It was just another day. My sister had been scolding me for yet another thing I did wrong and I'd gone up to the lake outside the city. How was I supposed to know that the spell I was trying to cast was never meant for mortals to cast? After starting the trials of the Tower of Sorcery, I'd progressed faster than any of the others my age and had secretly stolen the forbidden black magic books out of their libraries. Mastering the spells was only half of my triumph. It was the curiosities written down by some of the most powerful sorcerors in the world that peeked my interest. I'd searched for ages to find the amulets that I could amplify the power in my soul to cast spells that were only theoretical.
I'd tried a dozen times before but hadn't known how to harness the energies. Today I had the bandana I'd fashioned out of the beard of a black dragon and the blood red jewel that the gnome had helped me create. I could feel the gem pulling my magic into it and amplifying it. The sensation was incredible. The old book had been written in netherese, the one I had before me was a translation to elder dragon and even then I couldn't read it all. The incantation, the runes, the gestures were all there though. They made sense in a strange way. It was like a secret code behind all magic which was contained in this spell. That's what made it so intriguing.
I planted my feet firmly in the pentagram I'd spent the last hour preparing. It flared up around me and I felt magical energy pushing my hair and cape back like wind. I closed my eyes and let the orbs pull my magical essence out of my body and amplify it. The runes were the easy part, I'd mastered them years ago. Now the incantation and to harness the power beyond the limits of normal spellcasting. I lifted my hands above my head and called to the other realm to give me the gift of power.
Slowly, I spoke words which hadn't been completed in hundreds of years:
Darkness beyond Blackest Pitch,
Deeper than the deepest night.
Lord as vast as the largest ocean
Colder than the coldest Ice.
King of Darkness who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos!
I call upon thee and swear myself to thee,
I stand ready to bear the strength you give me.
Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed,
By the power you and I possess!
The surge of magic nearly crushed her to the ground but I stood resolute and let my hands fall forward into the last rune and channeled the spell through them and out toward the middle of the lake. My eyes shot open as the spell cast and flowed through me burning my fingertips and knocking me down. The black and red beam of energy cut off at that point and imploded above the middle of the lake. The explosion caused the water in the lake to flood its shores and the crackling was that of the super nova snapping trees in half. The shield I had casted beforehand and the pentagram shielded me from the blast. The explosion was incredible, the skies darkened overhead and as the area settled only a silence remained.
Death had overtaken the lake. I realized then the power I'd begun to unleash and knew that they'd come for me. Not to punish me, but to enslave me. My sisters punishments would pale in comparison if they knew what I could do and staying here was impossible. I grabbed my things and shoved them into the old magical bag I'd stolen from the Archmages locker. What now? Leaving home wasn't scary, I'd planned that for months. But even as I headed down the long road, I wondered what would change. Maybe it was just that, change would be good and I could carve my own path.
The Deceiver and the Spirit
"Get word to the rest of the Order, get them here NOW. And..." The knight with gleaming armor and fiery swords picked up a spear and threw it through the cracks in the closing doors and killed the share warrior trying to get in. "And close that damn door, we are NOT losing this Temple to these demons."
Slowly the whole temple was turned into an army barracks. They took up positions and the magic users began teleporting to the roof of the temple and hurling balls of fire down on the shadowy battlefield. After helping bring in some of the wounded and even spending a round on the roof that harmed enough of them to get them to back off the Temple for a moment, I looked around for Inigo. He was nursing his bears wounds, a large gash across the shoulder blades had been dressed and bandaged already but the large beast wasn't going to take it lying down. The bear sat up and gave a goofy tongue lolling grin as it saw me.
"Bell! There ya are, whatever happened in there!" He rushed to me and hugged me around the waist.
"You act like you haven't seen me in a week!" I exclaimed. "Well yeah, about a week since you disappeared in there. All hell has broken loose since you left, as you can see." He gestured around.
" I've only been there for a few hours... Ok maybe a whole day... How could.. Maybe time doesn't mean anything in the Nexus Temple. " I thought hard about everything and before long I saw one of the children that had been forced to spend their youth in this Temple pull my robes. "You're not supposed to be here! Go back to where you were! Through there!" The little child pointed behind the spirit of Karsus and although all I saw were the murals of Insanity etched into the walls, as I got closer, I felt that I could walk through it. I grabbed Inigo, and we came out at the nexus monk. We were inside the circle of stones and the Warriors, although completely surrounding the circle, didn't dare cross it.
We entered the temple again, with the decaying fragments of the Rose. It wasn't long before the we coaxed the Librarian to let us proceed. He still complained that we were meddling but said he wasn't the one to stop us if we had to continue. I wondered how the battle went outside. From what I knew of Shar and Mask, they were Mother and Son, and sworn enemies. What would cause such a clash in this place, I couldn't begin to understand yet. After providing a book, and a card, the librarian told us that the High Priest of Mask was the only one who could help us. The High Priest was a daunting figure, cloaked in shadow and temperamental. He asked us for our most valuable trinkets and in the end I gave up the Orb of Power that I had forged after years of study just to see what he had to offer.
It was then, that the shadowy figure appeared again.
Slowly the whole temple was turned into an army barracks. They took up positions and the magic users began teleporting to the roof of the temple and hurling balls of fire down on the shadowy battlefield. After helping bring in some of the wounded and even spending a round on the roof that harmed enough of them to get them to back off the Temple for a moment, I looked around for Inigo. He was nursing his bears wounds, a large gash across the shoulder blades had been dressed and bandaged already but the large beast wasn't going to take it lying down. The bear sat up and gave a goofy tongue lolling grin as it saw me.
