Then the name of Rahan would have joined theirs toasted at the inns and sung by the bards. I could have been praised as a hero, instead of being thrust into the shadows as a mercenary. I'll try harder next time."
He was already leaving his room to speak to the King about his payment for services rendered so far when the messenger arrived.
"Rahan, King Aerlon wishes you to go to the audience chamber and prepare to learn about your next assignment."
Rahan's curiosity had been piqued. He sent the messenger on his merry way and exited his room. When he entered the audience room he began grinning. The grin remained as he took a seat and threw a casual glance around the room, noting each of the various adventurers.
Edit- Rahan's waiting in the audience room because the king is too busy to talk to him.
[This message has been edited by Emperor_Bone14 (edited 08-29-2002 @ 09:41 PM).]
Tray walks into the Audience room, to find most of the adventurers from the fight against the undead already there. The repercussions from the undead invasion took quiet a while to heal, of course there were no undead left 'alive', but Tray had spent some of his time in the last few weeks trying to help repair some of the damage that he had inadvertently caused through Thrains cannon. Its amazing what three fireballs can do to a city.
So... Do any of you guys know why we were summoned here?" Gorfand asked.
Turning Val replied "No idea, but from the reactions around us I would guess King Aerlon doesnt make a habit of inviting such people to his court."
Just then Gruor burst in. Obviously they had all been summoned, except Aelin was absent.
"Wots dis all abowt? An whers da Elf? I still have a few things ta say ta dat one."
"No, she hasn't been seen by anyone since the siege." Tray answers.
Nobody questioned him as he strode into the audience chamber (his robes and staff proclaimed his position all too clearly). He saw that a group of adventurers were also about to be given an audience with the king, possibly for similar reasons to his own. He approached them.
'Hail. I am Ilim. It seems that we are to share an audience with the king, although I know not why. What can you tell me about your purposes here?'
"The king will meet you now"
Walking trough the doors, they found themselves in Aerlon`s throne room. The king himself, was talking with a group of soldiers, possibly high ranked generals. He walked as he speaked, as if the conversation made him nervous. A robed man, standed near the generals. The group rapidly recognized the Taron, the young priest who had helped them in the cathedral after Baltek`s death.
" The nobles out there are about to start a riot" He smiled "The king has only been meeting officers, and military personel today. They are furious because they feel they aren`t the central atraction anymore."
Aerlon dismissed the soliders, and sat down on the throne as he noticed the party.
" Greetings gentlemen! Please, come closer, we have much to discuss. "
They walked closer to the trhone. They noticed two robed figures speaking silently, near a column on the far end of the room near the door.
" I have sumoned you here because the kingdom is in dire need of the aid of an experienced group of heroes. And our priest here sugested you for the task. "
Taron smiled. "How could i forget about the ones who saved our city?"
" Of course, this wouldn`t be a task without reward... I will make sure that you recieve apropiate payment for your trouble." Aerlon spoke once again.
" As you know, the undead army was defeated. After their foiled attempt at Khardia, my army has spoted and succesfully destroyed their operations being carried out secretely in the cementeries of several small towns. The citizens are happy they were saved, as you can tell from the large celebrations going on trough all the kingdom "
"However they know nothing about the traitors. We haven`t been able to locate them. Zanatos was last seen heading north, by a trading caravan. We have seen no trace of him ever since. About Dentor, we have no clues at all."
"My advisors and I think their treason was just a part of a greater scheme. The "Lord" they and that vampire talked about seems to be our greatest danger. Yet, we cannot fight what we cannot see. Whomever he is, he has not given any sign of his existence. With his lackeys gone hiding, it becomes even harder to investigate the matter."
" We`ve decided to resort to a less conventional way to find out what we can about this crisis. Please come closer Greiwyn."
One of the figures near the column walked forward.
As Greiwyn walked closer, they noticed she was a frostlings. And she was old. In fact, she seemed to be older than anyone the party had previously seen. She ressembled the typhical town witch, who would scare the children away, and prepare love potions for the young girls. Still, she walked rather quickly and decidedly.
