Turn 22: Trials
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Wind.
"Hasten the summoning! We've been successful thus far, do not stop for anything!"Water.
"But what about the people?"Aether.
"Their lives will be uplifted. Their dreams shall be their graves."Life.
The StockadesAdil: Continue forcing the fiends and guards to focus on each other.
Everyone else: tear off the bars on the manhole.
Follow Adil and escape. Tell Adil the following plan of action incase we're found: Gesture Ast to stand slightly in front of me, and stop making any attempt to escape, and reason with the Sergeant that we are Mercenaries. Hide any obviously abominable/monstrous (mass of flesh) servants.
Adil pushed himself up and seeing the trouble of the current situation, gestured towards the manhole with an order to his companions.
Noshtath moved along with the the Mass of Flesh in the direction of the command, hidden from view due to the encroaching fog and rain.
The Dwarf could hear metal being broken, dented and reformed behind him as he spun around to face the general direction of the Fiends and deployed his presence once more to continue his work. He could feel it pass through the wooden walls and sense the inner portion of the warehouse.
The Dwarf recoiled as a primal force enveloped his essence, quickly retracting it before any further damage could be made. Before such, he could sense a feeling of insatiable hunger emanating from within the warehouse.
And it noticed him.
"I requested a report, citizen. What is- Ast?! What are you doing here at a time like this?"As the Dwarf holds his position behind the rest, the mercenary lord strides forward with the shaft of his axe resting comfortably on his shoulder, coupled with a smug look on his face as the torches and pikes of the forward guard approach.
"A bit of trouble in my personal storehouse, just cleaned it out. For once, I'm pretty glad I'm seeing you, Terin.""It's Sir Terin to you, knave. State your business! Did you come upon the source of the noise?"Ast glanced at his companions, before moving over to the downed guard by the door and grabbing Evans by the scruff of his tunic, shifting the position of his hands so as to carry a full grown man by the shoulder. He pulled out the paper by his belt.
"You'll want him. And this. Managed to get him out of there with the help of my apprentices." He held up the paper with his free hand while resting the guard by Leon's feet, still shaken from his experience.
"In return, I'd request your support here and a full pardon for me and my new cohorts.
Aye, for the good of Caelondia."The officer stopped in his tracks and ordered his men to stand down after considering his words. He then turned to his right, looking down an alleyway and gave a signal, conversing with someone.
Moments later, a man appeared from the alley, dressed in an elaborate set of linking mail and plate. An ornate halberd was set over his shoulder as he approached. His face was obscured partly by the helmet he wore, which bore no discernible mark of any civilization.
But before the three groups could come within twenty spans of each other, the sounds of wood splintering and cracking along with heavy movement came from the warehouse. The sound of a wall crashing down was heard.
Three skeletal figures emerged from the hole. The Fiends were free.
* * *
Enidri takes a last look at the scene before doing a quick and quiet search for the guardswoman. If she happens to be in danger, he shall help her.
Enidri turned to look back, checking for any sign of Syra. Even though he did not like the guardswoman, it had not been very smart to leave her on the ground and all by herself. She seemed clumsy and overconfident, the streets did not seem to be safe anymore and taking by the situation, the shadows themselves could menace passerbys with dark blades and screeching screams, as far as he knew. The young smith concentrated on his link with the small wisp, hoping it would receive the message as quickly as he sent it.
"Fornax, may I get a quick report from the situation? Are the men already heading to a safer place? If so, please try to find the guardswoman, I took her down to prevent getting her into trouble, but I am worried I may have actually done something actually prejudicial."He felt the familiar tug along the edge of his mind, and the reply of Fornax echoed within.
"Ferric has undergone substantial healing. Troop has returned to Barracks for re-arming along with the scryer, accessed the armory, then encountered darklings- more shades dressed in common cloth. Vanquished them after a struggle. New weaponry and armor proved efficient. Heading towards your position.""The Guardswoman. She is with you?""Correct. Was responsible for breaking the armory. Her squad now enroute. Will meet up soon."The link severed before Enidri could continue questioning. Interrupted further as another voice called out in the distance, this time from a man. A man clad in shining steel with a winged helmet, presumably the leader of the eight-man group he saw earlier.