"Bell! There ya are, whatever happened in there!" He rushed to me and hugged me around the waist.
"You act like you haven't seen me in a week!" I exclaimed. "Well yeah, about a week since you disappeared in there. All hell has broken loose since you left, as you can see." He gestured around.
" I've only been there for a few hours... Ok maybe a whole day... How could.. Maybe time doesn't mean anything in the Nexus Temple. " I thought hard about everything and before long I saw one of the children that had been forced to spend their youth in this Temple pull my robes. "You're not supposed to be here! Go back to where you were! Through there!" The little child pointed behind the spirit of Karsus and although all I saw were the murals of Insanity etched into the walls, as I got closer, I felt that I could walk through it. I grabbed Inigo, and we came out at the nexus monk. We were inside the circle of stones and the Warriors, although completely surrounding the circle, didn't dare cross it.
We entered the temple again, with the decaying fragments of the Rose. It wasn't long before the we coaxed the Librarian to let us proceed. He still complained that we were meddling but said he wasn't the one to stop us if we had to continue. I wondered how the battle went outside. From what I knew of Shar and Mask, they were Mother and Son, and sworn enemies. What would cause such a clash in this place, I couldn't begin to understand yet. After providing a book, and a card, the librarian told us that the High Priest of Mask was the only one who could help us. The High Priest was a daunting figure, cloaked in shadow and temperamental. He asked us for our most valuable trinkets and in the end I gave up the Orb of Power that I had forged after years of study just to see what he had to offer.
It was then, that the shadowy figure appeared again.
The Sacred Nexus Temple
Shadows appeared throughout the Nexus Temple even though the whole place was bathed in light. A place like this made it hard to know what was real and what was Shadow. Training as a Temple Guardian with the monks of the material plane hadn't prepared me for anything like this. Aside from the Weeping Child there were two other people who lived in the Nexus Temple whether they were real or just shades couldn't be told but they kept an order to the Temple. The Nexus Librarian was an odd man, if a man at all. Seemingly he had the face of a child but the rest of him seemed that of someone who had seem many, many years with a long silvery white beard. I spent hours with him talking about history and lore but he'd mostly tell me that I was meddling with magic in which I shouldn't be meddling. He had a love of the lost objects of time and history. The ones no one cared about anymore. And I even got him to yield when he saw what I had brought him. There wasn't much to go on but that's when I saw it. Or did I? The Silhouette of a Shadow? What was that... How come I hadn't seen it before.
The rooms and spirits of the Temples hid him well but as I turned to last room, I saw the flicker of Shadow again. The Mask that appeared before me melted into the surroundings and yielded into the surroundings but the figure remained. His strong build and tight clothing portrayed a very skilled and nimble man. It seemed he was more a shadow than a man at this point, if ever he had been a man. His fu-manchu was visible under the black satin hood and jet black hair. After we stared at each other for a moment he broke the silence.
"I didn't think anyone would come, it's been so long." It seemed as if he were happy about this but it was very hard to tell. "Come, I'll show you the way through the Shadows." With speed I had trouble keeping up with he ran through the Temple. His movements more shadow steps than actual jumps and running.
"Wait up!" I cried as I almost lost him around a corner. And it seems he intended this because as I rounded the corner the strong arms grabbed me and halted my progress and I cried out. A quick hand gently closed my eyelids and I felt the world arou
Rain poured door on the battlefield of Shar. The Radiant Hearts were engaged with the Knights of the Temple in a clash that was awesome to behold. The warriors of Shar whose numbers were endless charged at their hastily put together fortification. A Knight with blazing white fire surrounding his scimitars cut through their ranks, circling as a dervish would and felling the Shar Warriors. Meteors fell from the heavens at the command of Red Robed Wizards and I even saw a bear twice as large as the halfling strider beside it cleave one of the warriors in half. I couldn't watch any longer, I was running out of time and I didn't want to lose a chance for the shadows to help me.
The Shadow was waiting for me by the imprisoned spirit. The Rose he held in his hand was blackened and withered and he stared at it both in admiration and in longing. As I walked closer he walked up to me and handed me the Rose, it crumbled in my hand into ash and dust. He looked up at the spirit of Karsus and nodded.
"His folly undid it all. What a fool to have thought he could save his people from fate, it doesn't take courage for a man as powerful as he once was to battle fate, he knew better." The words seemed to anger the spirit but he was powerless to do anything. Lifeless from the spell his own hands had cast. "You're different you know, you seem to want to set things right. I've shown you this part of the puzzle. It will take more than just your heart to right this wrong though. I hope you have friends."
"The ones I have are here, and the ones to come, they'll want to help to." As I spoke I heard the Temple doors burst open and the shadow that was next to me vanished. Knights and Radiant Heart soldiers and Inigo rushed into the temple and as the rooms filled and the last to enter turned, I saw the endless battlefield. The Warriors of Shar chasing down stragglers. Six knights and 4 members of the Radiant Order pushed the doors closed as the Warriors charged the door.
The rooms and spirits of the Temples hid him well but as I turned to last room, I saw the flicker of Shadow again. The Mask that appeared before me melted into the surroundings and yielded into the surroundings but the figure remained. His strong build and tight clothing portrayed a very skilled and nimble man. It seemed he was more a shadow than a man at this point, if ever he had been a man. His fu-manchu was visible under the black satin hood and jet black hair. After we stared at each other for a moment he broke the silence.
