[IC] Ancient's Game

Koriel Zauth · Post by **Koriel Zauth** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 8:39 pm

Koriel lowered the bow as the light ceased, unconcerned about its source for the moment, and more worried about the tree that had sheltered her from it. The circle was a wasteland now, barren ash and smoldering rock. Lathander had given her the power to heal, but this destruction was beyond her to repair. The man Jarthal seemed angry, but all she could feel was sad.

The tree she stood next to at the edge of the burned ring would not recover, but its bulk had shielded a young sapling from the worst of the blaze. In time it would take the place of the dying one with a little help. Koriel smiled and touched a hand to one of the singed branches, black edged leaves turning green again. It wasn't much, but that was the way of things with Lathander, even a little effort by one little cleric means something.

Reika · Post by **Reika** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 3:55 am

She watched her companions reactions with concern, especially Jarthal and Razbar, but for differeing reasons. Jarthal's reaction confirmed in her mind that while they came from different ways of thinking he could be trusted, but the mage... The mage would bear careful study, something about him made her shoulder blades itch, as if a knife was ready to be shoved between them. A sensation she wasn't familiar with, but one she had heard about from her mother. And if a former priestiess of Lloth didn't know about treachery, no one did.

Not hiding her concern, Luadril addressed the rest of the party again, "I know this attack is extremely worrisome, but I think Razbar is right, we should bypass the village again in case whomever is in control of the artifact uses it again. I don't want to see innocents harmed because of us."

This time she turned to Jarthal and gave him her full attention, sorrow and worry darken her golden eyes, "I may not have your link to nature, but what has happened here is horrible, even to one such as I, who is bound to the air more than to the earth. We will at least avenge the destruction of this place, and if it is within my power, I will find the means to bring healing. On my honor as knight of Lathander you have my oath."

The diminuative knight walked up to the enraged ranger and lightly touched his forearm with a gentle, warm hand hardened with callouses from not just swordwork, but hard physical labor. "But my friend, you need to control your anger for it will blind you and we all need your senses to be as sharp as possible."

Torin Proud · Post by **Torin Proud** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 2:59 am

"I've no real reason one way or the other to care about the villagers, but I don't see any real gain in going there, unless we know we can stop whomever did this." The way he said stop left no doubts.

He meant kill.

Selreth Drevarian · Post by **Selreth Drevarian** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 4:08 am

"Agreed. Most employers see it as failure to complete their goals when the entire group goes out of their way to investigate something that will most likely terminate their employment. Permanently. However, I'd rather not get lit up by that beam again. We were fortunate that it didn't destroy us."

Selreth looks around and gets his bearings again, looking back towards the source of the beam and the village.

"Unfortunately though, I believe we have to head that way anyway. Would someone else like to confirm that for me?"

Jarthal · Post by **Jarthal** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:48 pm

Jarthal breathes rapidly in and out once, producing a sound not unlike an animal snorting. He looks down at the creature touching his arm, counciling him about anger, "No. Never again."

He sits quietly through the rest as his shaggy brown horse shifts under the saddle. When the elf asks about direction he speaks up again, jutting his chin in the direction of the beam's source, "We go that way. Leave the village."

With that, his heels brush Theridamas' sides, and the horse moves into a walk. He takes one last look at the ring of ash, noting its size and shape. They'd have to make camp again sometime.

Luadril Sunsoar · Post by **Luadril Sunsoar** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:23 am

She nodded solmenly to Jarthal and stood calmly as he rode off, concern in her warm golden eyes. Then her gaze flickered to the circle of ash and her expression tightened. Those who caused the terrible damage would indeed pay some sort of restitution.

Before she took to the air once more, she spoke loudly enough for everyone else to hear clearly, "Should we need to make camp again, it will be a cold camp. That beam was centered on our campfire from what I can see."

Then she took the air in a silently flurry of gently shining wings and tried to locate the area of the light she had seen.

Razbar ibn Mujallah · Post by **Razbar ibn Mujallah** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 9:06 pm

Razbar shivered to himself at all the strong emotions that were coursing through his companions. He did not like it when people got like this. People driven by emotion and reaction were unstable and irrational.

They meant to assume that the source of this spell was an enemy. Yet still, they knew nothing about who created it, or what. Perhaps it was a warning, perhaps it was a friend. Perhaps it was a spell gone wrong by someone who needed help.

These were the questions he wanted to have answered...

But now was not the time to bring them up. His company was already visibly upset and on edge for blood. At least, that's what he thought.

Instead, the boy simply got himself together and ready, and followed after Jarthal.