"You there! Mercenary! You're pardoned of all sins and trespasses against his Majesty and his surrounding colonies. Under command of Ast! Get over here and stop loitering!"The young smith could've sworn he heard the man utter several curses under his breath as he spoke
but offered no resistance, the path behind him was shrouded now in the same fog he had seen in the cemetery, but if Fornax was telling the truth, his actions would have little repercussion in the future.
Coming nearer to the group, Enidri could make out a crystal, similar to Syra's, hanging around the officer's neck along with the familiar grey coloring. As he turned to his right, the three he saw earlier were now in clear detail. A dwarf, leaning against the wall and hugging himself with one hand to his head, a rather tall man with a rather tall axe, and a young man wielding a long pike. Mercenaries indeed.
But before he could make any other movement, the wall directly to the left of the group exploded in debris of wood, stone and blood. There were three silhouettes shrouded in the clearing dust, hallow and pale in the moonlight. No movement was made for the next couple seconds, until the three emerged. Three creatures that towered above the men, partly in the form of a skeleton and partly of a different iridescent, translucent and liquid form that kept to the bones and their cavities.
* * *
"Nightmares. This must surely be a dream.The officer balked at the sight of the creatures but steeled himself and angled his greatsword in their direction.
"Archers! Fire at will! Pikemen, with me! For the glory of Caelondia!"Release!"His cry was echoed by seven others, brushing past Enidri to move and engage. The Fiends fought back in turn,
easily deflecting the arrows that sailed over the young smith's head, flinging globs of their liquid back at the archers as the pikemen dove behind standing posts and barrels for cover. Behind them, they could hear the screams of a man in terrible pain, followed by a muffled cry of surviving assurance. The Pikemen were the first to make contact,
their pikes shining in the moonlight. Hardened steel meeting razor-sharp bone as the four men drove hard into the melee, avoiding the piles of liquid that were developing around them. After several strikes, the four retreated towards the officer's location, their strikes bearing no mark on the foe but only chipped bone and nothing more.
Adil, through his shock, could sense amusement coming from the Fiends,
a challange. He could see the three press
past the halberd-wielding man, shunting him aside and nearer to his location as they advanced upon the guardians.
"L-llight..."Health: 20/25 0/10 (Fear)
Inventory:
Bronze broadsword | Copper Mail | Grey Cloth tunic | Rimmed Helmet
Four Pikemen (Disciplined)
Health: 180/180 100/100 (Stalwart)
Inventory: Steel Pike | Tempered Steel Plate | Grey Tunic | Rimmed Helmet
Three Longbowmen (Disciplined)
Health: 120/120 20/75
Inventory: Oaken Longbow | Light Steel Chainmail | Rimmed Helmet | Grey Tunic | Iron Dagger
Guard Sergeant (Disciplined)
Health: 65/65 25/25 (Rally Cry)
Inventory:
Grey Crystal | Bronze Greatsword | Gilded Steel Plating | Grey Tunic | Winged Helmet
Health: ?/? ?/? ?/? (Erratic)
Inventory: ?
Fire!
Forward!
Field Interrogation.
Warcry!
The Sea of TearsI and two other mages will create a water-filled whirlwind to our west and keep it there. Water in the whirlwind will ground the clouds in a certain range around it, thus cutting off the source of the lightning's power.
Just in case the whirlwind idea doesn't work out, the Fish Horde will stretch into a column to our south, as close to the boats as possible without revealing themselves - the column not nearly as tall as the whirlwind, but still taller than the highest mast in the fleet.
I calmed my heart and steeled myself for the coming battle. I was not used to hearing the words of the Diviner in my mind. I looked at my fellow slaves for reassurance, they felt the same. Then I heard the Elf speak, as if challenging the sea itself.
"We're raising a whirlwind over the sea, far to our west! Keep it in one place until the watery part reaches the skies, then drag it along! The whirlwind will gather lightning from the clouds before it can reach us!"