"I didn't think anyone would come, it's been so long." It seemed as if he were happy about this but it was very hard to tell. "Come, I'll show you the way through the Shadows." With speed I had trouble keeping up with he ran through the Temple. His movements more shadow steps than actual jumps and running.
"Wait up!" I cried as I almost lost him around a corner. And it seems he intended this because as I rounded the corner the strong arms grabbed me and halted my progress and I cried out. A quick hand gently closed my eyelids and I felt the world arou
Rain poured door on the battlefield of Shar. The Radiant Hearts were engaged with the Knights of the Temple in a clash that was awesome to behold. The warriors of Shar whose numbers were endless charged at their hastily put together fortification. A Knight with blazing white fire surrounding his scimitars cut through their ranks, circling as a dervish would and felling the Shar Warriors. Meteors fell from the heavens at the command of Red Robed Wizards and I even saw a bear twice as large as the halfling strider beside it cleave one of the warriors in half. I couldn't watch any longer, I was running out of time and I didn't want to lose a chance for the shadows to help me.
The Shadow was waiting for me by the imprisoned spirit. The Rose he held in his hand was blackened and withered and he stared at it both in admiration and in longing. As I walked closer he walked up to me and handed me the Rose, it crumbled in my hand into ash and dust. He looked up at the spirit of Karsus and nodded.
"His folly undid it all. What a fool to have thought he could save his people from fate, it doesn't take courage for a man as powerful as he once was to battle fate, he knew better." The words seemed to anger the spirit but he was powerless to do anything. Lifeless from the spell his own hands had cast. "You're different you know, you seem to want to set things right. I've shown you this part of the puzzle. It will take more than just your heart to right this wrong though. I hope you have friends."
"The ones I have are here, and the ones to come, they'll want to help to." As I spoke I heard the Temple doors burst open and the shadow that was next to me vanished. Knights and Radiant Heart soldiers and Inigo rushed into the temple and as the rooms filled and the last to enter turned, I saw the endless battlefield. The Warriors of Shar chasing down stragglers. Six knights and 4 members of the Radiant Order pushed the doors closed as the Warriors charged the door.
Ahdonis
There's no art of Ahdonis.
Description
Here stands before you the figure of the most handsome man you have every seen. Blonde long hair flows across is tanned face. Blue eyes look back at you, making you feel at ease. A smirk across his face tells you otherwise. A thin frame deceives you of the muscle tone he possess. His body is covered with the most impressive array of armor. Each piece looks flawless, almost like he has out for display. This is obviously a man that knows and appreciates the value of items. Hard to imagine he is a bug?Roleplay Notes
August 2013April 2013
Adelaide
There's no art of Adelaide.
Description
The small pixie floats before you, hair waving in the wind, her cloak made of rose petals flutters freely, occasionally revealing small wings. The armor she wears is lightweight yet sturdy and durable, protecting the fragile slender body. The rest of her outfit is made of various leaves and knit-together plants. Upon closer inspection you notice her wearing the symbol of Silvanus along with many oakleaf trinkets and magic items.Roleplay Notes
November 2002
The Muse (Part 9)
As I woke up, I felt someone next to me. Quyen seemed to be just laying down for a nap himself. No rest for the good of heart. The bed was oddly a creation spell, soft flowers lay under the cloaks that I slept on and placed over me. It was out of place because the rest of the room looked like a small cheap Inn.
"Where... The... Where am I?" My voice cracked from a dry throat and tiredness.
"Safe. How do you feel?" He opened one eye and smiled before waking up and replying.
"Better, this... Whole room isn't real is it?" I kept trying to make sense of the place but it all seemed magical, unreal.
"Real enough. But your instincts are right that it's not a "real" inn room. Careful now, I took care of your wounds, but I am not a priest." He protested as I slowly got up and sat on the edge of the bed. I smiled at him and healed my wounds the rest of the way, white light glowing from them as they healed.
"Last thing I remember... I was running for the door... No, a knight? No, a demon... Yes, a Demon... And you saved me?" I looked down at the dressings that once covered my wounds and smiled. He grinned and scratched the back of his neck being modest. "You've done well. But before all that... THE GNOME!!!" I jumped to my feet and began searching for my journal. He coughed and reminded me that I might want to put clothes on. I obliged and had him turn as I got out my traveling vestments. He handed me the book after and asked me about the gnome.
"I read your journal by the way while you recovered. What about the gnome?" He asked.
"The lil bastard tried to have me killed! He's the one that created the device, or one of them at least, it harnesses energy for the channeler that's designed to create a very powerful artifact. It essentially entombs wild magic that would otherwise be uncontrollable. And after he told me he'd go find the device so I could figure out what went wrong, he sent those demons after me!" I related what had happened in the past few days. It wasn't long before he was curious about the device.
"So... The spell is part of a ritual that entombs a device of which three are needed to encase a magical artifact?" He looked at me puzzled.
"All I know is what is in the book. The book just explains that the ritual can be used to divert magical power into a channeler and use that diversion as time to be able to capture magic that is normally uncontrollable. The original creators theorized the created object would be capable of casting a high level spell and sustaining it. To what end, I don't know. Half the book is in a language I don't even know, doubt anyone does. But we're losing time! We need to go! Where are we?" I picked up my bag and opened the door and gasped. The dull red bricks with greyed mortar even looked liked they'd aged naturally. The room really was completely fake. It was as if he'd hid us inside a dimension door and made it look pretty.