"Greywind is the shaman of a small frostling village located on mount Grom. They got my permission to establish themselves there, so they are still loyal to Queen Celestia. "
" And we shall be loyal to our deaths" Greywind replied. " I have offered your king the frostling`s aid in finding this traitors of yours. He helped us in the past, and it is our tradition never to let debts go unpayed. Specially when it is a debt of food."
"You will go to our homeland to the north. There you will give our queen a letter of mine. Her divination magics and control over the spirits of air are far beneath the understinding of most mortals. If someone can reveal you the location of the traitors, it is her."
" It will be a dangerous trip. There might still be some undead walking the roads, and we don`t know what the conspirators are planing. Besides, the mountains itselves are dangerous and even the frostlings only leave their towns in groups." The king said gravely.
" I would acompany you, but the winter is harsh again. Our customs only allow us to accept help of others to some extent, but our god`s command was that we survived by our own means. My town will need my magic . Instead, my aprentice Seela will go with you "
The other figure advanced to the group after being called. She was dressed with the skin of a polar bear. After taking the hood off, the contrast with the other woman became obvious.
Seela was clearly not a frostling. Determining her race was almost impossible. She was tall like a highman, but her skin was much paler. Her face reflected a strange beautiness, almost like an elf.
" I shall do my best " Was all she said.
" Seela has been as my daoughter during all these years, since we found her abandoned in a cave as a baby. She survived under extreme cold in that cave. I took it as a sign from our gods and took her to our town . Not even the elders could discover what race did she belong to. I have been waiting until she reached the proper age to make the trip back to our homeland, so the queen and our sages there could determine it. It seems the time has come. I have taught her all i know about the magical arts. " She turned torwards Seela "I hope you can discover your true inheritance" There was emotion in her words, a rare thing to hear among frostlings.
" Thank you ... Mother " Seela replied.
[This message has been edited by Evilguy99 (edited 08-29-2002 @ 04:05 PM).]
She saw a statue of an Elven maid, her hands clasping a bow. From the statue there emerged two roads. In blinding quick flashes both showed members of the party in various states of distress, Gruor battling valiently while forced to steadily loose ground, Flinx pinned to a wall under fire while the minidragon hissed and dived, Gorfand's desperate charge into overwhelming odds, Tray, his eyes and staff ablaze with lightning and madness, and others she didn't know fighting and suffering. Rapidly changing scenes invaded her mind, icy caverns, snowy mountains, Frostlings engaged in desperate battle, an entire horde of goblins, a tall tower and a terrible power beyond imagination ... both roads converged and paused at a brave battered figure, still fighting tho his life bled out from him. Two roads once again diverged, one ending in utter devastation and darkness as all races reeled from a seeming neverending war to be crushed under the fist of an unstoppable power, the other to a A rosy glow faded and Aelin found herself standing in front of an alcove in the Cathedral's treasure room. Before her was the statue of an Elven maid, her hands clasping a bow, the symbol of the Rangers of Siladur adorning the cirlet upon her brow. An Elf, amongst the heroes of Thandor. "Hello, Grandmother," Aelin said softly. Definite Elven features and eyes closely matching her own seemed to gaze back at her. On the archer's forearms was a set of leather bracers worked with mithril in the symbol of the Sun of Thandor rising over the Tree of Life. Intertwined at the base of each ran small runes in ancient Elvish. The Bracer's of Light and Life would allow the wearer to carry a small portion of the living light within, but the Price.... Deep blue eyes returned to those of her grandmother. Sworn to protect Life, what would she give? The face that looked back at her seemed so serene. With a respectful bow, Aelin placed her hands over the forearms of the statue and reverently removed the Bracers. As she slipped them over her own forearms a warm glow seemed to come from deep within. Slowly she lowered her arms. She had no need for bindings or lacings, for part of the condition for accepting the Bracers was knowing that they would only release her at her death. Taking a long slow breath she turned and strode silently from the room. It was time, at last, to complete her mission.
