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Post by Aileen on Oct 12, 2020 15:19:32 GMT -5
I’m old as s***. We all are. I can’t hear, can barely see, and... who the hells are these people? Apparently I’m married, but not to the handsome cleric. He rants and raves about non-existent dwarves, but he’s one good looking man. What a let down!
We break out of prison thanks to silver fox cleric and kill our guards. My poor joints can’t handle this! Further through the house in our escape we are attacked by horrible shadowy things that can’t seem to hurt me but make us all shiver on the ground. What I wouldn’t do for a nice hot fire and a long, long nap!
My actual husband, the bald man, doesn’t seem to want to wipe the uncontrollable drool from my chin, so the cantankerous and frail wizard takes care of me. Baldy, I forget his name, gets angry whenever he does. These men will be the death of me.
After nearly being run over by a young, ghostly chap on a ghostly steed, invisible trolls and an impassible swamp, we turn back to the manor we just came from. Looks like we’re going to have to fight the zombies to get past. Oh, look, skinny wizard is going to check things out!
BOOM!
🐅Aevlin
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Post by dragonforgotten on Oct 13, 2020 15:59:02 GMT -5
Everything aches and pulls wrong in my body. I mourn the lost of my hair, pulling my hood so tight around my skull that I’m sure I looked comparable to a skeleton with a cloth hood. Might as well be as my long nails run along my aged skin. I feel like death. I feel death clawing at me. Calling for me. But If there’s one thing that has never changed despite aged 300 years in a blink of an eye is I am tenacious and stubborn as a cockroach. I will die when I decide or when my god decides. No curses or witches will decided that for me and I’ll return to Olidammaras hold when I’ve had my full of life which is not today, or tomorrow, or a month or years later. But for now I’m angry. Impossibly angry. I will extract my vengeance from that swamp witch for what she’s done to me, Aevlin and the rest. I’ll even cut out my doubles heart and eat it if it mean reclaiming what she stole from me. I don’t take being stolen from lightly. It is an insult to my trade. I run my hands along my features to find my features drawn and bony, my eyes sunken in and deep furrows long my skin. Besides from appearances I still am myself if not for my ears. The world is muffled, like everyone is speaking across a room. This is going to suck. I can just tell. It’s funny that my hearing is what went. I would have thought I’d develop arthritis in my joints or I’d go blind and need spectacles in my old age. Of course. I wouldn’t know. I don’t plan to live that long. I don’t even plan to live beyond middle age. I have to stop dwelling on this. I can feel myself working into a rage as I’m reminded of my lost years. Poor Aevlin is confused and drools on occasions, ergos been hit the hardest in appearance with only three rotten teeth in his gums, Hans is impressively well aged but he can’t stand music now( to bad for him), Nylen looks haggard and a shell of a man wallowing in his own self pity, Zin got out well for himself. He’s still good looking even in his venerable years. Impressive. Thanks gods Zinny is able to dispel or prison but gods does it take so much energy to stand again. Im pissed when I notice absolutely nothing survived the aging except for my magical equipment. I’m forced to use my shirt as a bag with the hood planted over my head. Oh, someone is going to pay alright. I’m taking that 13 gold peices I’m forced to leave behind out of someone’s hide. We destroy or slime guards. We struggle with the strange spectors. Nylen just stood there letting me get knocked silly as I screamed at him to fight. I don’t get that. Maybe it’s because Nylen never has been knocked down, never fallen so far but I have. I have so many times. I’ve been beaten and stabbed bloody but I will always, always get back up as long a i breath. The moment you give in to life’s cruelties and mockeries is truly the day you die. I wipe from drool from Aevlins lip as I hell her over a step. Moments later ergo does the same. I poke and prob the aged weretiger as he grumbles. “Oh calm down Bladly. Well find you a wig later.” I flourish my dagger in my free hand as I glare straight at him. “No need. I can always use the spare form the rug I plan to make. There’s always more then one way to skin a cat.” I smile at him. This shuts him up for a time but it’s forgotten soon in his aged mind. The bald comments are harshing my vib. I can’t even hum thanks to Hans. The crazed old real Miles I’m also not a fan of. Too much gibberish. We find a pair of graves outside, one for this Nuala the witch and the other I don’t have a clue. Looks like whoever rested here isn’t resting so peacefully after all and has gone for a walk. Borrowing the invisibility ring thanks to Lyons sheath rotting away I scout the area and find more juju zombies and a hoard of half undead creatures fixing the mansion. Come to think of it the mansion has also aged. How the f*** long were we trapped down there!? We decide the scenic route is the way to go. Zinny nearly got crushed again when out of no where an undead knight riding a skeleton horse blazes on by and runs into the swamps. Well I couldn’t thank him enough for drowning himself. I have no patience currently for distractions. Everyone seems to be sharing my sentiments. Jokes aside I suspect that’s this is going to be the first of many encounters. New depressed Nylen nearly gets himself killed. We find obvious monster tracks and he rushes right on in. He’s still got it even when he’s hopelessly lost in despair. He cut down a troll as it suddenly appears in front of us very dead while I drops to the mud. A hive of activity erupts and we all stagger back. There all invisible! “Run! Bloody sweet hells! Get back!” I drag Aevlin with me as the rest follow, the dead troll is moved by unseen companions and it begins to wake just as we make it back to the castle. “Hot damn! Sweet Asomdius! That was close! I think I like my odds with the undead better.” Least we have clerics who can turn and destroy them I think to myself. Ergo wishes to light a fireball under their a*** so who am I to tell him no so I hand over the ring. It’s only when we see the mushroom cloud I realize too late the horror-able mistake we made letting the frail, forgetful wizard do first as the undead shrieks dully vibrate in my dead ears.
Jaris FJ
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Post by Aileen on Oct 19, 2020 21:59:59 GMT -5
Ergo escapes the juju zombies but leads them back to us. They’ve got bows! Glorious bows! I’m ready for a brawl but Zinnie and Hans turn them, and they run. I have two options- we leave and spare our lives from these wretched things, and I lose out on getting a bow and regret it forever... or I can be stupid.
Stupidity always wins. I run after them, springing along in my boots, and soon catch up. I hit one, and the rest turn back around. Guess they’re not scared anymore, and now it’s me and a group of zombies. Alone.
I’m nearly torn to shreds, but I keep fighting, and it pays off. When the others finally arrive they find me surrounded by the bodies of the zombies, already helping myself to a bow and arrows.
“I got us weapons!”
“That you did, my dear wife.” Comes a voice from invisible space.
“Ah! Ghost!”
We gear up and move out, walking and walking and walking. We fight frogs, and find villages of half-undead that shoo us out. That night we camp in the marsh, and are attacked by giant bats. I apparently slept through them getting there and woke up to Ogden unconscious. Grabbing my sword I jumped into the fray. Jaris and I took them out, but not without all of us being injured. Sleep was hard to come by after that.
The next day we find much of the same, and Jaris decides to go check one of the villages to see if we can find a place to stay. Clearly camping is too dangerous. He comes back a minute later saying the citizens, though they look half undead, completely ignored him. So we enter. All is well until we get to the middle of town and an old stringy haired woman orders they attack us, and then turns into a f***ing Naga. Ergo fireballs he.
I remember my time in the lair of the Reptile God, that horrid Naga, so very fondly. Something sparks in me and I find myself jumping over the throng of townspeople, shooting the naga, and then jumping again and again until I’m closer. Several shots later, she dies, and the townspeople stop attacking. I take its cloak and leave the rest for the others, heading toward a hut that appears to have been hers. Ergo comes up behind me, and we enter. Bodies, torn apart and desiccated on a table. They’ve been dead a while.
We search the place and find a chest, which Jaris checks against his will and deems not trapped. Zinnie goes to open it when Jaris won’t, and immediately tentacles shoot out. They attack all of us, and only Zinnie is grabbed. We hack away at the tentacles and soon destroy them all and destroy Zinnie who seems pretty nonchalant about it.
“Dwarf mischief!” He grumbles.
We move the bodies outside and burn them and the naga, then camp in the hut. I’m exhausted and feeling closer and closer to death each day. We are searching for Eylea, and can only hope we reach it alive.
🐅 Aevlin
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Post by dragonforgotten on Nov 3, 2020 1:51:47 GMT -5
Well ergo lived through that. He lead the zombies straight to us while I’m desperately trying to hold onto this armor. Once the juju zombies are turn i expect it to be the end of that. Oh how wrong I was. The moment they start running Aevlin blinding right after them alone! Gods damn! Why! Why must she worry me so much! Why won’t she never look before leaping and chasing!? Does she not care how scared she makes me? I have complete faith in her but I was shaken when I nearly lost her again at the castle and with her being so vulnerable currently I’m afraid I’ll lose her again. We all hobble and jog as fast as we can but by the time we get there she managed to kill the zombies herself and is equipping their bows. I’m sweating and wheezing as I hold her armor. “Why do you never wait!?” I cry to her, gasping for air. I look around the corpses with resignation. “Not that you needed us anyway.” I chuckle. Suddenly she turns to me snarling, exposing her teeth growing to fangs and her eyes becoming slited. I cower under her gaze, feeling the terror of what happened to my aunt. She won’t eat me, will she? We love each other? I love her. She knows this. She knows my fears. Why does she continue to hurt me? Despite my thoughts I still glance at a decaying tree wondering if I could make it before she tears out my throat but whether stubbornness or love I remain rooted. I drop the armor holding my hands ups “Now, now, I meant no offense. Just calm down.” It seems to make her angry her and I can’t help myself when I hide behind depressed Nylen who’s sitting in the mud. I guess my pathetic display work something in her because she finds the strength to calm down and returns to normal. “Why are you still carrying that around? Leave it here.” She asks me glancing at the chain shirt in the mud “It’s your armor. You’ll needed it.” I tell her and I can see her eyes soften. “It’s just slowing us down Jaris. It’s not worth keeping anymore. Not with time against us.” I look back to the armor and sigh. “Alright.” We continue into the swamp. She starts getting confused on some points so I have to hold her hand and guide her as she almost wonders off twice. We run into villages run by more half undead peasant. Such a backwater hick country; I think to myself as she press on. Night falls over us just as we reach the next village but the b******ds won’t let us in so we are forced to find a dry spot of marsh and bed down in the darkness. It all goes to s*** from there. I’m awakened to dull screams in the air. Bats! Monsterious, man sized bats! They got the drop on Ogden and now we are left in serious trouble. I expand, Standing besides a sleeping Aevlin as I hack away at the animals but they might as well be devils. They won’t die! I’m hitting them with the force of a frost giant and they still won’t die! Even with everyone fighting and Aevlin now awake and joining in late they still won’t die but they certainly are doing a number on us! I’m feeling my strength fading! It’s only thanks to ergo, Zinny, Hans and everyone distracting and taking hits that I’m still able to fight. Then hope emerges. I sweep Lyon upwards and I cleave a bat in to. They start to fall one by one and the pericing screams of the bat finally fade to silence. We all stand there over the bodies gasping and wounded, looking at each other white as ghosts, whiter in some of our cases. That was close. Too close. We got lucky tonight. I don’t like relying on luck. My clan knows better. Luck is cruel and fickle, a double edge sword that doesn’t care if you live or die. I can only hold Aevlin in my arms as I help her back to bed. Ergo joins her other side and I feel the urge to kill him again but I push it away. Without him everyone would have died. I’m too old and tired for this. Just tonight I’ll put up with his bull****. There’s bigger things to worry about such as reclaiming our youths before we faded to dust or something. ————