"Yeah, about that, I'm really not sure where we are, I was in a bit of a hurry to escape and well, teleportation and dimensional doorways are nice but trying to hide in them while being chased is quite another story. So, let's take a look around..." He closed the door and reopened it and the salty breeze familiar to large bodies of water floated into the room. I cast a fly spell as I walked out and stared. Water as far as the eye could see.
"Where... The... Where am I?" My voice cracked from a dry throat and tiredness.
"Safe. How do you feel?" He opened one eye and smiled before waking up and replying.
"Better, this... Whole room isn't real is it?" I kept trying to make sense of the place but it all seemed magical, unreal.
"Real enough. But your instincts are right that it's not a "real" inn room. Careful now, I took care of your wounds, but I am not a priest." He protested as I slowly got up and sat on the edge of the bed. I smiled at him and healed my wounds the rest of the way, white light glowing from them as they healed.
"Last thing I remember... I was running for the door... No, a knight? No, a demon... Yes, a Demon... And you saved me?" I looked down at the dressings that once covered my wounds and smiled. He grinned and scratched the back of his neck being modest. "You've done well. But before all that... THE GNOME!!!" I jumped to my feet and began searching for my journal. He coughed and reminded me that I might want to put clothes on. I obliged and had him turn as I got out my traveling vestments. He handed me the book after and asked me about the gnome.
"I read your journal by the way while you recovered. What about the gnome?" He asked.
"The lil bastard tried to have me killed! He's the one that created the device, or one of them at least, it harnesses energy for the channeler that's designed to create a very powerful artifact. It essentially entombs wild magic that would otherwise be uncontrollable. And after he told me he'd go find the device so I could figure out what went wrong, he sent those demons after me!" I related what had happened in the past few days. It wasn't long before he was curious about the device.
"So... The spell is part of a ritual that entombs a device of which three are needed to encase a magical artifact?" He looked at me puzzled.
"All I know is what is in the book. The book just explains that the ritual can be used to divert magical power into a channeler and use that diversion as time to be able to capture magic that is normally uncontrollable. The original creators theorized the created object would be capable of casting a high level spell and sustaining it. To what end, I don't know. Half the book is in a language I don't even know, doubt anyone does. But we're losing time! We need to go! Where are we?" I picked up my bag and opened the door and gasped. The dull red bricks with greyed mortar even looked liked they'd aged naturally. The room really was completely fake. It was as if he'd hid us inside a dimension door and made it look pretty.
"Yeah, about that, I'm really not sure where we are, I was in a bit of a hurry to escape and well, teleportation and dimensional doorways are nice but trying to hide in them while being chased is quite another story. So, let's take a look around..." He closed the door and reopened it and the salty breeze familiar to large bodies of water floated into the room. I cast a fly spell as I walked out and stared. Water as far as the eye could see.
A Calling
The rest of the Keepers had long since gone their own ways. Families to reunite with, homesteads to tend to, their own lives to live, away from the blood and toil of exploring the realms. Bosch himself had decided to rest his weary body as well, settling down to the comfort of a soft bed and warm fire, reading and studying the volumes of books and manuscripts that had accumulated over the years.
On his visits to the bustling cities he had heard many stories of new places and people that had been discovered in the Great Realms. There were the lost ruins of Dlabraddath deep within the Drannor forest, found by a group of treasure seekers, many of which did not make it out alive; seafarers reporting the emergence of mysterious islands in the far reaches of the Sea of Swords; nomadic merchants who came in contact with a group of isolated sylvans high in the treetops of Nordahaeril; and hushed whispers of an island believed to inhabited by lycanthropes. Where in the past such things may have stirred the inner adventurer within, this time they had done little to motivate the weary wizard to leave the comforts of home.
But then one day in the din of a crowded pub in Waterdeep, he overheard a conversation, several actually, about a portal that had appeared in the skies, one which transported people away to crumbling ruins. Ruins where a voice was heard by all who entered, where those familiar with the legacy of magic in the realms knew what the ruins represented. The markings on the walls, the symbols etched in the masonwork, the writing on the crumbled archways. These were the remains of the Netheril Empire. And if the legends held true this these ruins would contain the secrets of the greatest mage in the spoken and written history of Faerun: Karsus.
On his visits to the bustling cities he had heard many stories of new places and people that had been discovered in the Great Realms. There were the lost ruins of Dlabraddath deep within the Drannor forest, found by a group of treasure seekers, many of which did not make it out alive; seafarers reporting the emergence of mysterious islands in the far reaches of the Sea of Swords; nomadic merchants who came in contact with a group of isolated sylvans high in the treetops of Nordahaeril; and hushed whispers of an island believed to inhabited by lycanthropes. Where in the past such things may have stirred the inner adventurer within, this time they had done little to motivate the weary wizard to leave the comforts of home.
But then one day in the din of a crowded pub in Waterdeep, he overheard a conversation, several actually, about a portal that had appeared in the skies, one which transported people away to crumbling ruins. Ruins where a voice was heard by all who entered, where those familiar with the legacy of magic in the realms knew what the ruins represented. The markings on the walls, the symbols etched in the masonwork, the writing on the crumbled archways. These were the remains of the Netheril Empire. And if the legends held true this these ruins would contain the secrets of the greatest mage in the spoken and written history of Faerun: Karsus.
Abraxus
There's no art of Abraxus.
Description
The woman is slender, almost skinny, wiry, her hair is neatly bound in little braids to the back of her head, with the occasional twig standing out clearly in the white abundance. Her eyes are the colour of liquid amber and glimmer with a fierce determination, set deep in high cheekbones and framed by snow white lashes. Her lips are not full, nor are they thin, Her mouth rarely smiling, when it does, it simply turns in the corners slightly and no more. She is clothed simply in brown leathers made from deer hide, covered in about a centuries worth of dust and debris, the womans feet are bare.Roleplay Notes
September 2011
Aubrey
There's no art of Aubrey.