It took even more time for the priest to argue with the palace guard. She had unstrung the Rowan bow, but insisted on keeping both it and a single arrow, only turning over the quiver, Elven blade and boot dagger. Finally they were passed through to the golden antechamber before the throne room. Facing the hostile stares and loud grumbling of the nobles, Aelin chafed at yet another delay as the guards there insisted that she was not dressed properly enough nor escorted properly enough to be allowed before the king. The priest was trying to explain, but the Guard Captain signaled others to his side.
"Fools! Thy border has already been penetrated!" Aelin announced lowly in a voice of steel and ice. "I care not about thy frills and rules. Tis thy lives I come to possibly aid. Tis the paladin, Valrenthian, I seek. Summon him forth if I need an escort."
The Guard Captain looked taken aback at her impertinance. He roughly grabbed her arm with a threatening jeer, "Go while you can, Elf, or with a snap of my fingers I'll have you thrown in the dungeon."
"And with a flick of my wrist, I can change thy tune," Aelin replied smoothly, the previously hidden throwing dagger in her hand already aimed at a rather delicate position below the guard's belt. The Guard Captain noticably paled. Formal palace guard uniform did not include plate mail, nor had they previously seen a need for an armored cod piece. Aelin was not loath to point out that oversight. Blue fire flashed behind her eyes and the scar on her cheek pulsed regularly. "Now ... removeth ... thy ... hand ... and ... let ... me ... pass."
The Captain released her swiftly and backed away, but Aelin followed step for step. She now had him in the position he had thought to have her. Steel rasped from sheaths as the two other guardsmen drew their swords and the nobles previous shouts of anger and derision at the uppity Elf erupted instead into cries of outright panic. The priest spread his arms and tried to cover her with his own body from the archers in the gallery, but Aelin had already made sure the Captain was between her and them as she steadily backed him towards the door. Pandemonium ensued. Chairs crashed to the floor as several nobles tried to use them to climb to the gallery above, out of the range of the deranged Elf. More screams joined the shouts of the guards. The priest quickly came around to push open one of the ornate golden doors and Aelin backed the Guard Captain inside.
"I am Aelin, Ranger Courier of the Druids of Siladur," she announced in a clear musical voice. "I bear a message for the Chosen of Thandor." Deep blue Elven eyes gazed a moment at the holy symbol of Thandor on his armor before rising to stare directly into Valrenthian's own. A small weary smile graced her lips. "I take it that would be thee ... my lord."
[This message has been edited by Kaji (edited 09-02-2002 @ 04:27 PM).]
"I cannot speak for my comrades but I, Valrenthian Ab'zoltar will take up this task. There are few deeds which warm my heart like the prospect of bringing justice to these traitors. I will go forth with Seela and Thandor willing we will uncover the identity of the "Lord" behind all of this."
To be honest it would be a blessing to get out of the city, since taking up The Orb of Thandor Val had gained a fairly large degree of fame. Grateful as he was for Thandors blessing upon his armour the slight blue glow was more that enough to giveaway his identity. Suddenly the doors to the meeting chamber were pushed open, and the captain of the Kings guard backed uncomfortably into the room. A familiar figure entered after him.... Smiling in greeting Valrenthian turned casually to the elf "You simply
Much good had come about since the undead invasion, Thandor as a God had proved much more popular (though Valrenthian took every opportunity to point out that his wielding of the Orb was to help the entire city and not just a recruiting ploy).
A large number of would-be Paladins had been dispatched to the Martial training halls - though Valrenthian was confident that the harsh training there would swiftly seperate the chaff from the wheat.
The bit which Valrenthian had most difficulty with was the small percentage who seemed to think that Val was
"I am Aelin, Ranger Courier of the Druids of Siladur," Aelin announced in a clear musical voice. "I bear a message for the Chosen of Thandor." she turned to Valrenthian "I take it that would be thee ... my lord."
Aelin's own smile widened, erasing some of the weariness from her face and eyes. "I did try, my lord." She released the Guard Captain and gestured back towards the pandemonium she had left behind. "However this guard and yon nobles took exception to my mode of dress and lack of proper escort." Her tone was light and teasing, tho with an underlying seriousness.