We make good progress. I’ve taken to scouting again as we reach a new village. It had more of those juju zombies so we decide to press on. I’m starting to worry we’ll have to camp in the swamp again when a new village emerges. I check it and so far there are no zombies. Returning I give everyone a look. “We can’t continue like this. We need a safe place for the clerics to pray and us to heal.” There’s a murmur of agreement and a few thoughts of worry which has itched the back at my mind as well but we don’t have a choice. We’re all in agreement that we will not camp in the swamps again if we can help it. I volunteer to be the face of our group as I walk into the village visible. As I suspected. Just like the rest of the people in these hovels these werid inbred hicks do not care about us and I’m willing to not care about them as long as they leave us be. Unfortunately they don’t. As the rest of the gang follows me into the village they all begin to come out of there homes, stop what they’re doing and cut off the exit to the village. A robbed figure then appears amongst them. Great. Just great. Why is it always too good to be true. “Capture them my pretties! Capture them!” The hooded woman shrieks as the villagers begin to descend around us. Aevlin begins filling her with arrows as she jumps over the crowds heads, I escape in a opening amongst the throng of people, dagger ready and half dead as I skulk my way towards her. The figure pulls her hood down revealing a serpentine head as the rest of my friends gasp. What’s there problem? She stares at Ergo but he shakes whatever she tried to do to him and lights a fireball under he a***. The arrows are still flying, the fireballs and cone of cold are going off. Just as I make it to Aevlin she’s killed the snake woman. “Oh my gods we’re free! Ahhhh!” I turn back to see some of the villager die and freeze into statues while the rest bolt for there homes and lock their doors. Oops. Guess they were charmed. Aevlin immediately takes the cloak and drape it over her shoulder, rushing into the leaders tent while I follow behind. Good f***king lord my aged heart is beating way too fast. No more! For the love of god I’m going to have a heart attack if these near death experiences continue! It’s a mess inside. There’s bodies everywhere and a chest. I’m not able to unlock it due to not having my tools. My perfect theives tools now rusted away. Gods why do you torment me like this!? I don’t find any traps but I’m not not keen on opening it right now. I just want everything to slow the f***k down. Everything happening far to fast and I just want to sleep! But no. Zinny opens the chest and I’m nearly strangled by black tenticales which vanish seconds later and bruise my aged skin. That’s going to swell tomorrow. The chest has some goodies inside and the tents got a few magic bows and a magic long bow. Drat. I know Aevlin has been wanting a magic short bow for the longest time . It’s her birthday tomorrow but I can’t give her anything in this damn swamp! Besides I think the only thing she wants is her youth back. Then at last! Finally! We settle down and bed for the night. We wake in the morning and are finially healed, fed and rested. Hans thinks he’s pretty funny in his old age, he created old people food for us. Soft and easy to chew even for ergo with his three teeth. Well he is pretty funny. It cracks a smile on my face. Nylen is still as depressed as ever. His mood is killing mine. We need to fix him fast. “Aevlin.” I reach out for her hand and look into her eyes. “Happy birthday love.” I tell her. I want to kiss her but I’m not sure if she’d appreciate that considering how lucid she’s been as of late. She simply smiles back. “Thank you.” I smile back at her then a new person joins in on us just as we are about to head out back into the swamps. We kill some frogs but nothing of note today, thank the gods!Something strange is going on. We all start to notice as we walk and dusk falls. The full moon no where to be seen and Ergo and Aevlin haven’t changed. In fact she didn’t change when we were fighting the bats and both her and ergo were getting hurt by them. She admits that she can’t see in the dark anymore. Ergo and Aevlin have stopped looking at each other. As we were walking she reaches out subtly and I let her take my unseen hand. I squeeze it feeling some life come back into me. I can’t help the smile. Is it too soon to hope this part of the nightmare has ended? The night comes and the beast still hasn’t emerged as we bed down and tuck her into her bed roll before laying besides her. I wake up the all this hoopla to find the new guy has been eaten by a giant snake Ogden and the rest had killed. Wow, that’s disconcerting. I didn’t even hear it sneak up on us. Your sacrifice is noted brave club fighter.
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The walk is hard on these old bones. We might as well be zombies the way we groan and shuffle about through the swamps, powered only on determination and spite. I want to scream when we reach the river again but then we have to turn BACK around since we went the bloody wrong way and need to follow the road to across to the other bloody side! Least ergo magiced the chest away back to salt marsh. There’s a plus if we live long enough to see salt marsh again. We can see the castle in the distance and our hopes come out but then crazed miles gasps, clutching his chest then drops like a sack of potatoes into the mud. “Whelp. That’s a suprise. Thought that would be me first.” Then the corpse twitches, growing younger till a restored dead Miles appears before us. Ummmm, I don’t think heart attacks are suppose to do that. Then he starts withering away again. It lurches, arising again with a evil smile as a juju zombie. Or that. I’m not a medic but I don’t think that’s normal. Zombie miles survives a second before we leap upon him and rip him apart limb from limb. When he no longer rises from the ground again we apologize to the poor man before casting him into the swamp. We all look at each other, the same though in our minds. If we don’t undo what’s been done to us we’re next. Approaching the gates I remain silent as the gang tries to talk there way inside. I wasn’t holding any breath that they’d believe us but I was hoping they’d Atleast let homeless old beggars inside. Turns out they won’t. I’m starting to scan the walls of the gates, judging how fast I can sneak over them and lower a rope over. A new twist reveals itself as a familiar ally makes his appearance again and after much squinting he believes us! We’re quickly shuffled along to his digs. I help Aevlin sit by the fire before collapse into an arm chair with a weary sigh as our friend recounts the events that happened. It turns out it’s our bloody fault, or atleats our clone. They came back and liberated a very guilty clone mikes and thus our dear friend Clorvatos has taken the fall. He’s going to be doing the gallows jig by sunrise unless we break him out of prison. “Do you happen to have a theif amongst you?” I nearly choke on the ale I had helped myself to. Good lord, could it be? Is it truely so? Am I needed!? I try to clean out an ear, hoping to gain more clarity in his muffled words. “What?” “I said is there a theif in your motley group?” So I did hear it right!! Play it cool Jaris. No need to get over excited and dropped dead of it. I rise a short hand. “Present. What’s the lay out of the place? I need all the details.” He then lays it on me. Tricky job being that the barracks are located right next to it. Difficult but not impossible. “I need a partner.” I mumble, my eyes glazing over to Nylen. Stuffy Nylen? Hmmm, he will work. He’s quiet and that’s key. Can he think on the fly? Pretty confident there. Can he swallow his lawful habits for the sake of freeing a innocent man? Pretty good for him. I hook him by the arm with my own. “Whelp! Let’s get started!” I cackle feeling 300 years younger. I point to our new friend. “I’m going to need tools my good man, and a few other things if you please.” As time ticks away we take positions near the prison on ground zero. Me and Nylen both vanish from sight while the party awaits for our return either with more details should things grow sour or us with our boy. We creep upon a group of guards drink and gambling as we creep into the room. I go to the lock, careful to make a little notice as possible. When I hear that satisfying click of the tumblers releasing I look back at the guards, waiting. I need a distraction if the door is going to open. Nylen catches on fast for a non theif. He knocks a mans drink over and they begin yelling at each other, giving me the chance to open the door and sneak in. One metal door later and we find one more man, a crazed looking individual who’s chatting up his ears like old drinking buddies. He stinks to high heaven. I give up a wide birth as I begin to pick the second lock. “Wait!” I freeze in place, glancing at the rat man. His eyes are narrowed and focus. “Something is not right here.” I can feel the sweat in drown my neck as I try not to breath. “You didn’t file my taxes!” He accuses one of rats and restarts his triade. With a breath I open the lock and side into the room with the holding cells. We find our man trying as hard as he can not to stand in the muck of his cell, looking as despontent and depressed as nylen. “So is it time?” He asks not look at us. “Not necessarily.” Nylen reveals himself dramatically. “Who are you?” “It’s us.” I reveal myself next and colvatos squints. “Again, who are you?” “The man who eddicate you insulted.” His eyes widen. “It is you!” He exclaims with enlightenment. “What? Yes! It’s me a***hat!” I reply trying to knock the fuzz out of my ears. “But how?” I shrug. “Long story. Clones, witch. Point is we’re breaking you out.” His brows furrowed and he cups his ear. “What!?” “We are here to-.” “What!? I can’t hear!!” “We’ve come to save you!” I flinch as I feel like my voice travels and bounces forever off the stone walls. I turn to Nylen. “Ok we got him. I’m thinking make him invisible and hope no one is any wiser.What’s your thoughts?” Nylen shrugs at me. “Works for me, make him and invisible and walk out.” “Brilliant!! But then again what about the crazied prisoner near us. He’s going to be loud the moment he notices his cell mate is gone. Then there’s the noise. We’re quiet but Corvados is going to kick up a lot of noise. I know! We scar him quiet then walk out and-.” “Jaris. Your overcomplicating the plan. It was fine before. Well just pass the ring around while you open the doors. I rub the back of my neck. “Oh. Yaaa I guess I’m over thinking things... again.” We put the plan into motion and it goes swimmingly. We leave no traces behind us and return to the group with not only Corvados but also took a detour and got all of his stuff along his with ear horn which I help myself to when he starts muttering. “It does not feel right running about in the dark like a theif in the night.” I laugh. “Just be glade your not doing the hang mans dance tomorrow like a caught one.” I jest as the party comes back into view. I reappear arms out. “Look who we have.” Everyone turns except for Aevlin who someone taps her shoulder and turns her in my direction. We both reach each other and wrap each other in our arms. “I hope I made you proud.” She smiles at me and it melts my fragil aged heart. “You did.” I run my fingers through her hair but we have to return to our mission. We part, scurrying over the walls of the city and we really do make out like theives in the night as we return to the swampy hellscape. I hate the swamps but man my hearts still racing from the entire experience of stretching my thieving skills. Brings back fond memories of breaking my brother out of jail. Makes me feel 300 years younger again.