Torin Proud · Post by **Torin Proud** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 1:53 am

Torin had managed to save his most precious posessions-his tools. He was useless without them. As they trudged forawrd, he wondered momentarily what was next? This was certainly a most odd affair. He hoped Jarthal and the others knew what they were doing...

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 2:28 pm

The woodlands between your campsite and the mountains grow darker as you approach whatever attacked you. A pall of smoke hangs over the forest and blocks the sun, the sweet smell of woodsmoke and charred flesh hangs heavy in the soot-laden air as you get closer. Embers and burning droplets rain from the sky on scorching breezes. You haven't seen any animals since you woke this morning, not one...

Three miles from your campsite, the trees are scorched and blackened on one side, the undergrowth beneath them burnt to nubs of charcoal. Beyond this ring are no trees at all, only a two-mile diameter circle of smoking ash...from the occaisonal grey hint of bone and the cracked and glassy stone foundations still standing in squares, you would say this is...was...a village.

In the center of the village, two massive reptilian humanoids poke through the ruin of a skeleton's ribcage with their shortspears. The lizard-like heads with prominent cranial scales bark and hiss intelligebly as one of their clawed, stubby fingers digs through the ash and recovers something with the glint of gold.

A third of the reptilians, whose scales tend more toward black than green, suddenly turns his head in you direction and snarls, revealing a gaping jaw of broken teeth and greyish saliva. It raises a club encrusted with shards of red-black glass and charges at you!

Luadril Sunsoar · Post by **Luadril Sunsoar** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 4:48 am

The winged paladin swooped low, the sword in her gloved hand gleaming brightly in the radiant light that was suddenly surrounding her, bringing daylight to the otherwise dark area.

"In the name of Lathander, get thee hence!", came her battlecry.

Luadril Sunsoar · Post by **Luadril Sunsoar** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:39 am

Sword blade gleaming from her radiant light, Luadril swooped down upon the reptiloid like an avenging angel. A blur of light, then she was past, and swiftly returning to the open air and for just the briefest moment her opponent sneered, thinking she missed, never realizing he was already dead. He just didn't know it.

Just as quickly as the sneer appeared, it vanished, to be replaced by a look of horrorfied disbelief as his abdomen opened seemingly of its own accord as his viscera spilled out in a steaming, smelly and bloody mass. He tried to hold them in to know avail since he'd ben slit open from crotch to sternum.

His face still held an expression of disbelief as he collasped into a spreeding pool of his own life's blood.

Torin Proud · Post by **Torin Proud** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 8:05 pm

Luadril swooped down upon the reptiloid like an avenging angel, but Torin didn't have the time to marvel at her amazing grace, and frightening leathality. Drawing his sword, he cursed silently under his breath. he had all his equipment with him, and needed to get it off. Dropping off the dog he began to shed his pack while trying to hold his sword steady....

Kai · Post by **Kai** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 9:04 pm

Koriel backwinged, drawing and nocking an arrow in a single smooth motion. As Luadril charged one, she fired at another.

Selreth Drevarian · Post by **Selreth Drevarian** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 12:13 pm

As Koriel sent a missile flying at the lizardmen, Selreth grappled with his decision. In the time it would take him to dismount off his somewhat skittish mare, he could knock and load his crossbow. But in that path lay a problem. The horse he rode was no war bred horse, and if the lizardmen got too much closer, it might bolt. While it was his personal preference to stay as far out of melee combat as he could, it would be a very long walk to their destination.

With a short, resigned sigh, the rogue slipped down off his horse and removed his backpack, setting it on the ground on top of the reigns in an attempt to forcibly ground-hitch the beast. He drew his rapier, hoping that he could move a bit farther away from the horse before engaging one of the lizards in an attempt to keep the horse from fleeing.

Razbar ibn Mujallah · Post by **Razbar ibn Mujallah** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:47 pm

Razbar grappled with the whole situation in his mind. It happened so fast. There were lizards charging, allies flying, arrows whizzing by. The boy finally wrapped his mind around the situation and set to action. He urged the horse to move towards the fray. Didn't need to be that close.. Just.. a little closer...

As he got within range, he extended his hands. The robe sleeves fell down to his elbows, exposing his narrows wrists. He began uttering in a strange tongue and bending his fingers in arcane positions. Finally, he spread the fingers of his right hand out at the lizardly beasts, pouring forth a gout of fire. He tried to be careful to engulf the opposition as much as possible while not catching Luandril in it.

A strange expression overtook his normally shy features. He liked that feeling, the adrenaline of having forces beyond mortal comprehension surge through his entire body.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 1:12 am

The arcane flames poured from Razbar's hands toward the scaly humanoids. One of the two beasts deftly sidestepped the oncoming blaze, but its associate was less fortunate. Scales blackened and cracked where scalding magic met toughened flesh. Further, the flames ignited its equip, forcing the enraged creature to shed its few possessions save the great glass-studded club it carried in one hand.