The Guard Captain backed another three meters away and drew his sword shakily. "Don't move! You are under arrest!"
Aelin sighed. "Human, it does thee no good clear across the room, and if thee approaches I will simply have to take it from thee anyway."
The priest had hurried to join Taron and the two were discussing something in low tones. Taron looked up towards Aelin with a smile and nodded to the other.
"Majesty," Aelin bowed formally to the human king in respect. Her voice carried no trace of weariness, tho her cloak, boots and armor still bore witness to her rough run. "Thy border has been penetrated. The Rangers canst no longer hold the goblin horde from the northern woods. The Druids of Siladur were friend to Kalterin, Son of Thandor. I was sent with a message to Kalterin, but arrived too late to prevent his murder. With knowledge of possible traitors among the Court and even Cathedral, I was previously forbidden to place it in another's hand. I know not what the message contains, save that it is magically sealed and only the Chosen of Thandor is said to be able to open it." Again her eyes returned to Valrenthian.
She approached the party slowly, so as to not upset the already embarrassed and infuriated guards. Stopping in front of Valrenthian, she turned to Gorfand and addressed him softly. "Gorfand, I know thee has the ring. Wilst thee lend it to Valrenthian a while? Tis only with the ring, used by Thandor's Chosen, that the magical seal will be released and the message be able to be read. To all other eyes, it will appear as blank."
[This message has been edited by Irridescent Drake (edited 08-30-2002 @ 03:00 PM).]
IC: Taron and the other priest exchanged a few words. Then Taron spoke to the king.
"This elf speaks the truth milord. We kept it as a secret, but Kalterin did keep contact with some members of the Siladur council. They did it so that mutual help could be arranged, even tough the oficial diplomatic channels were cut.
For example our last campaign against the goblin tribes was only finished so easily, because the elves helped us by cuting down their resources coming from their main setlements. WeŽve been also helping them as well.
Kalterin and the druids tried to achieve peace and understanding betwen our races. They tought that some day, our races would forget their differences and work together for a lasting peace.
This elf, is one of the heroes who saved our city. She was not ordered to do so, she was only sent to give a message to Kalterin, and she freely choose to risk her life to save people she knew almost nothing about. Isn`t this proof enough that the day Kalterin waited for has arrived ? "
"Well, it seems there is a lot the church is doing at my back... I will have to look into this after the traitors are caught. But i knew about the elves medling in our fights with the goblins. Perhaps the time has come. Come milady. Give Valrenthian that odd message of yours."
Aeling walked torwards Gorfand, and told him to put the ring he had taken from the mage`s statue into the letters seal. A small redish light surged from it.
"Kalterin`s ring! So that is where he hid it..." Taron said.
Then, with great reverence she handed it to Val. Valrenthian started reading it for everyone.
"To Kalterin, the Chosen of Thandor; from the
Druidic Circle of Siladur, Greetings:
Our scouts have returned with reports that the
Goblin tribes of the southwest have vanished. In
every case our Rangers report entire villages
empty, with no sign of struggle or disease.
Rumors have now reached the Circle that a Human
commands them and is migrating thousands toward
Mhur'hakenda, Mount Myr as Humans know it, and
the ice grottos of the Frostling home range just
west of Khardia and north of the Elven forest of
Lurien. Disturbing reports have come from the
capture of several Goblin outrunners at the edges
of Siladur by our Rangers. These Goblins claim
this Human has magical powers beyond any their
legends have foretold, and many worship him as
the new Goblin god. They confessed that they were
planing raids on some of your bordering towns.
Several of our best Rangers were sent to investigate. None have returned.
Those of our Circle with the gift of Sight who
have looked, have become entrapped in madness.
The only recognisable words they have uttered is
"Chosen" and "Thandor." As Khardia has had
previous dealings with the Frostlings, we would
advise thee post scouts of thy own there
forthwith to ascertain the validity of this
possible threat.
At the botom was a personal note. Valrenthian readed it, but sayed nothing to the others.