Jaris FJ
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Post by dragonforgotten on Nov 21, 2020 14:17:16 GMT -5
the first day of being wanted criminals in this back water country and we already stumble upon foot soldiers of Elyea lead by an impressive dwarf. I know one thing for sure. I’m not going to be Locke duo by some backwater hicks without a fight. We clash in a bloody fight. It becomes quickly apparent that we are not fighting normal beings as when they die they disappear in a flash of light. Me and Nylen exchange a few words between each other, the both of us haven reach the conclusion that maybe these things are duplicate. If they are may the gods help us. Hours pass by uneventfully as the fog rolls along in this frozen. The sun dips low in the sky once more, I feel myself grow easy. I don’t want to camp out in the damn swamps again. Not since the damn bats and the snake. In our travel the sun is burning a bright red when we find a pond filled with crystal in water. While I was helping Aevlin over a large fallen tree I spy a familiar, elegant bird across the pure waters. “Aevlin, look.” I nudge her pointing to the bird. “It’s a blue heron.” A ghost of a smile pulls along the corners of her lips. “Ah I remember.” Her smile falls as she runs her hand along her face. “I was so beautiful.” I take her hand in mine and turn her to face my eyes. “You still are, my heron.” I tell her, wiping a stray tear from her face. The bird takes off during our conversation. We travel further down along the waters edge in silence. Just as the sun is about to set the heron reappears and transforms into a beautiful naked woman appears to us. “Good evening venerable ones.” I have to ask for a repeat as my ears fail me but I still find myself looking around only to remember she’s talking about us. S***. “Oh you poor dears look so tired. Why don’t you come back to our lodge with me. We shall care for you and keep you safe from the ****.” “The what?” “A terrible monster dear. It lives in these waters. We will keep you safe and warm.” I’m hesitant to follow them. My track for scary underwater ladies is very high but I’m too old and tired and terrified of the swamp. I’ll take my chances with the bird women. Their home is not in the water like I though it would or a nest, it’s a large wooden lodge by the waterside. The moment we step inside we are swarmed by her sister, each more beautiful and flawless as the last as they care and dote on us. They try to pull my hood off my head to see if I’m injured and I tighten the strings around it in rebellion. They hover around Aevlin as they comb her white hair with a fish bone brush. “you must have been so beautiful dear someone did you wrong!” I bristle hearing there words and pull her away from them against my chest. “She still is. She will always be beautiful.” They coo and aww at us. “Oh you must truely love her.” “I do. She is my wife. I’d go through hell and back for her.” I snort feeling self righteous as the bird woman all gush at my declaration. They seat us at the table and serve us all stew and potatoes. We learn that she saw a group of men in a similar state to us carted off later that day deeper into the swamps to the vipen slow by a group of orgers. They apparently work for this hag, acting as this kind of disturbed family. So far all our clues lead to that place. We need our clones soon. They also warn to stay away from this lands type of swamp cows since they are very aggressive. The good meal and days of travel hits hard on all of us. I can feel myself sink into the chair and are escorted to a pair of soft feathered beds. The ladies are very kind. They lead me and Aevlin to a larger bed and soon we land softy onto the sheets. I sit in bed helping Aevlin out of her worn adventuring cloths but I delay taking my hood down. “What’s wrong?” I sigh. “Im ashamed Aev...” She tuts and I feel her hands reach to my hood and lower it as my ears flinch against my bare head. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. Not with me.” I take her hand. “I need to know. The curse seems to be gone. Aevlin... do you still love me?” “Of course! I never stopped loving you!” I sight, the weight lifting off my chest, I squeeze her hand. “I never lost faith, i could see you fighting it. See how it was changin you. I felt desperate and angry. I felt more like I was dying each day just as I am now but not I don’t feel like I’m decaying even if my body is. I knew you would defeat the beast.” She squeezes my hand. “I love you as well. I’ve always loved you.” “I’m sorry I was jelious.” I tell her. “I’m sorry I hurt you.” She tells me resting a hand over my heart as I sigh in content. With the weight off our shoulders we crash into the pillows while I pull the comforter over our brittle bodies. “Sleep well love.” ——
We leave bright and early, back to the swamps with our aching bones and leaving the lodge far behind us after a pleasant breakfast. Im still amazed it was pleasant. Normally water woman try to charm and eat us, guess the bird veriety are friendly. The March is long be soon the vipen slo appears through the mist. As suggested we avoid the cows and it’s werid caretaker. I manage to spy the ogers in there little hut. I bring up the idea that maybe we should get the jump on them now rather then wait for then to charge in to help there hag leader and it is agreed upon though the plan starts to go wrong. Very wrong. I weave between massive limbs, cutting down tendons so I can slit there throat in a deadly dance while everyone hacks and weaves through the blows. We manage to kill all of them but before we can catch our breaths hideous giants begin to appear with a black horse bathed in flames and spitting suffer races there the night sky right at us. It all happens so fast. In a blink of an eye the giants are ripping into us. Nylen takes on the evil horse, getting burns and blugeon but in one strike a arrow buries into its skull and it plummets to the ground like a dying star. Ogden slices into a giants eye as they- she screames in rage and agony. “You took me eye!” It then becomes clear! The hag! She’s polymorphed herself! This is getting bad! I need more power if I’m going full tilt. I focus and feel myself expand but watch in horror as Hans crumples to the ground. All the blood pools from my face and my heart stops. “Hans!” I look between him and the witch and in the end I have to turn my attention from him and charge the witch. It was invain though. She pulled some trickery and summoned up a massive fog cloud. By the time it’s gone the giants and witch are gone and we are left defeated and half dead. It turns out I was wrongs. I go to Hans side expecting him to pop back up and rack me over the coals for taking so long but he doesn’t. He remains still, cold as ice as we all being to panick. Hans! I’m sorry! Why am I always too late! I can feel the tears but at my eye. “Nylen! The potion! Get the potion!” Hope cokes back to me. I don’t question aevlins thought. I know what she’s talking about. Roughling though his bag I find it and ran it back to her as she practically forces the entire bottle down Hans throat. When nothing happens I can feel the weight of despair press down on me. Least till he begins coughing! We help him sit up as he feebly grabs onto us. “What happened.” “You were dead Hans! You were dead!” Aevlin sobs as I help drag the man and the rest of our injured or unconscious friends into the massive hut. I begin ruffling around. Searching for something, trying to make myself useful as I wonder. Did Hans see that place. I can’t say. I haven’t worked up the nerves to speak about his death. I fear he may resent me for not being quick enough. I’m shocked that I do find somethings. Potions and a good amount of gold. Amazingly there healing potions. It seems the gods haven’t foresake us yet. Patching up and planning our course we decided it’s better to keep moving. We are running out of time. Each day my hearing weakens and I grow weary and sluggish. Not knowing how much time we have left is frightening. We comb the island to find a rotted tower and a cave underneath it. This appears to be were the hag lived as we explore the tower and the cave with the obvious stable for the nightmare. We also find grizzly remains of the eyla guards who were cloned. They are restored to there real age but they are all doing the hang man gallows. I don’t wish that fate upon anyone. Explore the hags lair we stumble upon some cryptic writing written in blood on the walls. Why is it always blood. Guess I can be thankful it’s not anything else. Aevlin drags me other to it and i expect to not be able to read it. “Aev, i may be old now but there’s no way I can-.” I freeze dead in my tracks as my eyes glance over the writing again. “Holy s***. I can read it. It’s Annis hag.” “You can read Annis!?” “And you never told me!” Aevlin shouted as I fiddle with my hands. “Well, it never came up. I can read brial after all. I can’t give away all my secretes after all love, would ruin my mystic. There your job to find them out anyway. Now let’s see here.” I inspect the writing, or the bits I can understand and immediantly it’s caught my attention. So nuala and the hag are working together to conquer eyla. Could that be were she took our clones. God I hope so otherwise we are out of leads. Soon I’m picking through the locked boxes of the hag and find money, gear, two vails and a potion. The gnome is curiosa about the bails but when we inform him this type of stuff may be topical rather then ingested he decides to try one of the 8 potions. As I’m pocketing the vails I’m stunned. The gnome begins to grow younger till he is restored! Oh sweet lords youth potions! Immediantly everyone begins to chug theres but I simply hold onto mine. Its funny. Despite my aged state I’m still hoping and fearing for the future. These don’t come around often and Aevlin won’t be around forever. I can deal being this old. I need to save as much of these as I can. I don’t want to be left alone again. “Jaris drink your potion.” Beautiful Aevlin yells but her voice rings soft in my dead ears. “No. I’m going to save mine.” “Jaris no! You don’t need to stay this old. We all drank it. You should to!” “I’m fine! Leave me be!” Apparently no is a crime these days. Immediantly she snatched the bottle from my hand. Before I know it she has me pinned against the floor, too weak to fight her off. I stare into her eyes feeling feeble and helpless and tired as I struggle. With her teeth she pops the cork off. Terrified that if I struggle Ill spill it I stop fighting and she forces it down my throat. The effect is immedaint. I feel my strength flow through me again. When the process is over I’m left slick with sweat and my hair falling into my eyes once again. It also become more apparent of the fact that Aevlin is sitting on me and I shake my head in denail. Loving and hateing the fact that I’m young again. “Stupid, stupid! That was for you!” I cry out. “I didn’t need it! I’ll live hundred of painful years but you-! I didn’t need it! Foolish country girl! You wasted it! How-!” She silence me with a kiss and I melt into her touch and return it with equal passion that was lost on me in my aged state. When we part I’m breathless. She simply creases my face. “Well find more. I couldn’t let you do this to yourself.” I just can’t stay mad at her no matter what she bloody does. I just wish she didn’t do that. Such a waste. The chest is full of spoils but ergo can’t magic it away like he did before so we are forced to collect anything we can and move on. A few hours in the swamp, night falls and gradually return to our cursed shriveled forms. Gods damn! I knew this would happen but I doesnt make it any better. We’re attacked by this terrible swamp monster ok our way back to the lodge, the one the swamp woman warned about and we kill it. They come out of there house and dote on us again. I keep having to shout to hear myself speak and the ladies keep trying to calm me and touch me with aggravates me more. They are starting to get on my nerves. They don’t even believe me when I tell them we were young minutes before the swamp monster attacked. The night passes uneventualfully and I can get out of there fast enough.
Jaris FJ
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Post by Chris on Dec 2, 2020 12:35:40 GMT -5
Storms frequently blow in from the Cloudscape Mountains, but never one like this. For weeks it has hung over the peaks, casting its dark shadow across the land. Its huge black clouds billow and writhe in an effort to smother the sun. Once so picturesque and enchanting, the Cloudscape Mountains have taken on a sinister appearance.
Fear now stalks the land. A malignant entity is growing and festering high in the mountain peaks. With dark tendrils it reaches out towards the lowlands. No one is safe, caravans are not arriving at the village of Lurneslye. It is only a matter of time before the villagers fall prey to the dark and the evil they conceal.
Powerful adventurers are urgently sought to banish the darkness. The sun must again shine in a clear blue sky and soon. Once the dark clouds have fully gathered, who knows what may be unleashed across the land?
For this adventure, please choose 1 of your characters to participate, if you control more than 1.