A waterspout? Surely this was impossible. As I looked on, I could see two other mages nod in reply, raising their staffs once more and moving them as if they were rowing. The winds around me shifted, changing from cold, to freezing, to warm, then back to cold once more. I looked to the west and saw water rising from the sea and forming a vortex in the air, spiralling up to the clouds. It was thin and appeared weak, but I did not doubt the powers of our mages. They knew what they were doing.
The bat shivered in my arms, a pitiful sight. I kept it closer to me by pulling my trident arm in, hopefully warming the creature. It was somewhat comforting to see a creature like this in the same plight as I was in, something I could actually protect. It kept my mind away from the dangers that threatened the very existence around me.
Then I felt the waves rock the boats again, stronger and more forceful than before. Have we angered the Sealord with our doings? Not so. Our oarsmen were trying hard to keep the boats from passing under, but the towering waves came and went without delay, bringing a few of our people under their grasp and out to the mercy of his hands. Luckily, the mages were safe as well as the slaver lords, but this was not the end to our losses.
I saw a bright flash come from above me, followed by another and yet another. As I turned to gaze upwards, I could see several streaks of lightning heading towards the south, directly behind the farthest boat in our fleet. They were aimed at what appeared to be a white pillar rising from beneath the waves, apparently made of limestone, chalk and matted seaweed, with seawater gushing from it's form. It rose higher than any of our masts, and formed into a thick spear that shone with the lightning, as radiant as the stars and as the moon. We looked upon it with great fear, for it resembled the weapon of the Sealord himself. To my surprise, and dismay, the pillar crashed back into the sea after several strikes of lightning, creating a large mass of foam and effervescent liquid. I bowed my head and solemnly thanked the Sealord for watching over us, as even though his trident had fallen, we were spared the wrath of this storm once more.
Strangely, Ima appeared weakened as she stood place, as if something was robbed from her at that very moment. I included her in my prayers as I returned my sights to the goal at hand.
The lights of the dock were now visible, I could make out the figures of the nightwatch present in their towers and on the walls in the distance. Strangely, it didn't seem that they were affected, or aware at all of the storm above them. There were also other figures, ones that shone in the moonlight, moving about on the ships docked at port.
As if sensing my idea, the Diviner spoke within our minds.
"My people. They have desecrated our homes and slain our people in the night. Many have gone to the ever-life with screams of justice in their hearts and death written in their minds.
Prepare yourselves, we may be facing a foe far more powerful than first conceived.
The spirits of the dead have been awakened. And I fear they know no ally."
Just a few more until we reach the dock, and then the sewers. I closed my eyes and began preparing the kegs. These would cloud our movement and cause some chaos in the watchers' ranks. But how shall we protect ourselves from spirits?
"Ima," I spoke, "Guide us."
BlackmarshGet out of there before the woman wakes up, and avoid the two men telling them nothing more then that she saved them.
Wake up. Grab that shiny crystal and mage pin thing if I do.
Zakroff straightened himself and placated a peaceful image in his mind. He could feel the daggers recede within his sleeves, the heat returning to his body. He looked at the
speaker saying,
"I did nothing, but she protected you," he said, pointing at Shalla's unconscious body, before turning around.
"Come, Pallas, we found where the problem came from now were going to deal with it."The pair disappeared through a nearby alleyway before the other two could identify them.
"Were they the ones?"
"I'm unsure, Ria. But I have them marked just the same. They have done nothing to Shalla though, that I can say. Those types take too long talking, not bearing to see anything else on them.""Shalla? That neophyte?"
"Eri would love to hear this." the older man said, picking up the gilded clip along with the crystal as he approached, lifting up the robe it was attached to.
"The others have been busy all these years.
Anima."* * *
All
Shalla could see was darkness, she tried moving her hands. They moved. Then her feet and legs, followed by blinking. They all moved, but she was sure that she was unconscious, feeling a dream-like state around her.
She stood up, feeling solid ground beneath her and tried to make sense of the place. A few moments passed, and the scenery changed from a perpetual darkness to a grassy hilltop overlooking a portside city with a tall stone tower rising from the middle. The city was Gin, but very different from when she last visited it for her latest job. It, along with her position, was heavily overcast by a large shadow. The skies above were greyish black, and any signs of clouds were only visible by the moonlight and the lightning that coursed within. She could feel a light drizzle falling down upon her skin.