Description
A woman in her mid twenties is sitting in the middle of the room meditating. She is wearing a handful of tanks on her back of different hues. There are tubes going from each of them into the core of her body. Knobs and switches adorn panels along her wrists and forearms. Her eyes snap open, as if someone or something, keyed her into something. She stands giving a knob a turn and one of the tubes start to fill with a glowing yellow liquid, slowly inching to her body. When it does, her hands crackle with energy. She walks off, with long strides on following the unheard voice.Biography
She comes from Ravnica, beyond the Forgotten Realms.Roleplay Logs
Log: 20122013- Pika and Belldandy
OOC commentary: Short live roleplay send in by someone between them, Belldandy and Pika. Mysterious!
Log: 18122013 - Quyen and Calliope
OOC commentary: Some live roleplay part of "The Muse" roleplay. After Quyen rescued Calliope, they lurk in a sanctuary. However, when they are ready to continue their journey, they find themselves elsewhere. Or as they say: from the frying pan into the fire...
A New Beginning
Many years had passed since Bosch had last made the journey to the outskirts of Drannor Forest. The path was familiar, but he could sense it had been quite some time since the path had seen any travellers. As he stepped out of the woods he peered through the low fog which had covered the small clearing up ahead in a dense haze. Streaks of light cut through the forest canopy, casting beams of shimmering silver as it reflected off of the thick mist. Looking upwards he could see the outline of the pillars as they casted their shadows on the forest below. He had arrived at The Archives.
As he approached he could see that the great library had remained undisturbed since his last visit, and the forest had begun to take back what was once hers. The majestic black marble pillars were now covered by twisting vines as thick as tree trunks, winding their way up the columns. The facade, now camouflaged by a layer of green moss with patches of bluish-grey lichen interspersed throughout, was alive as denizens of the forest had now made it their own. Bosch raised his ancient staff and whispered a few soft words...
The ward protecting The Archives was still active. While his whereabouts were unknown, he knew Clausius lived. A subtle grin of acknowledgement passed Bosch's lips as he nodded his head and took one last look at the structure before him. As quickly as he arrived he turned around and went back into the woods for the journey home, having found what he came here searching for.
As he approached he could see that the great library had remained undisturbed since his last visit, and the forest had begun to take back what was once hers. The majestic black marble pillars were now covered by twisting vines as thick as tree trunks, winding their way up the columns. The facade, now camouflaged by a layer of green moss with patches of bluish-grey lichen interspersed throughout, was alive as denizens of the forest had now made it their own. Bosch raised his ancient staff and whispered a few soft words...
The ward protecting The Archives was still active. While his whereabouts were unknown, he knew Clausius lived. A subtle grin of acknowledgement passed Bosch's lips as he nodded his head and took one last look at the structure before him. As quickly as he arrived he turned around and went back into the woods for the journey home, having found what he came here searching for.
The Muse (Part 8)
Quyen turned the page of the journal log written by Calliope. Above him a small ball of light floated, providing light and warmth for those inside his magical shelter. After not being able to find a quick way back home, Quyen had decided to hide them both somewhere. Somewhere was the right word. Somewhere safe. Somewhere without exits and entrances. He bit down on the stick between his teeth rather than a cigarette, as to not suffocate them both with cigarette smoke. So she thinks me strange, huh? He turned another page and read about the merchant and eventually about the gnome. He wondered about the things she had written down. What did they mean? What did she discover that she had done? He squinted at her. Obsessions are dangerous, girl, he thought. With his right hand palm he touched her forehead and checked the temperature, pushing her black locks out of her face. Warm, but not feverish. He pushed his coat away and checked her bandaged body to see if any of her wounds had reopened again. But they hadn't. Smiling, he placed his coat back over her and leaned back.
The coat slowly moved up and down by her steady breathing. And a melancholic feeling crept over Quyen as he thought back of the past. Damn, you look so much like her. So this is what you meant Ror? Bastard. He closed his eyes and rested while he could. She probably had questions when she woke up.
The coat slowly moved up and down by her steady breathing. And a melancholic feeling crept over Quyen as he thought back of the past. Damn, you look so much like her. So this is what you meant Ror? Bastard. He closed his eyes and rested while he could. She probably had questions when she woke up.
The new tenant
A note has been pinned on the notice board in the common room of the Citadel:
============================================================
I've moved into room 201 as the former owner moved out. He agreed that I could move in and told me it would be a good way to get to know some new faces.
Looking forward to getting acquainted next time I'm around.
- Quyen
============================================================
============================================================
I've moved into room 201 as the former owner moved out. He agreed that I could move in and told me it would be a good way to get to know some new faces.
Looking forward to getting acquainted next time I'm around.
- Quyen
============================================================
Reclaiming the Merchant Sails
"FIVE DAMN YEARS, and you never saw fit to find send out aid!" Zelgadis stormed into the office of the man he'd left in charge of his fleets. "I should take you out and hang you from the cliffs!"
"Heya... Zel... I can't believe it's you man... Uh... We tried.. And uh...." The short fat sailor in blue and white stripes stammered from under a red bandana he wore as a cap. He grinned uncomfortably as Zelgadis walked across the room and grabbed him by the collar.