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Post by dragonforgotten on Dec 8, 2020 2:14:12 GMT -5
I saw an omen today. My old eyes must be deceiving me or perhaps this is a sign from my ancestors. I could have sworn I saw a black dragon fly over head but maybe it’s just me. I soon realize it wasn’t. We stubble upon a feild of carnage. The dead half melted. I have to adjust my collar to feel the need to breath again. A few hours later I’m given a painful reminder. I’m run through my a group of undead knights. Pain, so much pain. Leave it to me to stand In The wrong place while undead soldiers. It should have been the end of me but thank Oli for clerics. Why must I continue to experience this pain again and again due to my misfortune. Why am I constantly near death!? Wait... I squint and it hits me in the face. It’s f***ing nylen. He’s in purple! The b******ds! How long and how did I not notice!? Wait. Everyone has some form of purple on them except for Aevlin. God.. damn... no bloody wonder. I can’t be more thankful to Aevlin when she was sane for helping me over come my issues. We move one. The closer we get the haunting melody of a panio organ hums through the winter air, bringing on thoughts of ghosts that may haunt these swamps. Make taking the back seat in a horse with Aevlin till we find a strange cat that understand common but isn’t a cat, dispite looking like a simple cat. As the castle appears into the mist it’s obvious things have gone very wrong. Undead now guard the gates all around. Thankfully our née furry friend knows where our allies hide and we manage to infiltrate the conquered city. The cats runs off into the night while we discuss tactics and what has befallen the city. While we were gone our clones and the witch returned with a hoard of undead, monster and two dragons. The city quickly fell in the wake of destruction and the only ones who have survived are the ones who have sided with the witch or have been drained just as we have. Seeing what needs to be done I scouted the city. Like a shadow against the wall I not only confirm where all our clones are located but I found the witches rooms and brought back her dress to show Aevlin. Too bad my memory and vision failed me because when it comes into the light to show her it’s barely what you could call a dress. It’s disgusting and I can see Aevlin feels the same distaste for it. So much for that as a birthday present. Though I don’t think she’s in the mood to be reminded of her age currently. With our small resistance force between the heroes of salt marsh and the clerics of Eyla and there magic cup we heal and begin to plot the witches end. We set forth a plan and one by one the clones being to fall to us and our youth and vigor returns. Soon only mine and Gravins the dagger gnome is left standing with his army of clerics. A cloud kill from ergo makes quick or of then but as expected I don’t go down easily. The dog who abandoned his wife uses every trick I employ to elude attacks. It’s only when he tags Hans and severely injuries him are we able to end him and I feel a rush of strength return to my veins. I push my hood back, running my hands along my unwrinkled skin and through my thick hair and almost want to weep from relief. Were young again! We’re all young again! My celebrations are cut short though. Or assault didn’t go completely unnoticed. A massive black dragon bursts forth from the citidal and we are forced to retreat inside a building to recuperate and plan again. It obvious what we must do. With the witch to return tomorrow we must slay the dragon and set a trap for her in the court yard. I reconfirmed the dragons location. He’s harassing one do the clerics who trapped at the organ, playing for a amused dragon as it spits acid around him . We rush to leave but before that Ergo wishes to haste us. I rest my arm on Aevlin shoulder and she looks into my sorrowful eyes confused. “Please don’t.” She only smiles at my mournfully expression, covering my hand with her own. “We must.” I sigh feeling strained. I can not fight her on this. She has made up her mind and I trust her. Ergo casts his spell as we gasp in discomfort. My hair grows longer as a year flies by within seconds. We kick the door and watch as arrows and lightening rain down upon the dragon. Imagined my first encounter like the stories one of my ancestors had against there evil color but this was very anticlimactic. The dragon is roasted completely though before I even have a chance to blink. So much for making them proud. We find loot with the citidal and prepare for the final encounter with the witch. Unfortunately for the organ player we have him play just alittle while longer. Atleast long enough to advert surviving eyes off the church. We couldn’t be more thankful. I pass long the last healing potion to Zinny just as the dawn of the next day breaks. We wait. Hidden behind pillars in the court yard when we see her, see them. The dragon alights within the courts grounds followed by demon hounds, her juju zombies attendants and at last the witch astride a nightmare huffing fire and smoke in its wake. We make our move. Arrows fly, fireballs ignite as I dash, skidding for cover behind a pillar as I make my way to the dragon to stab it in the throat. It’s dead before I can reach it but not to worry, there is more to stab. The witch unmounts her hellion who charged Nylen. She does some magicing and is gone in an instant. I’m worried by these change of events but I can do nothing about it. I’ll have my chance to crave my wraith out for her but first I need to save our elven fighter against the horse who’s alittle busy fending off a feisty gnome. The hounds yowl but they do not disconcern me. Ive heard far to many spin chilling screams to get the better of me but that’s not the same for some. Zinny bolts, right into the arms of the orger patrol and Hans with Ogden are drawn away to save him. The hell horse is damn crafty then it should be and it’s smoke burns my damn corneas. Gravin manages to split the damn thing with his daggers. Never seen a man that skilled with a dagger since that bard in training. Suddenly we see her again, the witch standing there so smug and self assured. He was pretty good as well. Me, gravin and Nylen rush the witch but then we notice Aevlin who had rushed in to face off against the zombies. She’s not doing so good so we jump to her aid. The fight is going well till that damn life stealing crone sends magic missiles straight into my wife. She drops like a lead stone and I am beyond enraged. I step to her but ergos voice rises up from the chaos. “Jaris! Focus on the enemies!” I snarl but can see his reason so I take my anger on the one who caused it just as she summons a swarm of shadow undead from her strange lantern. “You b***h!” I cry out and run. Hers eyes don’t leave me. I don’t know how she’s doing it’s but knowing I’m foiled I try and grab that infernal lantern, stop the undead, but my hands merely pass through it and her! Gods damn! Where is she!? I rush to the house but I can not find him. By the time I step out the situation has gotten worst. Nylen isn’t looking good and ergo has jumped into the fray. We’re are the damn clerics!? We need them now! I jump into the mess feeling the sting of the witches spells but not knowing we’re they are coming from. She tries to petrify me but I’m able to break away from the stony death, barely. Again and again I can feel her try to steal my years from me again and this in-sense me. How dare she try and steal them again. I kill a shadow but our odds look grim as the great Nylen finally falls. As hope seems lost there they are. The clerics and fighters rush the undead and are able to fight them and destroy them for good but the witch is still casting spells and she is still trying to steal my years from me. I can’t leave Aevlin out here. I scoop her up in my arms and rush for the building I lay Aevlin inside the house, safe from the battle outside, brushing the hair out of her eyes as I caress her check. “You stay here. It’s my turn to fight now.” I hold her hand, gently laying a kiss in her forehead before emerging into the creeping fog from the house into morning light. The dawn peers through the mist and everything is silent as our strong group of warriors and assholes have been whittled down to just Me, Zinny, Hans, and Ogden. No idea where the hell the witch is-. I gasp, feeling a force feeding off my life force. I growl, clench my teeth and push it away as a shrill shriek echoes in the bitter wind. “Give me your youth!” “F*** you to lady!” I scream pushing my hair out of my eyes. Is it getting longer? gos se, I don’t know how long I can fend her off. As we scatter to try and find the witch the sounds of iron hooves vibrate through the mist. It appears like a ghost. A familiar knight until a skeletal horse charges forward with crimson eyes. Holy crap he’s back to finish us off! I grabbed the the unconscious ergo, the semi least heaviest of the gang as I try to pull him away to safety. I expect the knight to cut me down but instead he stops before us, stepping down from his horse, his gaze fixed to the roof. Ogden strikes him but he doesn’t ever lift his gaze from the roof. Suddenly A old woman appears upon the rafters, her eyes wild with rage and fear. It’s her. Oh how unkind the years have been to her now that she has no one to drain. “You! It’s can’t be you!” He doesn’t answer. The undead knight approaches the building, neither of us stop him as we watch him drag two daggers behind to scale up the building. It dawns on me. “Hey! Do you need help?!” Wow I could t have said anything better? Of course I don’t get a answer. “I’ll take that as a yes!” I charge the building and instincts kick in. I scale up the side of the building like gravity can’t hood me down and easily reach the top of the roof. I hiss as once again I feel the hag pull on my Essenes. I snatch all of it back as she screams again. I strife forward, my eyes locked onto her with such contempt. No one besides the undead knight seem to be able to reach the top. It rests on my shoulders. Now. It is time to finish-. Suddenly I’m knocked to the ground. I Yelp in surprised as I feel the knight walk across my spine and step on my left hand. “Move it.” He says too late as he draws his sword and attacks the witch. Damn him. How firk! ding! blast!ing embarrassing. Just as I get to my feet I’m dropped to the floor as a bolt of lightening bounces off the witch, to the knight and finally hitting my square in the chest. I twitch and wraith on the floor, screaming and gasping in pain. I just want to lay here but I know I can’t. Everyone is depending on me. I must finish this even if it kills me. I stagger back to my feet, muscles spasming as I limp past the witch. She must have devil eyes for hers follow me as I draw her attention from the knight. I struggle with her. Trying to cover her mouth, ruin her spell manipulation but she is too slippery. But she’s distracted by me. As I’m trying to hold her still again and again she tries to drain my youth from me but I’m a stubborn bastard. She will not steal anything else from me, not even time I do not want. She’s so distracted in trying to desperately drain me that the knight cuts into her back. I’m barely hanging on. It’s become a monumental task in trying to remain focus while my eyes drop and my hands shake. In a blaze of rage i flourish my dagger and stab her in the gut with it, reappearing as Lyon follows, flowing like water out form his sheath as he buys into her shoulder. If I’m going down I’m determined to take her with me, invisible or not. A take my stance, perpared to die with the rise of the morning sun. But then she arrives. With the sun on her back she rises, practically flies with her arms spread like wings and glowing sword flashing in her hand. I watch her memorized, fascinated as she lands besides me, cutting a ugly long cut down her face. In the light Nualas true face is showing. What once was a beautiful woman has been reduced to a crone. A crone who fights alone. She reaches her shriveled talons out to Aevlin who gasps and trembles but her gaze burns into the witch, recovering fast as I can see she has also fought off her influence. We fight as one as it is meant to be. Aevlin aggressively slashes into her as the witch staggers. In her staggering i strike her weak points till she falls against the knight who pushes her to the ground. He holds his sword high and with a great roar thrusts it down through her heart. She begins to dissolve before us. Little by little she is reduced to ash and blows away with the gentle wind. The three of us stand stock still, side by side as we stare at the knight, wondering what he will do now that the time ravanger is dead. The knight wordlessly lifts his hands to his head and removes his great helm. Behind its dull metal a corpse stares back at us, his skin shriveled and gaunt. Pulled taint against his bones like dried canvas as his pericing red eyes peer from his sockets endless shadows. A glance so terrible it could freeze the souls of living but I stand unflinching into his face. I sense a kinship with him. It’s beginning to dawn on me that perhaps this was the man buried besides Nuala. Rughlor. He had something special with Nuala, I can tell. His eyes speak of great sorrow and rage and maybe in the far corners the faintest hint of devotion. Or atleats the husk of it. That has died along with his mortal life. Now only rage remains till now. The knight releases a great sigh, finally at peace as he takes the both of us in. “Thank... you.” In one great exhail he surcome to entrophy, crumbling into dust along with the wind. I watch the ashes fly to the sky, feeling elated as the sun warms my skin against the bitter frost, my hair flowing with the breeze as I push it out of my face with a smile. “At last.” I look to Aevlin to find her staring and my heart flutters like a bird in a cage trying to break free. I’m overwhelmed by my emotions. She’s so beautiful. Long flowing hair, the way the sun catches her eyes, all of her is a work of art. I feel like a teenager again in her presence. I open my arms, beaming. “We did it Heron.” Tears spring to both our eyes. She rushes into my arms and I swing her around in circles as we laugh at the world. When I rest her feet to the ground again I find myself wanting as I feel her again me. I lift her chin up, “You came.” “You needed me.” Her arms snakes around my waist, her other hand twirling the long lengths of my hair and we kiss. Truely the long night that I’ve endured for these past weeks has finally ended. My sun has returned in my hour of need. “Hey! Is she dead?” We break away breathless as Ogden’s voice echoes up to us from the ground. I’m blushing bad. “Umm. You should go check up on them. I’ll bring everything down.” She giggles pinching my ear. “Don’t think you’ve gotten out of this.” “I never thought I did.” ——
Life returns to the castle as the survivors pick up the peices. We sort though the looks and I come away from it with a new belt, one with lots and lots of pockets. I like pockets. I really do. Nylen nearly gave me a heart attack when I put it one. He told me there’s a belt that can change your sex without consent. That sounds like a fate worse then Death. He certainly has a way with scaring the gos se out of me. A night of partying and revelry is had, me and Aevlin get away to catch up on lost time. When dawn comes we go back into Eylas treasury to uncover the secrets to retrieve Nualas hidden treasure stash. One demon later and all the pieces stand together. Ergo summons the chest as I double check the chest itself. I don’t Find anything worrying. Ergo finds two spell books in the chest and attempts to open it only for it to blow up in our faces. The next book we treat with a lot more care and scrutiny the. Last time. My heart leaped up into my throat as Ogden pull out two potions, one of them a bright violet. He notices me visibly pull away and chuckles. “Do you want to try it out.” He jokes swirling the liquid as I scowl. “Hell no.” “I will.” I gasp at Aevlin. “Dear please! It’s the evil color! It’s a bad omen!” “I’ll be fine! You worry to much!” “Maybe I worry a- Ahh! F***!” I scream as Ogden suddenly buries his axe into my back with a sipped potion in hand. “What the f*** mate!?” I look into his eyes and I don’t like what I am seeing. Madness. There’s madness in his eyes. I take this as a sign. I vanish from sight as Zinny pulls out a scroll. Everyone gathers around him but before they can grab him a nightmare suddenly appears out of nowhere. Our group is forced to confront the nightmare as I realize what I must do. I grab onto Ogden and expand. I’m forced to kneel, my back pressed uncomfortably into the ceiling. Ogden tries to fight me and escape my grasp but I’m now far too strong for a normal man to break free. I hold him in place as the nightmare is delt with. When it’s dead chuckles and giggles go about the room as they look back at us. When the heal spell is complete and Ogden is back to his senses he looks up to me laughing. “How does it feel to be the big spoon there.” “Oh shut it.” “Oh come on Jaris. You know who’s the big spoon in our relationship is.” Aevlin jests as I go beat red. I snap back to my normal size and return to invisibility as I fuss and wait for my face to go back to normal, taking mental notes as the loot is spread amongst us. Soon it’s time to leave this hell scape called Eyla. As lovely as these people have been it’s now on my list of places to never see again after the days of swamp tracking and being old. We donate some of our spoils to there coffers as we head back into the road. I don’t know what the future holds for these people. My outlook is rather grim but Aevlin has hope that they will bounce back better then ever. I missed this so much. I missed this so much. I hold Aevlin hand as we leave form this swamp together with everyone. Adventures a waits us after all and I have a late birthday party to plan.