Looking down, she was wearing her traveling garb and standing on a marble slab marked with black lettering. Her name was written on it's base. It was all surreal, what was she doing again?
A raspy, distorted voice was heard from behind her.
"Shalla," it spoke.
The human turned around by instinct, seeing a floating humanoid figure wrapped in black garments with a silver chain hanging by the waist and falling loosely to the ground. It's face was obscured by a tattered cloak and the space where it's head should be was just empty air. She had no doubt that the voice belonged to the creature though, as it was the only being present. She could see seven other slabs arranged in a concentric order, with the figure standing on a flattened circular pedestal in the middle.
"Do not fear, for I am a servant of Lightbane, and call to you all now for his needs. His enemies grow stronger by the moment, and you are needed before their plans come to fruition. You will know the others by sight and memory. There is little time for questions." It gestured to the slabs, each bearing distinct names of those she had met, and others. "Cog, Enidri, Adil, Leon, Tyver, Zakroff, Ima." There were signs of other names on each slab, but these were scratched out and erased.
The being then oriented itself facing the city.
"Tell them of Gin. The Tower. The Temple.
"The living are needed to complete our task." Shalla could feel a light tug, it's intensity growing by the second.
"You are all needed. Make them listen, say their names then commend them to the master. Bring them here. Shalla." The tugging turned into a pulling, and the woman felt herself fall backwards, hitting more stone.
"Shalla? Ria, come close. She's awakening.""What now? We've been standing around for hours and that scrying won- oh."
As she awakened from her dream, the faces of Rufus and the guild guard, Ria, were seen looking down upon her.
"She's alive.
What happened, girl? Who caused all this mess, and who was your accomplice?"Make my way to the Black Mage's Guild, and walk inside
Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, Zakroff and his armored friend manage to get themselves to the gates of the Black Mages Guild. Easily entering it, due to the lack of any guards and managing not to set off any traps.
As Pallas shut the door behind them, managing to keep it unlocked without any sound, a voice is heard from their right.
"Tresspassing, are we?"
The rogue sees about three men with robes and staffs, along with a skeleton with a knife loitering around in one of the guild hallways.
"You don't look familiar. And we'd not want others getting in here without...help.
Sadly, you don't look the sort."Undead Skeleton
Health:40/40
Inventory:
Sacrificial knife 3x Necromancer Apprentice
Health: 50/50 ([Necromancer A 20/20] [Necromancer B 10/10] [Necromancer C 20/20])
Inventory: Basic Robes | Basic Staves | Clothing
~~
"I see now!
Travel to where the storm is and try to understand what i raised in that grave
Skeletal warrior: Rest in Peace.
After a short introduction to one another, and of in-depth explanation of how the other came across necromancy, Tyver speaks up.
"Return...the voice won't stop but...I see now! Telepathy!"
"What is that? Bah, it does not matter." Cog replied, turning to his skeletal friend. "Brave warrior, I thank you for your service. In my time of need, I called out, and you answered. Return to your grave, and rest in peace."
The skeleton bangs the pommel of it's blade against it's hauberk in a rudimentary form of salute, before it moves to the pit of it's grave, falling inanimate to the pit. A light comes from within it's body and converges around the scattered patches of dirt around and moves it to cover the grave. The same light, after finishing it's work, hovers above the grave for a few seconds before disappearing into nothingness. Cog could hear a voice in his head afterwards.
"Thank you.""So, Tyver. Shall we get going?"
"Lets. But after I check on this one here."
As the party approached Blackmarsh's northern gate, Tyver faces the undead human. "
Alright, who are you?"
"..."
"Not again with the silence."
"What's wrong?"
"He won't speak. Unless, I'm sure it's a he."
"Maybe it needs time and all that. Reanimating a corpse gives them personality, basic rule of necromancy.
Well, if it's sentient, that is. Skeletons usually don't have the same ideology, but it's just flesh and all. Preferences and all that."