"Nothing you could have done my friend. But I see you've done a piss poor job at handling things." Zelgadis' grin caused the man to breathe a sigh of relief. Zelgadis pulled a map from the wall of the Great Sea, the Realm between Realms. And after brushing off the junk on the desk onto the floor he pulled out a dagger and marked their course.
"But Zel, there.... There's nothing there... In those parts... People have checked!" He gulped hard when he saw the evil grin spread across Zel's face.
"THAT my friend, is not the case." He chuckled lightly to himself. Fortune may not have been with him all those years ago, but he wouldn't let that stop him now. "How many ships do we have left?"
"Err... Just the one sir... The Blue Rose" The man looked down, knowing how disappointed Zel was with him.
"Cheer up, I'm back, you're not going to have to worry about being in charge anymore." Zel pulled the dagger out of the desk and put it back in it's place on his belt. "Get her ready, we sail at dawn." He walked out of the office and the pudgy man began busily running about the office and beat him to the door down to the docks to recruit some sailors.
"Heya... Zel... I can't believe it's you man... Uh... We tried.. And uh...." The short fat sailor in blue and white stripes stammered from under a red bandana he wore as a cap. He grinned uncomfortably as Zelgadis walked across the room and grabbed him by the collar.
"Nothing you could have done my friend. But I see you've done a piss poor job at handling things." Zelgadis' grin caused the man to breathe a sigh of relief. Zelgadis pulled a map from the wall of the Great Sea, the Realm between Realms. And after brushing off the junk on the desk onto the floor he pulled out a dagger and marked their course.
"But Zel, there.... There's nothing there... In those parts... People have checked!" He gulped hard when he saw the evil grin spread across Zel's face.
"THAT my friend, is not the case." He chuckled lightly to himself. Fortune may not have been with him all those years ago, but he wouldn't let that stop him now. "How many ships do we have left?"
"Err... Just the one sir... The Blue Rose" The man looked down, knowing how disappointed Zel was with him.
"Cheer up, I'm back, you're not going to have to worry about being in charge anymore." Zel pulled the dagger out of the desk and put it back in it's place on his belt. "Get her ready, we sail at dawn." He walked out of the office and the pudgy man began busily running about the office and beat him to the door down to the docks to recruit some sailors.
The Muse (Part 7)
*Scrolled in a neat blue script, a Journal log lays open.*
22nd Day of Eleasias:
Finally, it was found, the device of my imprisonment. The young cleric of the Tripower had been so eager to help her. It was the same day I met a strange wizard named Quyen, who oddly enough had been on his way to see Ror. As a healer, I felt the need to help the man in any way I could but our time was short lived as the device in the book would take me very far from this city. Packing my things I left for the City of New Thalos once more, where I hoped he would be able to help me.
28th Day of Eleasias - The Merchant Knight:
The city was much as I remembered it a few months ago. A new business had opened up though it seems and karts and workers with a Blue Rose entwined around a sword were nearly everywhere it seemed. Even some of the larger ships in the harbor had the insignia emblazoned across their sails that could be seen from even the markets. It was difficult to find him at first, but I soon realized that it was his insignia that everyone seemed to wear these days. After finding his office I was told by a rather frustrating goblin secretary in bright pink glasses that only visitors with appointments could be seen. He recognized my voice however and upon opening his door and seeing me greeted me as a long lost friend.
He was a powerful man once again, a story he briefly told me but more important was that he had clues to my past. He mentioned the gnome I needed to find. The gnome even he had been searching for and the one that had got us into all that trouble so many years ago. After some debate about sending guards with me to help, I convinced him to let me ride in an airship bound for Waterdeep.
5th Day of Eleint - The Gnome:
I found the little bastard. Right in the middle of the market. He gasped and tried to run as soon as he saw me. The slippery eel nearly tore his own coat off trying to get away. In the end, he yielded. Even though he had was the one who started us down the path of creating the instruments, I didn't harm him. The words he spoke were those of remorse and sadness. The short balding gnome with bright green hair had something he hoped to show me. Something I would have to let him leave and then return for. What this item could be I could only guess at, but I let him go to find....
*The words scroll off as if interrupted or the Journal was closed quickly with the quill still in the pages.*
Quyen looked up from the book and back to the sleeping priestess whom he had tended to all last night. There was something very odd happening, very odd indeed.
22nd Day of Eleasias:
Finally, it was found, the device of my imprisonment. The young cleric of the Tripower had been so eager to help her. It was the same day I met a strange wizard named Quyen, who oddly enough had been on his way to see Ror. As a healer, I felt the need to help the man in any way I could but our time was short lived as the device in the book would take me very far from this city. Packing my things I left for the City of New Thalos once more, where I hoped he would be able to help me.
28th Day of Eleasias - The Merchant Knight:
The city was much as I remembered it a few months ago. A new business had opened up though it seems and karts and workers with a Blue Rose entwined around a sword were nearly everywhere it seemed. Even some of the larger ships in the harbor had the insignia emblazoned across their sails that could be seen from even the markets. It was difficult to find him at first, but I soon realized that it was his insignia that everyone seemed to wear these days. After finding his office I was told by a rather frustrating goblin secretary in bright pink glasses that only visitors with appointments could be seen. He recognized my voice however and upon opening his door and seeing me greeted me as a long lost friend.
He was a powerful man once again, a story he briefly told me but more important was that he had clues to my past. He mentioned the gnome I needed to find. The gnome even he had been searching for and the one that had got us into all that trouble so many years ago. After some debate about sending guards with me to help, I convinced him to let me ride in an airship bound for Waterdeep.