Jaris fj
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Post by Aileen on Dec 8, 2020 13:51:28 GMT -5
The Ffenargh is a nightmare I never want to revisit. I’m young again, finally, but everything we’ve gone through... I almost question if adventuring is something I want to continue. Of course, my skill with a bow and sword will always be needed, and I will continue to be of service... but never again will I take my life for granted. I want to grow old, naturally, and live a full life.
We defeated the black dragon, but of course there’s another one, flown off with Nuala. She’s expected to return soon, and we are setting up in the courtyard to prepare. At last the mist rolls back and down from the sky descends A nightmare, a dragon, a few Yeth hounds, a bunch of zombies, and that b*** Nuala.
Nylen and I kill the dragon, and then I run out to take on the zombies. Everything is great until they start clawing me, but I fight on. Young Nuala saunters closer, leering at me, and slams a few magic missiles into my chest just before the others rush her. The zombies tear into me, and I feel myself weakening until finally everything goes black.
—-
I wake up on the floor of a building with Zinnie holding a bottle to my lips. Sitting up in a panic, I realize the battle is no longer happening in the courtyard, but I can hear fighting overhead.
“Hey, Aevlin- think you can fight?”
I wiggle my appendages, and other than aching all over I seem to be in one piece.
“That’s my job, isn’t it?”
“Good! They’re on the roof!”
I run outside and with one giant leap get up to the roof, landing in view of a battle going on between Nuala, a guy that looks like the scary ghost man that almost ran over Zinnie, and my husband appearing and disappearing. I rush forward, sword held aloft, and attack Nuala.
I fight beside the creepy undead guy, slamming my sword into the wretched old hag over and over. She’s aging years and years before my eyes, and I can’t help but feel a sense of justice. The three of us tear into her, and she fights tooth and nail, but she’s losing. She grabs me, trying to suck my youth out of me, but I refuse.
Finally, the undead guy drives his sword into her chest, and screaming she turns into dust. I look up at Jaris, panting from exertion, and laugh. The undead guy turns to us, and even in his horrifying visage I see relief.
“Thank you...” he whispers, turning to dust. Finally at peace.
Jaris stares at me, wiping his dagger on his cloak.
“My lady,” he says with a smile and a nod.
I run to him, relieved to finally be done with this, and he swoops me into a kiss. I’ve hated him for so many weeks, and I know we’ve had a very strained relationship, but now that my curse is lifted and we are young again... maybe we can start over.
The next couple days we spend as highly esteemed guests of Eylea. I’m loving being young again and the hospitality, but I hate this place. The hazy memories of dying in the swamp, being a weretiger and lusting after Ergo, being 90 years old and losing my mind... yeah, I’m ready to leave.
We take out a guardian demon dog and bring Kilanos a superb owl talisman thing, and are given a password to Nuala’s very trapped treasures. Then we divvy up our treasure, give a generous donation to Eylea’s rebuilding, and get the hell out. On the road again, through the marshes, I’m happy to be returning home to Saltmarsh.
🏹 Aevlin
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Post by Aileen on Dec 15, 2020 13:21:17 GMT -5
Nine weeks of “training” fly by in the blink of an eye. I’m Lady Aevlin Baumann-Jörmungandr of Nyrond now, finally a title I deserve! There’s nothing the instructors could teach me I don’t already know, and most of the nine weeks was filled with learning about boring s*** like running a castle and taxes. The rest was spend in cocktail parties and polite duels between gentlemen. The boys stopped letting me fight them because they had reputations to uphold, and being defeated by a five-foot- nothing girl is demeaning, apparently.
I come home to flowers and gifts from my husband, and spend a nice week hanging out with the clerics, Ergo, Ogden and the crazy gnome. Jaris comes home, having done some nefarious things I’m sure, and we finally get to go on a date in town. It’s been a long few months with my tiger condition putting a strain on all my personal relationships, and me dying and both of us getting old... I’m happy to be the old Aevlin I used to be, just a little bit older and not a lot wiser.
As we are enjoying our R&R, some people from a far off town reach out to us asking for help with a bandit problem. Of course we agree to help, and leaving the Kord Scouts to watch the house once more (they took such great care of it when we were gone and even replaced all the booze), we head out to some place called Lurnsley to investigate why the merchants are disappearing.
Poor Jaris bought a cart and a keg for us to use, but then the guy he was going to hire refused to come with us under fear of being killed to guard it. So, halfway out of Saltmarsh we had to drain the keg with the help of some fishermen, and proceeded onward.
After an uneventful and pleasant travel other than the dark storm clouds rolling in, we get just outside the town of Lurnsley when we see a horse drawn wagon coming towards us. It’s a man and his wife and kids, and they seem nice enough if not suspicious people. The kids are giggling looking at us. A handful of us are very, very pale and white haired so of course we look strange, but the father says it’s because we are adventurers. He asks if we are going to the trial, which apparently we now are. There’s a feathered demon that’s been caught, and according to a post on a tree that the gnome reads to us it will probably be burnt on the stake. His crime, slinking and skulking.
“Not skulking! That’s horrible!” We all chorus.
“Sounds fun, we’re in!” Announces Graven.
Jaris pisses off the man by telling the kids that their father is a liar after he tells us there’s blood drinking demons skulking around, and they ride off in a huff. The woman glares at Jaris as they go.
“Nice going, dear.” I say.
“What? It’s true, he’s a liar! I owe it to the children to teach them!”
I roll my eyes and walk on. We get to the town and find it bustling with excitement. There’s vendors selling beer and cheese and fun things, and it smells really good. The gnome gets a whole wheel of cheese, and we head to the town square for the main event. As we get closer I can see a big red robed man pulling feathers and holding them up in victory. It’s nearly impossible to see over the crowd, and even more so to push through. But then I remember I’m an important adventurer. With one leap I get to the front of the pack, and now see a horrible plucked chicken man being tortured by the cleric. Tears roll down his face.
“Stop this at once!” I order. “I am Lady Aevlin or Nyrond, and... I don’t know if I have any jurisdiction here, but what you’re doing is wrong!”
“This is a demon! Are you in league with the demon, outsider?!”
“That’s no demon... demons can’t cry!”
Muttering goes through the crowd.
“Demons can’t cry? That... sounds plausible!”
“Yes, plausible!”
“If you burn it the demon will fly out and possess someone else!” Yells Graven.
“Possession? That’s plausible!”
The crowd is getting all riled up, but somewhere in the crowd a loud voice is calling for this Burkhart guy to stop. Unfortunately the crowd takes down a man in blue robes, and the shouting stops.
“You will not get in the way of the righteous!” Burkhart snarls at me.
Clerics brandishing holy symbols start approaching me from either side. I panic, drawing my sword. So this is how it’s going to go- I kill a few priests and save a chicken man?
“TRIAL BY COMBAT!” Calls the voice again. The blue robed man is back on his feet.
“This demon cannot fight,” says Burkhart. “And nobody in their right mind would fight for it, unless they be in league with the demon!”
“I’ll fight for him.” I say.
“You are in league with it, Pale One!”
“It’s not a demon! Crying, remember?”
“Very well, then. You shall be it’s champion. No magic weapons, no shields, no armor. Do you agree?”
“I guess? Yes.”
I’m submitted to the most invasive magic detection I’ve ever experienced after stripping down to barely anything and handing my gear off to Ogden and Jaris.
“I can fight, you’re going to get yourself killed!” Ogden whispers to me, handing me his non-magic longsword to use.
“I’m a Lady now, I need to earn my place! And that means standing up for the innocent,” I turn to Burkhart. “Who am I fighting, anyway?”
A massive brute of a man comes forth to the stage, shirtless and rippling with muscles. He carries a huge two-handed sword, and leers at me.
“Right... I’ll be fine, I’m sure. Is this to the death or unconscious?”
“Whatever you choose.” Says a cleric, stepping away from the combat area.
The whole crowd is watching, cheering on the big guy. I can barely hear my friends and husband cheering my name over them. The big guy shows off a little, flexing and getting the crowd going, swinging his huge sword around. I just stand at the ready, trying to remain calm. I’m tiny next to him, just a small woman without my armor... this should be fun!
He comes in, swinging high, and I dodge just in time to avoid being cleaved in two, but his blade tears into my side. Seeing an opening, I go for his legs.
The screams are horrible. The spurt of blood that shoots out at my face as the man’s leg falls to the ground, shortly followed by him crashing to the stage, are even worse.
“Ah! I’m so sorry!”
“AHHHHH YOU B****!”
Big man passes out, and the clerics drag him away leaving a trail of blood. One runs back and grabs the leg.
“Fine, you win,” Burkhart growls, before taking off after the others. “You’re bleeding all over the stage!”
I stand facing the crowd, holding my sword up in victory as they mutter and boo.
“Are you not entertained?!” I call.
They move on, angry that nobody got burnt. I feel a pat on my back, and find the blue robed man standing next to me.
“Well done, my dear!”
“Thanks!”
Jaris binds my wound as Zinnie sees to the bird man. He immediately wakes up, and excitedly tells us that he is an aarakroka and his people live in the clouds. We are told that a giant in a castle in the clouds attacked, and he wants our help to protect his people. Not demons at all!
We agree to help birdman and his people, and set off out of town with him and our new sky god worshipping friend Asdos. First stop, Addis’s shrine where we spend the night resting up and eating a nice home cooked meal.
“How are you feeling?” Jaris asks.
“I’m fine, Zinnie healed me.”
“You cut a guys leg off,” he smirks.
“He has another one!” I laugh. “I do feel bad. A little.”
“I’m sure they can reattach it. But he had it coming.”
The next morning we head out into the mountains. It’s a fairly nice walk, until we cross paths with a pack of 12 direwolves. Luckily, they’re no match for us. We kill them and investigate the dead horses and donkeys. So I guess the rumors of bandits and disappearances are true, but what or who is attacking? Surely not the wolves.
Moving on we encounter a rider heading our way, three mules in tow. Thank goodness he’s friendly, you can tell because he has a dog. The fur clad man introduces himself as Load and his dog Fuzz. He’s a trapper and making his way to Lurnsley, but he just came through Frangir Waystation up ahead. He warns us that the clouds are darker there and to be careful. He moves on, and we head the way he came.