Kalterin, my friend.
By the time thee receives this I will probably
have passed beyond this world. I have entrusted
this message to my student, Ranger Courier Aelin.
She has been instructed not in any case to give
it to Alkor nor any other priest, nor to serve
any but thee, Chosen of Thandor. I entrust her
to thee, my friend. She bears the scar. It is her decision, but I think that she will accept the
bracers. If she does, then you will know that the
time has come. I know that she will act just
as honorably as her grandmother did.
Elladan
Upon hearing the message, the king started calling for his generals again.
"The goblins are closing to our borders? We must prepare our defense. Call forth all of my generals!"
he turned to Taron.
"Would i be wrong if i presummed that you know how to contact the Siladur circle ?"
"Not at all milord" he said smiling.
"Then call them now! tell them to bring a representative. We must discuss about this treat as soon as possible."
Now he spoke to the party. "You must leave now. your mission is now critical for our victory. We must find and stop this traitors. This man who the druids refered to could be Dentor, Zanatos, or even their lord. We have no proof that he is a shadowlord. The orb must stay here, as Thandor has not yet told his priests anything about using it again. Your priority is to get to Celestia, the frostling queen. If the goblins are indeed moving, she will be concerned." He quickly scribled something with a feather pen a servant gave him after the king made a gesture. Then he printed his royal seal in wax with the servants aid. "Give this to her along with Greywind`s message. If you get any chance to find something about the identity of this mand, by all means do it. But don`t take unnecesary risks. We can hold those goblins, but we won`t be able to act if we can`t fight this traitors."
They left the throne room, while the king was still giving orders to a large group of royal messangers and servants.
Seela talked for the first time since they left the palace.
"We should leave now. I see you`ve brought most of your stuff with you, but you will need special suplies if we are going to get to mount Myr. Greywind always told me about a dwarven mining town, just south of it. That would be a good spot to get special clothes, and suplies for you."
[This message has been edited by Evilguy99 (edited 08-30-2002 @ 07:32 PM).]
Thrusting it into her hand he murmured, "It is your's and Valrenthian's now, although I would like it back when you two are done with. I grew rather fond of it."
After receiving the ring, Val began to read the message. After he was finished, the mysterious woman began talking.
"We should leave now. I see you`ve brought most of your stuff with you, but you will need special suplies if we are going to get to mount Myr. Greywind always told me about a dwarven mining town, just south of it. That would be a good spot to get special clothes, and suplies for you."
"I would not have gone along with this mission before, so why would I now? I must be getting soft, when I was younger I wouldn't of given a second of thought about doing a thing like this. Now, well..." Gorfand muttered to himself.
Looking over at the mysterious woman, he shouted with his usual impatience to the group, "Well come on, let's not stand around. Let's go!"
Turning to Valrenthian, he asked,"Are you done with my ring? I would like to have it back."
[This message has been edited by mebored (edited 08-30-2002 @ 11:03 PM).]
Rahan already knew some of what King Aerlon was talking about, from rumors and such, but this business with the Frostling queen was new to him. That the Frostlings spoke with an air of lofty arrogance toward these humans regarding their queen and her mastery of Air magic was no surprise to him. Humans, for the most part, unlike all the other races, had no understanding of the vital forces of the world, or their own place in it. Those who did know the power of magic saw it as nothing more than a source of power, like gold, to be used accordingly. The one saving grace of humanity, in Rahan's eyes, was their unusually large amount of respect for the gods.
Rahan's philosophical pondering was brought to a halt when the doors were opened and an Elven woman backed the captain of the guard into the room. Rahan lost his composure and smiled, almost laughing, at the sight. Despite all the time he'd spent around them, helping them and in some cases doing their jobs for them, the racist humans, with the only exceptions being the priests and the king himself, had always maintained a thinly veiled air of contempt for the Azrac wizard. The nobles and royal guard especially. It pleased Rahan to know they had just been given another first hand lesson on the 'superiority' of their race.