With a shrug, Tyver leads the way, holding the shaft of his pike across his shoulder.
Along the highway, Tyver, Cog, Fluffy and the rest could feel the effects of the weather hampering their efforts, with the rain pounding heavily on their clothing and deeply wetting them in places that could not even physically
be wet, given the amount of cloth. With worry at the state of the situation, and that they wouldn't probably get any further without suffering the ill effects, the party find themselves seeking shelter in a nearby grove of trees along the wayside, perfectly safe from the storm.
"That sure bodes well. The raining has stopped entirely!" Fluffy said.
"Stopped too much, if you'll ask me. That wasn't normal, just as now."
"The trees aren't looking too good...Hold on. Look out!"
As Cog stepped back at the sound, he could feel his arms touch a silky weave around the underbrush. He jumped at the sound of lightning above him, wriggling his arms free from the webbing.
"Heh, just a spiderweb. Noth- Oh great. I'm
stuck."
"Above you!" Tyver shouted, raising his pike. As Cog looked up, he could see the beady eyes of a gigantic spider reflecting in the light, staring right at him. At it's prey.
"Get me out of here!"
Forest Spider(s)
Health: ?/? (
Swarm |
Feral)
Inventory: ?
Health: 100/100 (
Eri's Deal | +1 to Magic Resistance for
4 battle turns.)
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Backstory: Shalla was the daughter of a windmill owner, which meant she was too poor to not work but too affluent to go shovel muck all day. As a compromise, she mostly split her time between helping out with the mill, so as to be useful, and trying to improve her education and refinement, so as to be both useful and refined, which her parents hoped would allow her to squeeze into a political marriage with someone slightly more affluent than herself. She figured a brief stint in the sewers would both allow her to claim a hint of experience as an adventurer, adding a bit of mystique and excitement to her eventual marriage proposal, and give her a break from learning to appear learned, which would lessen her desire to hang herself.
Inventory: Mound of treasure (+3 buying modifier for the next mercantile turn) |
Blue staff of the Ancients |
Thaumaturgical Vambrace | Cloth Clothing |
Tome of MagickaCompanion/s:
Undead Hippo
Health:40/40 (+10 Healing Aura, heals those around it)
Undead Human "Hound"
Health: 40/40 (can use misc. heavy items around area, adding to combat roll, used via
action)
Inventory:
Giant Tombstone Health: 35/100 (+1 to all dark arts for 3 and above rolls |
Mental Exhaustion |
Fear)
Gender: Male
Race: Dwarf
Backstory: Adil was long ago a novice engraver at a small dwarven outpost close by until it was overrun by honey badgers. He was one of the ones that escaped, but had to sustain himself by scavenging the sewers, as it turns out above ground towns don't have much in the way of stone to smooth.
Inventory: Black Robe | Cloth Clothing
Companion/s:
Undead alligator
Health: 35/40 (+1 Combat modifier, mountable)
Mass of Flesh
Health: 15/25 (
Corrosive |
Mentally Sentient |
Bio-luminescent )
Health: 90/110 (+1 to looting and raiding | +1 to rolls involving clouds |
Mental Exhaustion)
Gender: Female
Race: Elf
Backstory: Ima was captured by a human warlord as a child during the human raid on The Wood of Rainbows, a small and long-forgotten elven outpost in a unicorn-filled forest. She escaped in her fifty-third year of slavery with a group of other elves; they traveled through deep jungles and traitorous marshes into another human kingdom, the one where citizens were treated equally regardless of their race. Once their trek was over, they split up and began their new lives as free citizens... though by no means rich citizens, of course.
Ima was luckier than most of other escapees: she managed to become an apothecary's apprentice. Today, she was tasked with collecting high-quality pigtails - and the best pigtails there were grew on concentrated dung-water deep in the sewers, so Ima decided to go there with the first party of adventurers she saw.