5th Day of Eleint - The Gnome:
I found the little bastard. Right in the middle of the market. He gasped and tried to run as soon as he saw me. The slippery eel nearly tore his own coat off trying to get away. In the end, he yielded. Even though he had was the one who started us down the path of creating the instruments, I didn't harm him. The words he spoke were those of remorse and sadness. The short balding gnome with bright green hair had something he hoped to show me. Something I would have to let him leave and then return for. What this item could be I could only guess at, but I let him go to find....
*The words scroll off as if interrupted or the Journal was closed quickly with the quill still in the pages.*
Quyen looked up from the book and back to the sleeping priestess whom he had tended to all last night. There was something very odd happening, very odd indeed.
Falling Shadows and Angel Dust
They were knocked back from her by Nightmarish Magic. I screamed in agony as the full force of living it out again hit me. This was no dream, no nightmare, this was induced by Shar and it burned in her viens. They began chanting spells to contain her magic which was bursting from her at this point through fits of sobs and rage. And then I felt it. It was like a cold hand tearing out my heart. The pain became real all over again. The sorrow within her heart spun around me and I knew they were gone from this world, claimed by death. I slumped to the ground, tears acid down my cheeks as they came to me and helped shield my soul from the sorrow with magic.
"No, Noooo, please not again..." I screamed and succumbed to tears as I was shaken awake. Someone was holding up a very bright ball of light and there were dozens of people around me.
"Find out what she did! " A voice of command came from the group and she started to recognize the symbols on the armor of the Radiant Hearts. The strider came to me, Inigo pushed aside one of the knights and picked me up. His arms reminded me once more of my loss and I cried out again and wept into his shoulder.
Inigo walked slowly back to camp, telling the few who came after us that it was obvious I needed rest and that in time we'd learn what had happened. After building a small campfire he began crushing herbs like he'd learned in the islands to make potent teas that could sooth the aching soul. It took some time but I managed to calm myself enough to sip the tea and I told him what had happened those few years ago.
I explained where I was from and that we simply called it heaven, it wasn't the true immortal plane but there was power there. We talked about how I met the one I wanted to be my husband and who had been father to my child. And I told him how I had been expelled from my office because it was forbidden to harbor such sorrow in your own heart. He was very good at understanding and it calmed me enough to remember the Weeping Child who was still trapped within that Nexus Temple. It had been hours, it would be morning in most places, but it was never really day in this place. I stood up and Inigo tried to get me to stay.
"I can't leave him there" I began walking back to the circle my pace quickening as I remembered more about what had actually happened, picking up my pack I hugged Inigo, and shielding myself this time I asked the monk to send me back. The flash of light was again blinding and again the child was there weeping. "Don't fret child, we're going to find out how to get you home. "
"No, Noooo, please not again..." I screamed and succumbed to tears as I was shaken awake. Someone was holding up a very bright ball of light and there were dozens of people around me.
"Find out what she did! " A voice of command came from the group and she started to recognize the symbols on the armor of the Radiant Hearts. The strider came to me, Inigo pushed aside one of the knights and picked me up. His arms reminded me once more of my loss and I cried out again and wept into his shoulder.
Inigo walked slowly back to camp, telling the few who came after us that it was obvious I needed rest and that in time we'd learn what had happened. After building a small campfire he began crushing herbs like he'd learned in the islands to make potent teas that could sooth the aching soul. It took some time but I managed to calm myself enough to sip the tea and I told him what had happened those few years ago.
I explained where I was from and that we simply called it heaven, it wasn't the true immortal plane but there was power there. We talked about how I met the one I wanted to be my husband and who had been father to my child. And I told him how I had been expelled from my office because it was forbidden to harbor such sorrow in your own heart. He was very good at understanding and it calmed me enough to remember the Weeping Child who was still trapped within that Nexus Temple. It had been hours, it would be morning in most places, but it was never really day in this place. I stood up and Inigo tried to get me to stay.
"I can't leave him there" I began walking back to the circle my pace quickening as I remembered more about what had actually happened, picking up my pack I hugged Inigo, and shielding myself this time I asked the monk to send me back. The flash of light was again blinding and again the child was there weeping. "Don't fret child, we're going to find out how to get you home. "
A Mortal Arrives
Mask listened intently as he heard footsteps in the rooms just north of his private chambers. Could it be that someone had finally traversed to the final Temple, to Mask's very own private chambers?
After a few moments a mortal figure appeared in Mask's private chambers unbeknowest of his presence in the room. Mask grinned as she lurked about cautiously. Mask recognized her as Belldandy and simply stood in the shadows making sure not to be noticed.
"Was it a fluke?" Mask thought to himself, yet many times Belldandy would come and go from his chambers.
"It's time," Mask told himself, "there is enough light that I can now grant Belldandy her reward for being first of hopefully many more mortals to visit me. More importantly though, I can now take mortal form, challenge them, and guide them into the City of Shade so that I can once again travel freely between realms."
After a few moments a mortal figure appeared in Mask's private chambers unbeknowest of his presence in the room. Mask grinned as she lurked about cautiously. Mask recognized her as Belldandy and simply stood in the shadows making sure not to be noticed.
"Was it a fluke?" Mask thought to himself, yet many times Belldandy would come and go from his chambers.
"It's time," Mask told himself, "there is enough light that I can now grant Belldandy her reward for being first of hopefully many more mortals to visit me. More importantly though, I can now take mortal form, challenge them, and guide them into the City of Shade so that I can once again travel freely between realms."