When we arrive outside the gate, it is very clearly darker here and plumes of smoke rise up from the village. As we approach, a bell tolls, and a big troll pushes the gate open. The troll and three bugbears charge us, and we them. I take on the troll, nimbly dodging his blows as I hack at him. The boys take on the bugbears, and I have a feeling I’m just about to kill the ogre when my husband appears behind it, and it falls dead.
“JARIS WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!!!! He was mine!”
He simply disappears again as an ogre and four gnolls join the battle. Jaris goes to fight a gnoll by the gate, leaving me enraged to fight against the newcomers. Halfway through killing the ogre, the damned troll gets back up! So, Ogden and I go back to fight the troll. Zinnie kills the ogre, shocking even himself. He’s never been the best fighter, but he sure looks good doing it. The troll falls, we kill the others, and then it’s up again. The battle over for now, Jaris oils up the troll, and I take out some flint and steel.
“Here, Ogden,” I hand him the lit torch. “You do the honors, I know it’s your favorite.
The big fighter grins as he sets the troll aflame.
🏹 Lady Aevlin
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Post by dragonforgotten on Dec 16, 2020 1:22:38 GMT -5
I return home to my loving and beautiful wife alittle more wise and alittle more scared. It was definitely a learning experience these past nine weeks. Me and my merry band set up early this morning. Just as I finish loading up the new wagon my wife approaches me. “Jaris we can’t bring that.” My jaw drops. “But-. just-. Why!? It’s so helpful and I just painted it.” “I’m sorry love. We’re just going to end up leave it behind in the rush.” I visibly deflate with disappointment. She informs me that the coward I had spoken to help watch the wagon won’t do it. So no wagon. “Well then, only one thing left to do.” I climb into the wagon and roll out a barrel, sticking a tap into it as I pull down some flagons. “Better help me drink all this, cant have it going to waste with it just sitting here.” We drink and I toast her success at her new title, roping in some fishermen and a few scouts to share in it. We depart soon after, theres whispers of bandits nearly this backwater town and I sense a bussiness opportunity. Perhaps I can find men who will follow me as I try and establish myself. Trailing along the beaten pathway by foot and sleeping in nearby towns and inns to avoid the chill. A crossing along the old beaten road I spy the roiling angry storm heads over head, black and rumbling as I squint up to them with the ozone in my nose. Gravin sees a post on a tree and runs off to examine it just as a farmer riding along with his family in the back of the wagon. “Good day travlers.” “Good day. Where you traveling from?” I ask. They tell me the towns name, for the life of me I can’t remember but that’s Aevlins job to remember places for me. Apparently they caught a bird demon skulking and sneaking around town and now they are going to publicly put it to the flames. Wow, just like the cities Sunday hangings for theift and larceny. “What’s wrong with skulking?” I ask him. “Is it a crime now to skulk? Should people just shuffle now instead.” I ask with a hint of sarcasism. “It is when your a fiend! Good thing it was bloody caught” The farmer hisses. The gang asks the man questions, the kids giggle at the gnome. Disappointingly he hasn’t heard of any bandit attacks. Well that’s a dead end, oh well, might as well see what this lynching is like. Have been to a lynching in years. “So what does this demon look like?” Aevlin asks. “Oh it’s a terrible all right. It has great wings, the face of a parrot with a big hooked beak and great and terrible fangs jutting form it’s mouth.” While this man is going on in details my ear perks as I hear the children weep and my blood boils. How the firk! ding! blast! dare he. What right does he have to make them cry just to try and put the fear of devils in us and them. “Hey! What’s the matter with you!? Scaring your own damn children with tall tales!” I glance to the children. “Kids, your dads a lairer. You have nothing to fear. Whatever that is Proably isn’t as scary as he’s painting it.” “You calling me a lair!?” He shouts. “Yes that’s exactly what I’m calling you.” “Jaris!” I feel my wife’s hand rest in my shoulder as I feel myself lean forward to start up a argument. “I’m so sorry! He has father issues.” The farmer merely huffs and stirs his horse on, the wife and children staring at me till they dissapear over the horizon. Aevlin stares at me blushing. “Nice going, dear.” “What? It’s true! I owe it to the children to teach them! They don’t deserve to be scared out of there wits from tall tales.” She rolls her eyes and walks off. We make it to the town just in time for the burning. There selling a gos se town of food and drinks but I’m not feeling very festive considering the hanging of theives and criminals I’ve seen in my wondering and my moonlighting career. The show must be getting intense because the lynch mob is stirring into a rapid frenzy. Aevlin easily jumps to the front of the line while I push and shove my way through bodies. I can pick up Aevlins voice who’s calling for the execution to stop. I’m getting pissed being pushed around by the crowd. I manage to get into view as things begin to look bad. The featherless birdman is surrounded by armed guards, the gnome is working the crowd into a frenzy. I need to do something. So I try to hide amongst the people and vanish. Immediately the crowd panics. I realize my blunder just as a old preist wades to the front of the crowd. He stands by me begging to crowd for mercy on the bird mans behalf but no one is listening. He’s suddenly pushed to the ground by the frightened villagers, stomped upon till he stops moving. S***! I bend down to his aid and stop the bleeding in time, dragging him out of the crowd as he catches his breath. In the chaos I find that Aevlin has stepped forward to defend the birdman in a trail by combat. No magic or magic gear. Oh no. I reappear, helping the old man up. He struggles to his feet and shouted over the chaos.
“TRIAL BY COMBAT!” “This demon cannot fight,” says the a***hole preist demands. “And nobody in their right mind would fight for it, unless they be in league with the demon!” “I’ll fight for him.” Aevlin steps forward “You are in league with it, Pale One!” “It’s not a demon! Crying, remember?” He sniffs and scowls down at her and brings forth his champion. A intimidating ugly brute and I pratically snarl at him the way he eyes Aevlin. So help him if he hurts her. “Very well, then. You shall be it’s champion. No magic weapons, no shields, no armor. Do you agree?” “I guess? Yes.” I go to her, helping her take off her magical gear as Ogden whispers to her. I then voice my fears “Are you sure you want to do this?” I whisper just after Ogden finishes. “I’ll be fine Jaris. I got this.” I nod my head, no longer pushing. If she says she has this then She does. “Alright, just be careful.” I step back as she climbs onto the stage. Turns out it was a quick battle. The second she’s facing off against him Aevlin sweeps his legs and cuts it clean off. Blood gushed everywhere as the man collapses and screams to the ground, clutching his stump. Wow... she just pull an Oceanius. I waste no climb climbing up to the stage. I make it just as the old man congratulates her, scooping her up into an embracing as the crowd boos and hisses. “I’m so proud.” I tell her beaming. With the trail settled Zinny revives the pour naked birdman and he tells us his story. He tells us that he is an aarakroka and his people live in the mountains. We are told that a giant in a castle in the clouds attacked, and he wants our help to protect his people. He tells is people are in dire aid, he came down from his home for help, his shamans apparent foretold our arrive but only found prosecution by dotes looking for a escape goat for the dark sky. This looks like a bigger job then bandits. We can’t let his people starve. Also a giants castle sounds like there could be a lot of goods to take. Very tempting. We leave right away from this s***hole of a town to meet with the birdman s people. The old preist Addis allows us to stay in his humble church, feeds us and gives us a comfortable place to rest for the night. I slide next to Aevlin as we are enjoying a home cooked stew. “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine, Zinnie healed me.” “You cut a guys leg off,” I help but smirk. “He has another one!” She laughs. “I do feel bad. A little.” I wave her off, going back to eating. “I’m sure they’ll reattach it. But he had it coming.” Personally couldn’t give a damn if the man remained a cripple for the rest of his life. I bet he wouldnt show the same mercy Aevlin showed him should thinks have done the other way. We depart early the next morning with our birdman in tow pointing us in the right direction, huddled in Zinnies cloak. We’re attacked by some dire wolves but they don’t slow us down. We then ran into a fur trader and his hound named Load and Fuzz. He just came from Frangir Waystation up ahead. He warns us that the clouds are darker there and to be careful. He moves on, and we head the way he came. The outpost peers into view as the sun begins to set low in the sky. Fearless we approach the wall with the idea of Aevlin jumping up to see what is happening beyond when a bell begins to sounds. Gnolls along with a hideous green monster come pouring from the tower as we begin the assault. I survey the scene to find that I rather kill the thing with the massive nimble claws first with its stupid regenerative powers. Aevlin is doing an amazing job at fighting off the horrors around her, practically untouchable in the heat of battle. I’m able to slip behind it and in one fast motion I cut it’s heels out from under it and stab it through the back of the head as it falls. “Jaris!!” I turn to Aevlin confused, seeing her spitting with rage. “What?” I rooster my head to the side, though she can’t see it. “JARIS WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!!!! He was mine!” What? What she’s going on about-? Ohhhhh, I’ve done f***ed up havent i? I hear screaming behind me to find a whole hoard of gnolls and a few orgers. Oh boy. Well, she wanted blood. I leave her to her blood frenzy to attack the one gnoll near the gate. We battle back and forth and he manages to graze me along my hip as I cut him down. When I turn back around to see how my wife and everyone is doing I see the bloody green monster is back up again. What the hell! I stabbed it’s brains. How is it still-? Troll, gotta be a troll. I reach into my belt and pull out a flask of oil and a torch. By the time I reach the troll it’s been stained again along with the rest of the unsightly lot. I hand the torch to Aevlin who lights it who then holds it to Ogden as I splash oil onto the trolls body. “Here, Ogden, you do the honors, I know it’s your favorite. Never seen a man so happy to set someone on fire.
-Jaris FJ
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Post by Aileen on Dec 22, 2020 12:46:34 GMT -5
Nylen is back! He followed our trail from town, and saw the end of our fight outside the gates. He meets us as we go in, bringing me a gift- a new bow, made expertly by him, made of stronger wood than my old one. My old one of course being Jaris’s considering my first bow was murdered by a rock.
We head into the gatehouse tower, finding a pile of shields, ripped up sacks and a set of scales. I bust myself playing with the scales, weighing random things. The length of my hair weighs the same as my helmet, I find out. No wonder I get so many head and neck aches!
“Jaris, should I cut my hair?”
“No, I love it how it is! Unless you want to?”
Typical man answer. He seems pretty happy to have found some nice sheets of vellum. He thinks I don’t know about his sketch book, but I know all. We head up to the second level where we find arrow slits looking out over the courtyard. The village is a mess of mostly burnt ruins, shells of buildings that have mostly collapsed. A group of humanoids are laughing around a fire, about a dozen of them. Moving to the top floor we find the warning bell with a rope hanging to the bottom floor. With Jaris’s help I wrap the clapper in sack cloth to prevent it from making noise for now.
Nylen finds a box in the fireplace, which Jaris attempts to check for traps. He finds one, but it doesn’t manage to prick his finger. Deadly poison once again. Inside are three vials- red, white, and blue. I grab blue, Jaris red and Nylen white.
“Mmm, strawberries!” Jaris says.
“Onions!? What the hells- Jaris, trade with me!” I lick my sleeve to get the taste of my tongue. It does make me feel... fighty!
Nylen says something so fast we barely make it out. Speed potion!
“No, Aevlin, this is poison!” Jaris says. “Don’t trust anything that tastes of strawberries that’s not a strawberry.”
We discuss potentially drawing the humanoids here and shooting through the arrow slits, hoping to kill a few before they reach the tower. Jaris has other plans.
“I’ll go scout, see what else is here and find a way out.”
“Fine, if you must,” I groan. “Just hurry up, okay?”
“I will, relax,” he says giving me a kiss. “You’ll get to kill things soon enough.”
He heads out, invisible, and we hang out here in the tower. We search the ground floor a little more thoroughly, and as I’m moving around the wooden coffers I spot a trapdoor. Moving them aside, it opens easily.