Inventory: Iron Cutlass (+1 combat modifier) | Cloth Clothing |
Smoke PowderCompanion/s:
Demonic Bat
Health 10/10 (Life drain, regenerates and can gain more health via sucking out a creatures
life force)
Undead Swarm of Fish
Health: 5/40 (Landwalker |
Smokescreen)
Undead Barracuda
Health: 2/30 (
Flight)
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Health: 55/100
Backstory: Leon was born to a merchant, and as such travelled a lot when he was younger. When he came of age, he began his own trading career with funding from his father to get started. For the past few years, he has been working in this town/city/village.
Inventory:
Brusher's Pike | Cloth Clothing
Companion/s:
Horde of Rats
Health: 40/40 (Equipped with a Fear spell)
Ast
Health: 70/70 (Sentient |
Inconspicuous)
Inventory:
Steel Battleaxe |
Metal-reinforced leather armourHealth: 70/100 (
Fear)
Gender:male
Race: Dwarf
Backstory: Tyver was a rouge working alone. He did some adventuring work around town mostly killing bandits and returning lost items. (or not) He has gained a small amount of notoriety in Blackmarsh and was always interested in gaining power for himself.
Inventory: Copper Pike (+1 attack) | Leather Tunic
Companion/s:
Undead Dog "Fluffy"
Health: 30/40 (+1 combat modifier | Sentient)
Inventory:
Dark Linen CloakUndead Human
Health: 50/60
Inventory:
Aged Vestments ;
Obsidian Visage Health: 95/100
0/30 (Can use Body Magic with a -1 modifier |
Adept Smith)
Gender: Male
Race: Human.
Backstory: A very calm and young weapon and armorsmith of a small family which saw its business get thrown to the dirt due to the constant flow of dwarven-made equipment, the boy decided to cast away his old name and find him a new one after his last living relative, his older brother, withered and died in the nameless' early to mid teens. After a couple of years living of what he could get with odd jobs, he is finally ready to give the finishing touches in his self-made equipment and leave his rotten husk of a house, intent on following the plans he had been nourishing and training for since he heard various travelers tell stories about how the dwarven nobles were extremely unbearable and susceptible to a multitude of Unfortunate Accidents.
Inventory:
Copper Mail ;
Medium Steel Plate and Helm ;
Tempered Steel Halberd "Fulgor" | Cloth Tunic
Companion/s:
Healing Wisp "Fornax"
Health: 25/25 (Sentient | +10 Healing Aura |
Thermal Adaptation)
Health: 80/100 (
Mental Exhaustion)
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Backstory: Zakroff grew up as a pick-pocket, and a thief trying to earn a living where he was forced to live underneath a makeshift hut of sticks, and rotted planks. He seeks power, and wealth, but not for personal gain, instead he wants to get back at the people who aim to gain power just for themselves.
Inventory: Cloth Tunic ;
Twin Shadow Daggers (
Blazing Weapons)
Companion/s:
Venerable Knight "Pallas"
Health: 50/75 (Sentient |
Wreathed in flame |
Distrust)
Inventory:
LongswordHealth: 90/100 (
Stunned)
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Backstory: Born in Blackmarsh, Cog was orphaned at a young age after his parents were killed by bandits. He was taken in by an old necromancer who taught him about the dark art. He is traveling in search of other necromancers in order to learn more.
Inventory: Cloth Tunic, Traveling Cloak
Companion/s:
Spectre
Health: 50/50 (
Counterattack |
Ethereal |
Unholy |
Shriek)
Inventory:
-
2x Ghoul
Health: 20/25 ; 15/25 (
Scavenger)
Inventory:
-
Global Bonuses:Blessing of Lightbane; Crand's Folly
Notes:
> Procrastination. That didn't work.
> Adjusted 'Brusher's Pike'
> Tone issues with writing.
> Nothing else of note. Other than this. Note.
Adil ; Leon ; Enidri: Outside the Warehouse; Caelondia's lower sector, near an open manhole.
Ima: Off the coast of Gin.
Shalla: In front of Blackmarsh's Librarium
Zakroff: Inside the Black Mages Guild
Cog ; Tyver: Along the roadside to Gin
If I have missed something, please do tell.
---
Author
Topic: Kings of Death - A Necromancy RTD: Turn 24: Blood and Honor (Read 39086 times)