This is a story about two men named Ase.
18th Moonstone A man stands in a town. He is an average looking fellow with nothing particularly interesting about him. He stands in the hamlet of Stormdrive in the Hills of Entrancing pondering the same question he has for the past several weeks.
Where do I go now?
His name is Ase Throatjustice (Ase 1) and despite having a brash, bold family name to him, he is gutless and completely useless. In fact, the way he holds his crude copper spear is a testament to this. Ase is sure of one thing though, the pointy end goes into the thing he wants to die.
Some weeks ago he decided that, following another string of death-by-exsanginuations in his home town, sticking around was not a good idea. A local legend told of the Bloodspire: tucked away in the Eastern mountains, it is supposed to be a refuge from the evil that haunts the world. A place to finally rest. He had also heard of the dangers involved in getting there. It seems, he thought, that they always put the best places far away and hard to get to. Why?
But back to the story...
Ase 1 ponders the scratches on his bare legs from the brief and disturbing encounter with an alley cat he had earlier. Perhaps, he thinks, it is time for some better garb. Also a better weapon to poke into creatures. He stops a nearby pig farmer and inquires about supplies. The villager scratches his head momentarily, grounded by the depth of a question unrelated to pig farming. He only knows of the nearby abandonded fortress "Hugmoon".
Since it is nearby Ase 1 heads straight for it.
Walking through the morning, Ase 1 finally comes upon the gates of Hugmoon. Sevearl herds of Emu mill about the area, careful to keep their distance. In the distance he hears the call of langurs.
"I'm not sure about langurs, but I bet emus are tasty" he says to himself.
Sneaking inside Ase 1 finds the keep and enters. Like the villager had said, this place is abandoned, with only a few meager piles of equipment left. Luck is with him today and he finds shark leather armor, iron low boots, some copper arrows, a nice leather bag for water, some woolen mittens and...
A copper cleaver.
Ase 1 grins, he knows how to use one of these. Mother could take the head off a duck with just one hack from one of these. Without ceremony Ase 1 drops his copper spear to the floor and hefts the cleaver.
Feeling a great deal more confident Ase strides out into the daylight. Once outside he realizes that he is nearly out of water. Annoyed and muttering to himself, he heads back to Stormdrive seeking their well.
Back in Stormdrive Ase 1 fills his new bag with water, enought to last a month he thinks. The bag is very heavy and weighs him down considerably.
Inquiring with another villager, Ase 1 asks about any other locations that may prove worthwhile for looting. The villager told him a great deal more about the area than the previous fellow.
His thirst quenched, and water bag filled he heads back to the previous fortress for game hunting.
Upon arriving back at Hugmoon, Ase 1 begins picking up basalt rocks and hurling them at the local emu population. Despite his enthusiasm, he is completely unable to hit a single one. After yet more muttering and embarressment he decides to simply throw rocks at the fortress wall.
As the afternoon approaches, Ase 1 decides that maybe, if he could just find a bow, he would be better at murdering the emu. He heads for Breedseals to the Southeast.
Upon arriving, lo and behold there are even more emu here. Dozens milling about the place. Inside too.
Sneaking into the keep he finds many goblin slaves and plenty of equipment. He finds an iron cap and more arrows. But no bow. He goes back outside to find dinner.
Luckily, just after stepping outside, his dinner goes running by in a flurry of leathery legs, a furry neck and grey feathers. Dinner looks like an emu.
He devises a technique whereby he runs into the entrance of the fortress and sneaks his way back into the courtyard area, hidden from the emu's gaze. Once within a few yards of the birds he throws a rock at one in hopes to bring it down.
After several tries he manages to hit one in the leg sending it crashing to the ground. With a cry of triumph he lunges upon it just as it staggers to its feet and he grabs the creature by its throat. Emus have a lot of throat real-estate, so this is not particularly difficult. The following exchange of blows is quite comical at best, neither party being able to do much to the other til Ase 1 comes to his senses and simply strangles the bird.
Whistling as he goes, Ase 1 neatly begins cutting off pieces of the unconscious emu, starting at the feet and working his way up. Good practice, he thinks. Once butchered, he grabs the meat and has his hard earned supper.
This night he sleeps in the fortress entrance way.
19th MoonstoneAse awakes and continues his grizzly business inside and outside of the fortress for several hours. The goblin slaves in the keep were provided much needed entertainment that morning, watching the small insane man chase the emu about, occasionally pelting them with rocks and screaming.
Facing exhaustion Ase makes his way to a small pool just to the west of the fortress to bathe. Quite by accident he also finds out that he cannot swim. More floundering about and several lung fulls of water ultimately teach him to, at least, float.