With a glare of hatred, the lizard-thing hissed a warcry and sprang at the flame-spewing sorceror Razbar ibn Mujallah! A single sweep of the thing's club half-decapitated the mage's horse, razor-sharp glass driven with maniac intensity through soft flesh and bite into vertebrae. The horse gave a shrill scream of pain, so like a human woman's, before collapsing and choking on the blood from the massive wound. Razbar was thrown free of the dying creature, unharmed or dazed but flat on his back and defenseless against the approaching saurian, who withdrew its club with a wet squelch.

The more dextrous or lucky of the two lizards swung a blow at dark-skinned Luadril as she hovered over its fallen comrade, but missed completely as the Paladin of Lathander deftly evaded its stroke with a backwards hop and a beat of her wings.

Jarthal · Post by **Jarthal** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:20 am

Like the others, Jarthal had sat at the edge of the blasted clearing that was once a town, attempting to absorb the magnitude of what had been done here. The connection with what had been done to their campsite last night was obvious. His vision swam, and he could feel the rage mounting again, until he caught the hissing sibilance of Draconic.

Jarthal’s eyes narrowed as he tried to hear what they were saying, but it was then that the black one noticed them and charged. As he brought his bow up, one of the winged creatures streaked down from the sky and disemboweled it. An arrow dropped from the sky as well, signaling that the other was also making its presence known. Jarthal could feel his other companions dismounting, and then the small robed one shot by on his horse, disrupting Jarthal’s shot at one of the remaining lizard things.

He didn’t have time to raise an eyebrow at the flames that shot from the boy’s hands before one of the things shouldered through the inferno and killed the horse. The robed figure tumbled from the saddle and the lizard thing stood over him, roaring.

The ranger’s thick shortbow creaked as he pulled back on the string. There was the thrumming of the string emptying itself, and a grey-fletched shaft buried itself deep in the right side of the monster’s chest, causing it to stagger back a few steps from the prone figure. The creature stared down at the intruder into its body blankly, then looked up again and let out an angry hiss.

Jarthal reached for another arrow.

Torin Proud · Post by **Torin Proud** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:57 am

Torin had just dropped his pack to the ground next to the dog, when the flames shot from Razbar's hands! The Calishite was a Mage! whipping his sword out Torin struck off to the side of the battle. Big things often forget little things...

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:00 pm

The lizard thing loomed over Razbar, the glassy spikes set into its club raised for a killing blow, blood trickling from the arrow still embedded in it's scaly chest, when it's eyes rolled backwards in it's skull and it collapsed in a heap.

Behind it, the dark-eyed Torin gave a grim smile and wiped his blade clean.

Razbar ibn Mujallah · Post by **Razbar ibn Mujallah** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 4:37 pm

Razbar was trapped. He was gonig to meet his end at the end of a large club. He gritted his teeth and tried to push away and out from the fallen horse.

But as fate would have it, the blow was never dealt. The lizard-thing made a strange gurgling sound and fell to the ground. Torin stood before the boy. Razbar collected his wits and nodded very briefly and thankfully, before shoving himself to his feet.

He called once more on the arcane fabrics of the world, weaving and uttering syllables of power. With the same gesture as before, a gout of flames shot out, directed to catch the lizard's back primarily, so as to avoid burning the paladin at all.

The boy was breathing heavily, his hands shaking slightly.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 1:24 am

Drawing and knocking an arrow in the space of a breath, Jarthal took a heart's beat's time to aim and let loose his shaft.

The lizard-man next to Luadril suddenly sprouted an arrow poking from it's neck, bright arterial blood spurting from the wound. The cold-blooded reptilian barely seemed to register the grevious wound as it readied to launch itself once more at Luadril.

"Damn." The ranger muttered "That usually works better on kobolds."

Reika · Post by **Reika** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 1:30 am

The winged paladin smiled coldly at the reptiloid, "You may think I taste like chicken, but at least I didn't descend from riding lizards," as her blade swung up and down in a glittering arc...

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 8:04 pm

...cutting off any reply the wounded lizard-man might have made as the blade cleft the horrible scaled head in twain. Luadril planted a foot on the unmoving chest to extract her sword, wiping off blood and brains with it's tattered loincloth.

The group was alone with the three corpses on the ashen field that had once been a village. Looming over the trees on the other side of the wasteland, to the South, a bright light winked from the tip of a stone pyramid thrusting from the trees.