“Look! It goes into a basement or something!”
“I’ll check it out!” The gnome eagerly slides down the ladder and goes in.
“There’s lots of arrows here!” He announces.
That’s all it takes to get Nylen and I down there. 200 arrows, 12 short bows, 30 spears- a whole armory! Well, missing swords, but still, it’s free! As we gear up, Jaris returns and joins us down below.
“There’s trolls and ogres in the tavern, they’re drinking all the booze!” He announces.
“No! The bastards!” I pretend to faint into his arms. “We can save the booze later. Look, there’s a door to further in!”
Jaris opens it, and we are immediately hit by the sickly sweet stench of death and decay. Nevertheless we go in to the dark tunnel. Zinnie’s shield lights the way, and despite the voice that begins speaking in my head I am not afraid.
Come, my pretties... come to Zolbak! Come to me!
We proceed onward, as the whispers turn to horrible wailing. As we do, Zinnie’s light illuminates a horrible shadowy skeletal creature not ten feet in front of me.
“The power of Zilchus compels you!” Zinnie shouts.
The creature flees, into another chamber, and I dash after it. Nylen, the gnome and I tear into it and it falls into dust before it can even strike. What a horrible, horrible creature!
There’s a dead gnoll on the ground in here, and a filthy sack. I approach the sack and notice Graven running toward it. My legs, though I am short for a human, are longer and quicker than his and I get to it first. Lifting the nasty sack, I realize there’s a sword in it. I pull it out, and hold it aloft. A beautifully made bastard sword, not my weapon of choice, but it feels... good. Really good. A sense of calm and power tickles my brain, flowing through my body as I grip the hilt.
Maragbur
It’s whispering in my mind, letting itself be known to me. Two runes are carved in its blade that I cannot read, so I show it to my husband. He looks at it for a moment, his fingers running over them.
“Zarr is the first one,” he whispers to me after letting go. “The second is Parr.”
“Zarr Parr!” I say.
Suddenly the sword alights with flame, filling the chamber with flickering light, and I rise off the ground.
“Ah! I can fly!” I shriek.
“A flametongue?!” Nylen sputters. “Aevlin, that’s a very good sword.”
“Yes, it feels good! Um... Parr!”
Unprepared, I fall onto my ass on the chamber floor. Jaris helps me up, avoiding the flames.
“Okay, I love this thing. Thank you, Maragbur.”
Nice landing, idiot.
We head down the tunnels, but Jaris stops me before we reach a junction.
“The trapdoor to the tavern is ahead, and it’s open. Distinguish the flame! And Zinnie, cover your light and we will lead you.”
Zinnie takes his cloak back from the poor birdman, and covers his shield. We walk past the trapdoor with no issues. As soon as we are in safety Zinnie reveals the shield again and gives his cloak back to the aarakroka. We come to another trapdoor which seems to lead up to the other guard tower, or so we hope. I ignite the flame, and Nylen goes up the ladder to the trapdoor and uses his X-ray sword. Skeletons of humanoids inside, likely gnolls. Flinging it open, he goes in and attacks the gnolls as I fly up.
Nylen, moving faster than my eyes can process, drops a couple before I hit my first. They try to attack me but fail, my cloak making me hard to hit. As I swing at one my grip on the sword slackens, and I nearly drop it. If I did, I would plummet to the floor below, but I catch it just in time.
Mediocre!
This sword is sassy, like me. We will get along just fine! We make quick work of the gnolls, and Nylen dashes up the stairs, still extremely amped up on speed. We find nothing in searching this place, so we head out. We make it through the gate without incident and head out past the village and eventually make camp. Zinnie sees to our hurts, and we get some much needed rest.
The next morning we head out again. After a while of walking we see a man standing in the road ahead. He ducks behind a boulder as we get closer.
“I see you!” I call. “We’re not going to hurt you!”
He suddenly reappears behind us, wild eyed eyed and twitchy. His hands twitch toward a dagger in his belt.
“Great... white, winged creatures! Clouds! Terrible black clouds!” He rants and raves.
Nylen levels his bow at him and I jump over the group to land beside the crazy guy. He disappears again, and reappears next to Nylen. Nylen knocks him unconscious as Graven kicks his knees. They tie him up and then we gather round and wait for him to wake up. He does after a few minutes, and is right back to his insane raving.
“Let me free!” He begs. “I’ll show you how they attack!”
“Can we just untie him? I think he’s harmless... just crazy.” I say.
When nobody objects, I undo his bonds. He immediately jumps to his feet, and starts moving away.
“I’ll show you how they attack! Like this!”
He runs to the edge of the cliff, and jumps.
“Parr!” I shout, drawing Maragbur.
I fly quickly towards the rapidly falling wild man, and manage to catch him in my left arm. I draw him close, trying to fly back up, but he struggles.
“Let me go! I can fly!” He screams, punching me.
“Can you really?”
“I can fly, I can fly!” He gets me in the shoulder, and I’m afraid he will try to disarm me.
“Okay!”
He plummets the last hundred or so feet, and splatters on the rocks below. I immediately vomit, scream, and fly back up. I really thought he might actually fly, but instead I got to witness his horrible death.
“He said he could fly!” I sob, running toward the group the second I land.
Jaris grabs me and consoles me as I try to get the image out of my head. I’ve seen a lot of death in my life and been the cause of some, but never like this. Did I kill him or did he kill himself?
“He started hitting me and said he could fly, so I let him go!” I explain.
“It’s okay, Aevlin, he was insane!” Jaris says, stroking my hair. “If he had hit your sword out of your hand you would have fallen. Better him than you.”
“I want his dagger,” Graven says, looking over the cliff.
“Do you know what happens to you when you fall hundreds of feet and hit solid ground?” I ask him. “Do you want to see?”
“Yes, actually!”
I gag, and walk away. The image is too fresh. Blood and bone and... ugh.
Nylen plays around with the guy’s pendant, eventually discovering if he blinks it teleports him. After messing with it a bit more, we walk on. We travel the rest of the day, coming within ten miles of the way station. Birdman leads us off the road into a steep sided gully, zigzagging through rock walls and snowy peaks for miles. A howling wind comes from ahead, and as we approach we see it’s a massive tornado coming straight for us! Birdman steps to the side, back to the rocks, and we all follow suit. It blows right past us, only to be followed by another one. At either side of it are four total aarakroka. They swoop down and grab Tcho’eh, and fly off with him leaving us to our fate. It stops in front of Nylen and blocks our path. I step in and try to hit it, but despite being a really great sword the flametongue does nothing to it. I go about switching to the short sword, me being a walking armory and all, and it pummels us.
Just as we begin to worry, the aarakroka come back, still carrying Tcho’eh. The elemental spins away to nothing, and they land by us. Some of them fly away once he is dropped off, but a couple stay.
“Please my friends, forgive them!” Says our birdman. “They thought you were my captives!”
He explains they will escort us, flying above as we go through the gully. They control the air elementals, so we no longer have to worry about them. We head further up the gorge until we see the dark sky obscuring the sun and we are led to a waterfall. Eight aarakroka meet us there, and a shaman birdman comes forth. They are going to bring us up to their nest, 1000 feet above. Two of us need to stay behind as they take the first trip.
“Jaris and I will!” I say. “We could use some... catching up time.”
They fly up with our friends, and Jaris takes a seat and pulls out his journal. He starts writing furiously, looking up every now and then, and I realize he’s probably drawing again. He still thinks I don’t know of his talent! I entertain myself by dancing in front of him, trying to distract him, and he just laughs.
“Am I not paying you enough attention?” He asks.
I just laugh, and seeing an opening slide in next to him and peek at his journal.
“Jaris, that’s so good! What else do you have?!”
I grab it from him, and open to a random page as he tries to pull it away. It’s a drawing of me! A very good one, at that. I’m sitting in the window of our bedroom at Saltmarsh, wearing very little. I look pretty, prettier than I think I really look.
“Jaris, this is beautiful! Why do you hide these from me?”
“Self conscious, I guess. Okay, I’ll pay attention to you. They’re still not there yet, we’ve got time!”
We go behind some bushes and don’t emerge until Jaris spots winged figures approaching in the distance. We hurriedly brush the dirt off our clothes, fix our hair, and stand ready for our ride up.
We ride up to the nest being carried by the bird men, and I do my best to look up and not down. Soon we land on a ledge, and I see it’s a massive system of ledges making a nest. It’s very cramped up here, but welcoming. We are led to a stone temple with colorful banners streaming in the wind, and many bird people watching us with excitement in their eyes. The sky is strewn with dancing lights, almost like stars. There’s a tolling bell and beams of light, and as we approach the temple a beautiful red feathered aarakroka man emerges to greet us.
“Welcome, friends, to Sky Temple.”