Freshly cleaned and in high spirits Ase heads back into Breedseals for one last round of slaughter. This time he spies a pack of langurs near the keep. Rubbing his hands together he throws his rock and brings one low.
Ase manages to grab its tail before it promptly gives in to pain. This is, honestly, less fight than he's hoping for. He was expecting ferocious monkey claws and bites, perhaps some good natured screeching. He smacks it once or twice with the flat of his cleaver in hopes to wake it up. Not surprisingly, he brains the creature. After butchering, Ase determines that langur meet is edible but a bit stringy.
Seeing the noon day sun, Ase began to tire of the mindless mangling of the local fauna and decided that it was time to proceed vaguely towards Bloodspire. Perhaps now someone would join him in his journey.
His first planned stop would be Brimjuggled to the Northeast.
While travelling towards Brimjuggled, Ase stops in a small hamlet. Along with asking for permission to stay the night he also asks if there is some small service of the homeowner.
Ase 1: "Is there some small service I may perform for you in return for granting me board here?"
Cook: "Yes! I ask that you fell the terrible fiend Usbu Wipedhated. He is a days travel Southeast."
Ase 1:" A vampire?"
Cook: "A terrible one, yes."
Ase 1: "Murdered hundreds in thirst for blood etc?"
Cook: "Oh yes, plenty"
Ase 1:"I did say 'small task' didn't I? Killing the immortal is a bit more difficult than, say, sweeping floors."
Cook:"Perhaps but that's what we need."
Ase thanks him nonetheless and prepares for bed.
20th MoonstoneAse travels in the early morning to the gates of Brimjuggled. It is a mighty fortress and must have held thousands of humans at one time.
Despite its size and grandeur, Ase only finds an iron bow. The bow is good and solid. Now if only he could find a quiver.
Disappointed with his finds here he moves on towards Dunechanced.
The trek is long but he makes it to Chanceshin hamlet just shy of Dunechanced. Haggard from his journey Ase stumbles to the first house he sees and asks for board. It is readily granted.
While preparing for sleep Ase spies a bowman across the room. He staggers over to the prone man...
Ase 1: Ho there! I am Ase Throatjustice, a bowman such as yourself.
Bowman: Well met. I am Ase Lulledfern.
Ase 1: Your name is Ase?
Ase 2: Yes, Ase.
Ase 1: We are both bowmen as well.
Ase 2: So it would appear.
An awkward pause ensues.
Ase 1: Would you consider joining me in my...
Ase 2: FOR BLOOD AND GLORY!!!!!!!
Another awkward pause.
Ase 1: Would you like to know where we're going first?
Ase 2: uh, yeah sure.
Ase 1: We are journeying to the fabled Tower of Bloodspire that lo...
Ase 2: TO BLOODSPIRE AND GLORY!!!!!!
Ase 1 is beginnig to regret approaching this fellow. The other lodgers stared unabashedly at the two.
Ase 1: Oh..uh..ok. We'll be off in the morning then.
Ase 2: Righto! Goodnight.
Ase 1 goes back to his makeshift bed wondering if he has made a mistake.
21st MoonstoneAse 1 wakes early and rouses his companion(thankfully no screaming is involved). They walk towards Dunechanced. They walk for hours through the hail in the Malign Forests before making it to the fortress. Upon entering, it begins to rain human blood.
Ase 2 pauses to open his mouth and attempt to catch the drops of blood falling from the sky. After some time he returned his gaze to Ase 1 and perceived the look of disgust.
Ase 2:"No sense in wasting all that water you carryi..oh look, a peregrine!"
It is at this time that Ase 1 realizes, much like his own disposition, Ase 2's personality is at a odds with his surname. Ase 2 proceeds to run about and kill two peregrines with an unsettling amount of glee in the pouring blood-rain.
Ase 1 enters the keep to look for shelter and equipment. A good find it is! He picks up an iron battleaxe, bronze chain leggings, a bronze mail shirt and an copper breastplate.
Upon coming out Ase 1 encounters his companion coming in, who is quite a sight. Completely drenched in human and peregrine blood, Ase 2 cheerily sits down to rest.
Ase 1: "This fortress is the last bit of civilization we will encounter from here on. Should we proceed. It's a straight shot East now.
Ase 2: How are we on water?
Ase 1: Including the blood? Good.
Ase 2: Food?
Ase 1: Good, though your insistence on killing everything in the sky should help.
Ase 2: Right, let's go then.
Ase 1 drops everything that is not needed for the journey, lightening his load. He leads his companion out the Eastern gate and towards (what he hopes) is his destiny.
To be continued....
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Topic: Necropia: Adventurer Succession Survival Game (Players Wanted!) (Read 21914 times)