Hello, bay12 dwellers! I bring to you a gift for the Saint Valentine's Day! A story of devotion, aspirations, romance (potentially), where you get to be the characters. But first, the story behind the story.
Some time in December I wrote
"Othor the Necromancer" and put it in the Creative Projects. Among several responses was a suggestion that a sequel would be appropriate. I thought, "Indeed, I'm not finished with this character". I wasn't very certain, but by the New Year's Eve I had some ideas for a story and then sat in front of my computer to try and put them into words. I was just past a couple of paragraphs when I discovered that I didn't know anything about my other characters. And a day later University work caught up with me.
It stayed this way until yesterday when I thought about signing up to some writing community or forum where I could share written art. Then I thought about my unfinished story and how it was based on an obscure computer game that few people had heard of outside of DF forums. Well, I could put it here. But it's incomplete! Then I suddenly thought, "Why should I keep dragging it on for an inspiration? Why should I wait until I complete it, to share it?" A bit later, "Why don't I let forumites make characters for me?" Then I remembered that people actually do it, and it's called role-playing forum games.
And here I am.
A warm sun just tinted the sky bright orange in the west and a shy moon showed its semi-transparent face. The former looked at a jagged shape of a town of Romistra fringed by a dark line of fortifications and didn't express any emotion. The latter was ominous.
The hills around the city were calm and still, the wind that had swept between them during the day had settled down. Only a couple of giant cicadas were holding their contest, frequently leaping above the wavy horizon line, and in turns filling the air with their buzzing. But for them, the evening was silent.
So was the town. The solid stone walls were empty, no guards stood in the gates which were gaping open, the inhabitants oblivious to any danger from the outside. The standard was hanging lifelessly, lowered to the base of its pole. No streak of smoke rose from the town's chimneys and no bark of a stray dog could be heard. One could think that the town was abandoned, or dead.
Hidden in the shadow of the hills, four travelers were crouched on the ground.
Edit: And so, 4 main characters have been submitted.
One of them was a man of gaunt build, wrapped in a cloak that almost made him into a shapeless stain on the grass, but for an occasional glitter of a mail from under it. He had a stern, noble face, with the look of his eyes matching his armor in the feeling of concealment and watchfulness. The man was on the road for a long time, maybe his whole life, by the looks of a weathered face with a rough stubble, and unkempt hair, with a rare straw entangled into light-brown curls. From underneath the corner of his cloak, lying on the ground, a crescent of a shield could be seen. The man was still and tense, peering at the walls of the town in front of him.
- a man,
A couple of feet from him, a hooded figure, thrice as small as the man, sat cross-legged. It was a female kobold, her broad muzzle boldly perked from under the hood, wet nostrils dilating at a passing scent from time to time. Her whole body was covered by loose dark clothing, except for hands and feet, armed with sharp claws. She had a proud posture and would seem as grave as the human warrior, yet she couldn't help but check her fingers now and then, for they would pick and tear a grass stalk into little pieces as soon as her attention dwindled. That was, apparently, quite irritating for her, as she would sometimes let out a barely audible growl, directed towards her ill-behaving limbs that gave away her weakness, and if one of her companions appeared to have noticed her restlessness, she would challenge him with a fierce stare of her large shiny eyes.
- a kobold,
Indeed, sometimes one of the travelers would slip a worried glance in her direction. It was another man. He half-lay on the grass, much more relaxed than his brother by race, and had much softer features. But he wasn't a slacker or a greenhorn, for his sturdy-looking iron armor was well-worn, yet clean and cared for, and his hand rested confidently on the hilt of a longsword of delicate craftsmanship at his belt. His eyes were partially hidden by a careless flow of brown hair as if he knew of his trusting look and tried to hide it, but it didn't help and they easily gave away his concern and compassion for his kobold companion.
- another man,
The fourth traveler was a young halfling man. His seemed neither relaxed, nor nervous, but rather deep in thought. His eyes were half closed, and fingers of his right hand were strumming invisible strings, while his other hand supported his head, with the elbow on a half-bent knee of his leg. He was obviously a musician, with his instrument - a tear-drop shaped mandola in a leather case, strapped on his back. He wore a linen cloak with a brownish fringe and under it he had a brilliant leather jacket with silvery stripes. On his legs he had dark-red leather trousers and leather boots, coming up to the middle of his ankles. But, for or all the pompousness of his garments, he didn't look like one concerned with ridicule. His thin mouth gave away experience in the more cruel ways of life, even if his whole face was covered in a shadow of sadness of one used to express his finest emotions in poetry.
- and a halfling.
The four travelers were different. Not only by appearance, or demeanour, but beside that, they were separated by some imperceptible boundaries that made them set themselves down a few feet from each other, and keep from talking. But it may be that the very atmosphere of the place made everyone shy, or the peace and calmness around weren't very favourable to the travelers' cause.
And henceforth I'm supposed to do the writing, and our leaders - to wait, until I announce that they are to make a decision. But really, the fate of Othor is in your hands every day.
So, what are you waiting for? Plunge in!
The events so far.The speculationsThe historiesGirls! This steel torch holder menaces with a shank of steel.Just the dust on the soles of our feet.Mortal Kombaat! Romistra á talons d'une kobold.Finally inside the city. The guard house.Going deeper.