Obviously the captain had not learned his lesson about racial prejudice from Rahan's first visit to the palace, and was now paying the price for his idiotic view of human superiority As the guards were dismissed by the king, Rahan caught the captain's eye and grinned, just a little. The human blushed in humiliation and quickened his exit. Rahan had shown up much the same way as the Elf on his first visit to the palace. Travel worn and tired, dressed 'inappropriately' for the king's court. The captain had threatened to throw him into the dungeon. When he muttered something about, "...primitive scum Azracs...", Rahan had calmly set him on fire. When the human archers tried to kill him with their woefully inadequate marksmanship, he hadn't even needed to cast a Fire Shield to protect him from their arrows, because they all missed. A look of contempt crossed his face for a moment. Their aim had probably been disturbed by their shaking in fear at seeing a real live Azrac wizard. Two of the other guards carried the captain out and Rahan calmly entered the king's throne room, unnoticed in the chaos. At his advice, King Aerlon had replaced all the archers with Elves. He would have recommended replacing the captain too, but his next visit had brought nothing but politeness from the human. He also learned from a Halfling that they had put out the flames by throwing the captain in a handy pig trough. Maybe the captain would finally learn his lesson permanantly now that his manhood had been threatened. He put the past behind him and turned to the king, noticing that two adventurers, Flinx and Tray, had just finished asking him about the specifics of dealing with Zanatos. All questions were cut short by the priest. Then they read the letter. When they finished, Rahan was almost shaking with enraged disbelief. Goblins didn't have much dignity, but to worship a [This message has been edited by Emperor_Bone14 (edited 08-31-2002 @ 01:01 AM).]
And then Aelin had burst in, not merely offering, but "Nae has a dwarf turned away, where Elf will tred. I be goin wid ya, fer da honor of all da miners!"
Thinking about the letter Valrenthian pondered the personal note to Kalterin at the end about Aelin. Reading through the letter again Valrenthian sighed, Well at least Gorfand (who seemed extremely possessive about that ring), Gruor, Tray, Flinx and presumably Aelin would again be along. Though he had a few reservations about the pyromaniac nature of Tray and Thrains "help" (memories of an exploding door flashed before his eyes) he knew these folks, they would fight and could be relied upon.
Valrenthian took the priest Teron to one side and spoke quietly "In Kalterns belongings did you find a pair of Elven Bracers at all ? I would think they would be in a place of some respect, hidden yet safe ? If you did could you have them brought to me please."
Sure the Elves can be insular, arrogent, and superior and the Dwarfs for example can be overwhelmed with greed but not the same desire to control.
Val shook his head, it looked like once again he would have to try and stop some of his own race, to save them from themselves.
Despite his reservations about the group, Ilim knew that it was a task worth doing. He also realised that magic and the undead might be involved. One of the few things Ilim enjoyed was the look on a mage's face when his spells vanished to nothingness and Shamerik's justice was delivered. Speaking of mages, he would have to endure three of the defilers during this journey and more when they reached the destination. Ilim would have refused there and then, if it were not for the fact that knowledge of the location of the frost queen could prove extremely useful to the Order.
Ilim continued to watch impassively as an elf entered the chamber. If she were a human, then he would have judged her as having an ego problem by her manner of entrance. However, she was an elf and could be forgiven somewhat for lack of knowledge of human customs. Either way he cared little. She was to join them. Before much more could be said, the king dismissed the group. Seela led them out of the palace, and told them that they would need supplies.
'Supplies? I have little gold to purchase such things. What exactly would we need?'
They left the city trying not to call much attention, but they couldn`t help several townsfolk from recognizing them.
A small girl reached Gruor and thanked him for saving her that night at the inn. The local tendency torwards xenophoby, had finnaly started to change.
The commoners followed them up to the gates, but finnaly got tired, and returned.
"Well, if the enemy has spies in the city, they surely didn`t miss that. The surprise element is gone." Seela said
They started marching west. The road seemed quite deserted, but they still meet a few military patrols. The King was taking this seriously, it seemed.