Luadril Sunsoar · Post by **Luadril Sunsoar** » Sun Jan 23, 2005 1:49 am

Golden eyes were bleak as their owner mechanically wiped her blade clean before sheathing it. This was not the first time she had seen death, nor dealt it, but the devestation... That shocked and sickened the young knight.

"I am not going on further this day, those who lived her deserve internment and blessing so that their spirits may fly free to their gods."

Warmth fled the auric gaze as a chilling determination filled it. "This place needs to be blessed so that none who are servants of bad masters can use it for dark means."

Luadril turned and glared cooly in the direction of the source of the light, "Once Koriel and I have done what we can, then we will find the source of the destruction and deal with it. One way or another."

She placed her pack down in a place she could easily grab it, but left her sword and armor on as she began to gently gather up the remains for a mass burial, not having the ability, nor time, to conduct individual rites.

"Best keep wary in case anymore of those lizards are still about."

Torin Proud · Post by **Torin Proud** » Sun Jan 23, 2005 11:37 pm

It was all over so fast that Torin barely registered her words. Shrugging his shoulders he stepped to the nearest body; taking a knee Torin began to deftly search the carcass, his nose wrinkling at the smell it was allready making.

"Well now my dearly departed friend, what secrets do you hide?" Torin chuckled as he began the task of searching them. Looking up at the rest he smiled and chirped. "Never know what sort of things you find in the garbage!"

Luadril Sunsoar · Post by **Luadril Sunsoar** » Sun Jan 23, 2005 11:44 pm

Luadril paused in her grisly work, "Torin, I have no objections to you searching our dead enemies. Especially if there was something that could give us an idea of what is happening in this area. However I wil request that you leave the villagers alone." She sighed a little as she surveyed the destruction again. Then her eyes tightened a bit.

"They have suffered enough and they are not garbage."

Torin Proud · Post by **Torin Proud** » Sun Jan 23, 2005 11:50 pm

Torin consodered her words for a secon, and then looked around him. There were indeed dead villagers here. Somehow he'd missed that, to his chargrin. Embarassed, and more angry at himself he retorted, "Don't worry, they won't feel a thing."

Luadril Sunsoar · Post by **Luadril Sunsoar** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 1:36 am

THis time she didn't stop as she finished constructing the simple pyre, then began carefully place the bodies upon the pyre. She simply inclined her head to Torin in acknowledgement of his comment.

Jarthal · Post by **Jarthal** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:34 am

He let the two bicker over the bodies of the fallen, human and reptilian alike. Jarthal had more pressing concerns, such as the safety of those still living.

He slid off the back of his horse, letting it wander further away from the blood that it found so unsettling. Holding his shortbow with an arrow knocked in his left hand, he made his way around the clearing, occasionally bending to brush his right along the scarred ashen surface. Where there are three, there are likely more. Jarthal wanted to know just where those others might be.

Razbar ibn Mujallah · Post by **Razbar ibn Mujallah** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:57 pm

The boy stood shaking for a few moments before clenching his hands into fists and gathering his wits again. When he was once more aware of the situation, he stumbled back away from the gory sight of his horse's caved in skull. Bright blue eyes whirled in surprise.

It all had happened so fast, he was only now able to get a good look at the lizardy things that were now slain. Slowly his mind re-built the battle that had taken place...

The banter of Torin and Luandril now brought him back to the present, though. He adjusted the turban on his head and pulled the sleeves back down over his arms, then hustled to catch up with Jarthal.

Koriel Zauth · Post by **Koriel Zauth** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 8:01 pm

It was a horrible sight, but the dead deserved attention ahead of the village. Koriel ignored the rest of the party, kneeling and softly speaking words of blessing and safe passage at each body. The silence in a place that should have been active set her on edge and her wings twitched, ready to get her clear of danger should it present itself.

Luadril Sunsoar · Post by **Luadril Sunsoar** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 2:14 am

That the collecting of the dead and the subsequent cremation went so quickly was both a relief and a sorrow at the same time. A relief in that it was quickly over, but a sorrow because of the fact that most of the village had been eradicated so quickly. The ashes the swriled up into the wind weren't just from the pyre the sombre half-angel had setup, in fact the pyre contributed to maybe a quarter. No, those ashes just a few hours ago had been living beings, their lives suddenly snuffed out like candles in a strong breeze. Tilting her head, Luadril began to sing a soft dirge with a prayerbook in her hands and eyes closed in sorrow, a blessing to the place to send the spirits of the fallen on their way. As usual her hair and wings caught and reflected the sun's light, and for a brief moment seemed to be pure light, not a physical being. Once the rite was completed, Luadril reopened her intense golden eyes.

Anger and determination could be seen. Whomever was responsible for this would face justice.