The Weeping Children
The night was filled with shadows after we had received Mask's aid. As usual, I couldn't sleep. I'd often divine where sorrow was in the world when I had tried correcting it and to have it so close to me was painful. The lost apprentice paced back in forth in the circle, more apparition than actual person. I shed my invisibility spells and tried talking with him but he proved not to enjoy such banter. The gift the Weeping Child had given me did catch his attention though and after a small ritual bright light burst through the circle and engulfed me. I was somewhere else, a new temple. One I hadn't been in before. Again sobs filled the air, and the cries of a child no more than six or seven echo'd in a room full of light.
The sorrow ran deep in this place. Shar and her touch was visible though out the temples but this was different. Sitting next to the Weeping Child I put an arm around him to comfort him. He talked much better after coaxing him to speak about his brother whom I had met in the ruins. He couldn't remember how to enter the City of Shade and that's why he and his brother were stuck here. He was grateful to know his brother still lived and I began to think of my own loss. Such young eyes to have seen so much, I thought to myself. A tear came across my own eyes and the boy gave me a rose. It was dirty and old but it was a rose nonetheless and I thanked him for it.
It wasn't long ago that I had chosen a mortal form. Chosen it so I could be with him. To descend from the stars and influence the world directly rather than by inspiration. It seemed like a dream, as if it hadn't really happened at all. Such as things are when recollecting them, the past is so fleeting, so misleading and so filled with foolish fancy and poor memory. Some things would drown in a sea of forgetfulness if not for the simple words we take for granted. This place was more Illusion than anything else. I wondered why the shadows seemed to flicker and take on lives of their own...
It was years earlier, the Summer Sun radiated warmth down into the valley. It was all a dream, like some insane play. The girl in a lightweight blue and white dress that didn't cover her arms or go below her knees was me. And there he was, I was filled with happiness just to see him in the dream but I knew it couldn't last. There was no life where death had already claimed what is inevitably his. Their lips met and then the horns could be heard. Faint at first but then like thunder off the mountain. The pale green skin of the former elves turned orcs could be seen even from a distance. A distance that was diminishing quickly. His arm grabbed her as they ran for the cabin they had built. How could she not have seen this, she knew the art, the old ways, the divination spells. Dream faded into nightmare as blood pounded in her head and no matter how her legs burned, they just weren't fast enough. Then I could feel magic exploding around them as curses landed close to us. I searched frantically through the small bag I had brought and couldn't find the spell components I needed. The sharp ring of a sword being drawn sent shivers up my spine as I knew what he was going to do. The Hoard of orcs chased us down, I could hear hear metal against metal but having no weapons I continued to flee. In could feel it in my soul how bad I wanted my bag of spell components. I wanted to turn and rain down fire from the heavens upon them. But the Orcs clawed hand grabbed at my dress which tore. And then another hand tripped me as it grabbed my ankle. And yet another grabbed my risk and as they turned me over to do horrible things to me, I found the stone I'd needed in my little bag. I closed my eyes and thought of the a place these orcs would never find me.
I shivered on the floor of the white castle. Screaming in horror and crying historically, the others members of the order that was such a large part of my life came running.
The sorrow ran deep in this place. Shar and her touch was visible though out the temples but this was different. Sitting next to the Weeping Child I put an arm around him to comfort him. He talked much better after coaxing him to speak about his brother whom I had met in the ruins. He couldn't remember how to enter the City of Shade and that's why he and his brother were stuck here. He was grateful to know his brother still lived and I began to think of my own loss. Such young eyes to have seen so much, I thought to myself. A tear came across my own eyes and the boy gave me a rose. It was dirty and old but it was a rose nonetheless and I thanked him for it.
It wasn't long ago that I had chosen a mortal form. Chosen it so I could be with him. To descend from the stars and influence the world directly rather than by inspiration. It seemed like a dream, as if it hadn't really happened at all. Such as things are when recollecting them, the past is so fleeting, so misleading and so filled with foolish fancy and poor memory. Some things would drown in a sea of forgetfulness if not for the simple words we take for granted. This place was more Illusion than anything else. I wondered why the shadows seemed to flicker and take on lives of their own...
It was years earlier, the Summer Sun radiated warmth down into the valley. It was all a dream, like some insane play. The girl in a lightweight blue and white dress that didn't cover her arms or go below her knees was me. And there he was, I was filled with happiness just to see him in the dream but I knew it couldn't last. There was no life where death had already claimed what is inevitably his. Their lips met and then the horns could be heard. Faint at first but then like thunder off the mountain. The pale green skin of the former elves turned orcs could be seen even from a distance. A distance that was diminishing quickly. His arm grabbed her as they ran for the cabin they had built. How could she not have seen this, she knew the art, the old ways, the divination spells. Dream faded into nightmare as blood pounded in her head and no matter how her legs burned, they just weren't fast enough. Then I could feel magic exploding around them as curses landed close to us. I searched frantically through the small bag I had brought and couldn't find the spell components I needed. The sharp ring of a sword being drawn sent shivers up my spine as I knew what he was going to do. The Hoard of orcs chased us down, I could hear hear metal against metal but having no weapons I continued to flee. In could feel it in my soul how bad I wanted my bag of spell components. I wanted to turn and rain down fire from the heavens upon them. But the Orcs clawed hand grabbed at my dress which tore. And then another hand tripped me as it grabbed my ankle. And yet another grabbed my risk and as they turned me over to do horrible things to me, I found the stone I'd needed in my little bag. I closed my eyes and thought of the a place these orcs would never find me.
I shivered on the floor of the white castle. Screaming in horror and crying historically, the others members of the order that was such a large part of my life came running.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)