OOC: We could use horses, but i think it`s best if we do it the LOTR way Finnally, the sun began hiding in the horizon, and the path began geting dark. Upon reaching a clearance in a small wood, Seela started examining a map, and she declared that they had done a good distance. If they kept it up they would reach Dusrdale (The dwarven mining town) in three days. They prepared their camp. Since they hadn`t seen any trace of danger and they were still within the kingdom`s border, they decided to lit a small fire. Yet five figures were silently watching them from the trees. [This message has been edited by Evilguy99 (edited 08-31-2002 @ 01:08 PM).]
Aelin nodded at other members of the party she knew, while observing those she didn't. Each one's position and relationship to each other was noted and cataloged for future reference. She even managed a small smile and nod for the dwarf, Gruor after his passionate declaration that he would not be outdone by an elf. Let the dwarf interpret that as he may, she thought, blue eyes twinkling with a wry humor. She still had not found the time to get a closer look at the tiny dragon, but there should be time enough on the journey to inquire about this wonderous creature.
Her eyes followed Valrenthian as he drew the priest to one side. He seemed concerned ... about something in the message? There was much to be concerned over, but nothing which .... She saw the priest nod her way and say something to the paladin, then bow and leave. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she considered this. No doubt she would find out in time, but if the young paladin thought he was going to leave her behind then he'd get a stern lesson in just how hard it was to lose a Ranger of Siladur if that Ranger had decided she wasn't going to be lost.
Smiling slightly to herself she flowed silently into place a pace away on Valrenthian's left as the party retrieved their weapons from the palace guard and began the journey. They were being led by a strange woman of a race unknown to Aelin, who claimed they would buy more supplies at a Dwarven mining town. She seemed to know where they were to go as they finally left the crowds behind.
Aelin's weariness became more pronounced as the day wore on. Ten days of barely any sleep, the last two with none at all, were taking their toll. Even elves needed sleep, tho they were loath to claim so. It must have been this that clouded her mind, otherwise she would have never allowed the party to make camp without throughly scouting the area beforehand. No Ranger would. It was the barely perceptable movement in one of the trees that alerted her, sending keen Elven senses into abrupt response. She flowed upward in a smooth but unhurried movement, bow and two arrows already to hand yet looking as if she had only meant to stretch. Looking straight at Valrenthian she signaled to the trees around them with her eyes, then looked at his sword.
"Gruor," she inquired easily. "When did you take up the crossbow? Indeed, do you even know how to use one?" Her gaze sharpened on the dwarf then glanced to the tree to his left. "Why don't you bring it out and show me."
[This message has been edited by Kaji (edited 08-31-2002 @ 03:28 PM).]
"Gruor," the elf inquired, "When did you take up the crossbow? Indeed, do you even know how to use one?" Her gaze sharpened on the dwarf then glanced to the tree to his left. "Why don't you bring it out and show me."
So it wasn't just him! The elf obviously felt something was watching them. He waited to see if Gruor understood her message.
They were members of the Kuruk guild, a secret society of hired assasins. They were said to have come from beyond the seas almost two decades ago. No matter what the forces of justice did, there had been simply no way to erradicate their prescence. Luckily, their number didn`t seem to grow, and while they sometimes killed notorious figures, it was quite uncomon. More oftenly they would just act as a tool betwen merchant`s rivarly. They obviously didn`t want to draw too much attention upon them. Local tales stated that they payed large sums of money to poor families for their four year old children. Then, after long years, those who survived the training would become the new generation of Kuruk assasins.
On the rare ocations in wich they failed their targets, they would become targets themselves. If captured, they wouldn`t live to be interrogated. Healers discovered that each of the assasins had a false tooth, wich actually contained a quick poison inside. Their comitment to their guild, went beyond this world.
After a whole day journey, the party seemed to be preparing their camp.
"We should strike now" It was a woman`s voice.
"No we`d better wait till they are asleep."
"Silence sisters. The elf heard something."
The ranger was obviously as experimented as they had been told. With a single movement she could fire her arrows upon them. And what she said was an obvious attempt to warn his companions. They had fought rangers before.
A Kuruk`s status inside their guild was determined by the weapons they used. One of the men was obviously just an initiate, since he still used trowing knives. The other, however drew a Manriki chain, indicating a high hierarchy. Two of the women prepared pairs of sai, one in each hand. The last woman, who acted as their leader, drew a katana, the weapon of a master assasin.
The assasins attacked.
OOC: FOR INFO ABOUT NINJA WEAPONS GO HERE: [This message has been edited by Evilguy99 (edited 08-31-2002 @ 07:47 PM).]
These guys have martial arts training! Be carefull!
As they wound through the streets, a child, no taller then himself came up to them shyly and gave him some flowers. She wanted to thank him she said, for saving them that night. Though Dwarves were not given to emotion, he was touched by the gesture. It was not only for the miners he knew he was doing this now. It was all the ones like her as well.
--
The march took them deep into the woods, a place he felt no comfort. As night fell they made their camp, and the feeling grew in him. He heard something, a rustling perhaps in the trees. It might be only an animal, but his unease would not let him settle for that. He glanced sidelong at the Elf. She had claimed to be a Ranger of Silidur, and from all that he had heard of them, she should not have missed such a thing. The Dwarves ahd little love for the Elves, but they did not lack respect for their abilities.
Before he could speak though, she rose, bow in hand, and casually asked about his newly acquired weapon. She There were five that he could see, though they blended into the night so well even his eyes could barely make them out at first. One armed with knives, he would be the first to attack. Another with some type of weighted chain, a device not quite like any Gruor had ever seen but which looked as deadly as a morningstar. Two others were armed with what appeared to be short swords, their guards turned forward in deadly hooks to foil a sword. An assasins weapon for close in fighting. The last hung back, drawing a longed wicked looking two handed blade. That would be the leader, and the most dangerous.
"Assasains! Professionals too, by the looks of it!" Gorfand exclaimed loudly.
Diving behind the tree beside him, he quickly assesed the situation. " Four or five of them by the looks of it, all expertly trained. Nine of us, we might be able to take them."
Running out from behind the tree,he unsheathed his sword, and ran at the nearest one. Gorfand swung at him, but the man expertly parried the questioning sword blade with his knife. The assasain jabbed at Gorfand, but Gorfand blocked the blade with his shield. Then the assasain tripped Gorfand with a smooth motion. Lying face down in the grass, he rolled just in time to dodge the blade that went into the ground, inches from him. He jumped up, leaving his sword on the ground. Drawing his knife, he smiled grimly at the assasain.
It didn't look like they were here to talk. Rahan's mouth curved into a grin. They were only humans, and as was usual for humans, they were ignoring the wizards in the party. A throwing knife whistled through the air nearby, thunking into a tree trunk by the mercenary Gofand and Rahan's grin disappeared. Rahan focused his mana and casually lobbed an explosive fireball at the one with the throwing knives. There were two loud screams, one much louder than the other, as the flaming mass slammed into his body and knocked him off his feet, and then one cut off as the fireball exploded. Rahan didn't have time to wonder who had been the other victim.
The attacker with the chain weapon charged at him and swung hard, and Rahan parried with his staff. The human then swung his weapon high and kicked low. Rahan ducked and was knocked down by the kick. The human viciously swung the chain weapon toward Rahan's head, but he managed to block it with his staff. Then Rahan took one hand off his staff and jabbed at his assailant's eyes. The human bit out a curse and staggered back a step. Rahan drew his scimitar. The human swung again and Rahan parried again, then sliced up with his scimitar. The assassin tried to block it, but the human was caught flat-footed, he couldn't bring his weapon back to parry fast enough and the scimitar cut his weapon arm off, then set him aburst in flame. Rahan kicked him to the ground, then stabbed him in the chest, killing him, while he lay on the ground. Rahan sneered and looked for another target.
[This message has been edited by Emperor_Bone14 (edited 09-01-2002 @ 02:52 PM).]
"Huh. Wrung target agan." He muttered. But he knew one thing. In a battle, there were no wrong targets among the enemy.
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