⚔️ Aevlin 🏹
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Post by dragonforgotten on Dec 23, 2020 0:42:48 GMT -5
All of us cram into the guardhouse beyond the wall before more things run after us or they notice the corpse pile and fire outside. The moment I turn from the closed door I find Aevlin trying to weigh her hair off a scale while the rest of the gang is already picking through the room for goods. “Jaris, should I cut my hair?” She asks me, I shake my head “No, I love it how it is! Unless you want to?” I course correct realizing my first sentence might mean I’m suggesting I hated it in the first place. I don’t. I find some nice vellum paper and pocket it. I have some ideas for it. With no wizard around someone gotta hold onto it right. After searching and disabling the alarm Nylen finds a box for me to open. Knew it, it’s trapped. This isn’t my first rodeo, child’s play at this point. Gotta try harder to poison me. Flicking the poisoned needle out the arrow murder window and open it and find three potions. We each take one and I take the red one that spells like strawberries. It’s all going well till I feel it burn my tongue and makes me nausea as my amber proof against poison heats up around my neck. I spit it out quick and stare at what I’m holding in shock. Are you f***king kidding me? “Onions!? What the hells- Jaris, trade with me!” Aevlin asks me but I pull it away from her. “No, Aevlin, this is poison! Don’t trust anything that tastes of strawberries that’s not a strawberry. That’s the last I’m doing that.” I say and toss the corked poison to the gnome. “Fill yours up. You make more use of it then I do.” While everyone exploring the rest I hear them talking about drawing attention and draw the line “Let me see what we’re up against before we start doing crazy gos se... again.” I’ll go scout, see what else is here and find a way out.” She groans, rolling her head. “Fine, if you must, Just hurry up, okay?” “I will, relax,” I tell her giving her a quick kiss. “You’ll get to kill things soon enough. Let me have my fun now.” I vanish and begin to ghost my way around the ruined outpost. I find bugbears camped outside, more gnolls in a guard tower. Then I reach the inn and find orger. Lord of orger with even more trolls, a huge ugly one in squeezed in there an one with two heads. Two bloody heads. There trashing the place, drinking everything they can get there claws on. Those b*****ds. There drinking everything. I’m going to be beyond pissed if that’s the good stuff. I’d gut the if everyone was here. I could bloody poison there s*** out of a sense of petty vengeance for all the good but I have the sense to not pour all my poison into hood booze just because I want them dead. Oh no. That will end badly if they find me and where will I be. Dead. That’s what. I notice there’s a trap door in the corner of the bar. Wine cellar? I make a mental note and return to my friend to find them in the fire place with a door opened in it. Secret door. Huh. I walk through the door next to Aevlin and reappear “There’s trolls and ogres in the tavern, they’re drinking all the booze!” “No! The bastards!” She fake swims into my arms, such dramatics. “We can save the booze later. Look, there’s a door to further in!” She’s trying to distract me. She knows me to well. I humor her and go check the door I don’t find anything and swing it open. Just a long hallway, a tunnel. A secrete passage way. Perfect. Now we don’t have to be killed by trolls. We are strong but without a wizard we won’t be able to kill them before they kill us. It’s better we pick our battles then fight at a disadvantage. Still those damn dirty trolls. Drinking all that unclaimed booze. Ugh. Waste, such a waste. Well just have to throw a flame strike on them when we pass through her again. Zinny lights the way with his shield as we move along. Suddenly a voice keens from the darkness. Come, my pretties... come to Zolbak! Come to me! F*** no. I think to myself as my group rushes forward while I watch birdman. He suddenly goes glassy eyed and starts walking while I easily grab his naked chicken wing. “No you don’t. You don’t want to get in the middle of that.” The fights over in an instant and birdman wakes from whatever took his senses. Aevlin practically rushes forward to the ratty discard sack, out pacing the gnome and his short legs, near the dead gnoll and pulls out a board sword. “It’s magic! And it’s smart!” Looks like a broad sword, nothing special till I spy runes engraved onto the blade near the guard. I join her side intrigued. “Aev can I have a closer look?” She hands it to my as my fingers trace the runes. Slowly the runes come together in my head and I pull onto the knowledge I’ve gained from my time of browsing the wizards I’ve met spell books. Close secrete. I looked nosed my way through all of Elmarth books when he was asleep. Same for ergo. Never said no so I just kept doing it. Recently the words have finally began to make sense as I begin to comprehend how the words on the page work. The runes give me the same understanding as it click and I lean to whisper into Aevlins ear. “Zarr is the first one, The second is Parr.” “Zarr Parr!” Suddenly the sword is on fire! I hop away startled as Aevlin suddenly rockets to the ceiling of the room, filling the chamber with flickering light. “Holy s***!” I shout patting out my shoulder. “Ah! I can fly!” She shrieks. “Ya I can see that! “A flametongue?!” Nylen sputters. “Aevlin, that’s a very good sword.” “Yes, it feels good! Um... Parr!” She immediately fall onto her ass. I help her up, careful of the flames. “Okay, I love this thing. Thank you, Maragbur.” She talks to the sword as I rise an eyebrow, saying nothing. We continue on but I stop them just as we reach a junction. “The trapdoor to the tavern is ahead, and it’s open. Douse the flame! And Zinnie, cover your light and we will lead you.” He does and we soon come to the trap door, closed. Nylen confirms its to the gnolls guard house. With a plan in mind we rush them and quickly massacre them inside there own safe house. Not a single soul or noise haven’t escaped. I close the door as I let everyone pick about and case the joint. Perched on a box looking into the complex I think back to the bad. “I could try and steal from the troll, maybe clean out the inns register.” I smirk, feeling that itch as I could almost taste the wine and gold inside that place. “Certainly couldn’t be that hard.” Immediately Aevlin on me. “Jaris no. That’s a bad idea. If you get caught were as good as dead.” I sigh, feeling dropped back to reality. “Ugh, your right. They’d Probably smell me out. I’m sorry booze.” I mutter sadly as we leave the inn and the destroyed outpost into the wild. The next morning after collecting some charcoal from the campfire we’re just minding our own business when a complete nut job old timer appears in the dead, trying to hide behind a rock. The moment we get closer he’s blabbering about white demons and clouds and pulls out a knife. It wasn’t much of a fight and more of Nylen popping him in the jaw, dropping the man like a sack of potatoes as he takes off his medallion. Besides him pulling some wizard s*** with teleporting he just looks like a complete loon. I tie him up and he comes to, manages to convince us he can describe his attackers and then promptly sucide jumps his way off a cliff. Aevlin tires to save him but he nearly got her killed and was forced to drop him. She’s completely distraught while I’m just standing there wondering what the firk! ding! blast! just happened. Least Nylen got a blink necklace out of it. Damn... well crazy old man, I hardly knew you. Least the nightmare are over now for you. We continue the climb till we’re nearly killed by a barreling tornado. Following Tcho’ehs lead we just manage to side step it . More birdman then appear and take our naked bird with them to the sky, leaving us behind as another angry tornado comes for us. Oh hell! “Guys! I think that’s a wind elemental! My weapons are going to do Jack against it!” Everyone rushes it with there more powerful weapons as me and Gravin watch the battle. Half way into the battle the birdman return with our birdman and the wind elemental is called off. It was a case of mistaken identity. We looked like muggers who captured and assaulted him. There going to take us up to there village in the mountains but they need two people to stay behind for the second trip up since there not very strong. I can barely see it but it’s beautiful if small as the clouds billow around it. “Jaris and I will!” Me and Aevlin chime in. “We could use some... catching up time.” I agree. The bird men go as I sit on a fallen tree pulling out my tiny beaten up journal. It’s gos sety, a little burnt but still good. I start scribbling what I see of the little glowing village with the bird men carrying the rest of the party when Aevlin slides into view, ruining the composition. I shift alittle but she bounces back into view. I chuckle. “Am I not paying you enough attention?” She just laughs, sliding in next me on the tree. She’s trying to peek into my journal before I can hide the page I’m working on. “Jaris, that’s so good! What else do you have?!” She snatches from me before I can stop her and I can feel myself blush as she starts flipping threw. Oh god I’m going to die now. “Jaris, this is beautiful! Why do you hide these from me?” I shuffle uncomfortable in my seat, fiddling with my hands. She likes them? “Self conscious, I guess.” I glance back at her and I realize how much of a mistake that was. I take it back from her and take her hand. “Okay, I’ll pay attention to you. They’re still not there yet, we’ve got time!” I drag her into the bushes behind the fallen tree and we don’t come out till I hear the distant flap of wings and quickly sort ourselves out and stand at the ready for our ride, chuckling amongst each other as we pull twigs and leaves out fo our hair. The ride up is exhilarating. High and higher the wind rushes by till we reach the glowing village, greeted by a birdman with vibrant red plumage. “Welcome, friends, to Sky Temple.”
Jaris FJ
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Post by Aileen on Dec 29, 2020 11:13:45 GMT -5
We are brought into the temple and sit listening to the bird priest speaking when suddenly the roof of the temple explodes! We run out, dodging rubble falling, and make it out to the courtyard. The sky is black overhead, lighting crackling in the storm clouds, and a dozen or so flying creatures are heading our way.
I get into position, sword aflame, and wait. And wait. And wait.
“Hurry up!” I shout. “My arms are getting tired.”
The shaman thinks Ogden is our leader and stands by him buffing him up. Just because he’s good looking and big and strong. Hans and I have been running this merry troop of idiots for well over two years, many of our members dying and a high turnover rate. I’m just five foot nothing and a girl though, even my flaming sword can’t help me look the part.
After a really long, uncomfortable wait they finally descend upon us. The battle frenzy takes over. Nothing can hit me, even when the white, flying possum looking things are surrounding me. Jaris flashes in and out, killing things from behind. Poor Ogden goes down and some of the bird priests fall in the effort to revive him. Once the first wave goes down, more come flying in. The wind picks up, and I look over to see a tornado flanked by bird people.
Luckily, I’m further forward, fighting one of the possum things, and the tornado goes through the enemies and the rest of my group. Hopefully everyone is okay, but not the enemy. Everyone but Jaris and I are down when it moves by. Hans dying. Luckily we get him stable, and Graven, and Jaris and I get everyone back in the temple. The cloud and the castle have moved on, leaving a wake of dead and wounded. Only ten of the aarakroka survived.
The shaman goes on some vision quest, taking magic drug seeds, while we rest. The other aarakroka tell us that the survivors will be burning the dead then fleeing to their secondary nest, leaving this one behind. They recommend we stay here until morning, the mountains being too dangerous at night.
Two hours pass and the shaman comes out of his trip. He tells us of his visions in the spirit world: a creature of blackness flying above him, a great eagle swooping him up to rescue, a shining tower of ice in a frozen lake, and a big silver fish jumping out of the ice, light returning to the world. He advises us to seek out the Skyfish, and consult the eagles. One of the shamans will escort us to their aerie.
Hans’s eyes finally flutter open as I’m watching over him in the temple. Jaris cleans his dagger beside me.
“Welcome back, Father Heinrich!”
“Don’t call me that, Lady Jörmungandr!”
“Don’t call me that, Hansy!”
“That’s better, Aevy-Lin,” he sits up. “Is the enemy gone?”
“Yes, they left. We are resting here and then going to talk to giant eagles about a skyfish.”
“Riiight,” he rubs his head, wincing. “Where the hells is Zinnie?”
Jaris snickers, putting his dagger down.
“Turns out the man is extremely afraid of heights,” he says. “Poor guy headed back to the shrine.”
“He said he had something to take care of with a lady, I thought?” I say.
“That’s what he wanted you to think, Aev.”
Zinnie will be missed. A lot. Ergo stayed behind in town and already we miss his skills as well. Jaris for one is glad he is gone, considering how much he lusted after me.
We rest the night and in the morning head out with the shaman. He leads us through the mountain pass, until dark, and we make camp. Nothing disturbs us overnight, and I somewhat regret volunteering for two watches. We wake up in the morning, feast on a brunch prayed for by Hans, and continue our journey. Halfway to our destination, the sky ahead illuminates with arcs of lighting, cracklings against the dark gloom. More weather, more problems.
🏹 Aevlin ⚔️
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Post by dragonforgotten on Dec 30, 2020 0:41:56 GMT -5
We reach the glowing temple. Bird men perched ambling the walls with the floor covered with soft downy feathers. We sit cross legged on the floor as the bright red head shaman tells us he knew we would come. It was foretold in his vision and all that nonsense. How the dark clouds we’ve been seeing is actually the giants castle. Wow these feathers are soft. I’m just about nod off when the shaman presents two potions of flying to us on a silken pillow. The only thing of value they have. Suddenly the roof rumbles above us causing all eyes to look at the glowing glass ceiling. Then it all turns to madness. The ceiling shatters, all grows dark as glass rains. birdmen and everyone scatter as we rush for the exit avoiding the massive shards. One tries to fly towards me, cawing to run and he pushes me out of the way, taking a grevious wound for me. I don’t get to see if he’s alright as the moment we make it outside we can see the black clouds billowing in the air. Massive black baboons with white wings dart out fo the sky screeching as they drive towards us. A lot of them. He white demons...The bastards are too far for a good arrow shot. With no wizard all we can do is wait for them to come. They scream and screech as they go. So loud it leaves your ears ringing and shakes your soul but I’m not frightened by them, I just wish they shut up already before I go deaf again. The head shamans manages to bless Ogden before Eventually they slam into us. Aevlin is a beast. She cuts them down and between her armor and cloak the monsters can’t touch her. I struck them with devastating force from behind, cutting into a juagler before blinking back into invisibility, knocking the next one over and gutting it open. I counting my blink, Leaving dead in my wake till Ogden falls. I rush to him and manage to cauterize the wound with my eyes as I hold the wound closed. I rush to Hans aid to find him surrounded on all sides by monsters looking beaten ragged. He glares at the monsters. As one rushes him I cut it down before it can take its claws into his hide. He simply gives me a nod as I vanished again and continue cutting. Suddenly one fo them flying above us sends a spear of ice I’m getting nervous. They just don’t stop coming and the shamans are have difficulties trying to revive Ogden, Hans isn’t looking good. There going to overwhelm us with shear numbers! Then they come. Five more birdmen sweep through the clouds with a wind elemental in there wake. It barrels into the flying apes and crushes them in its powerful winds, forcing the rest of the surviving lot to retreat to there angry thunderhead as there screeches echo to nothing. Unfortunately It doesn’t discriminate who it barrels into it. It knocks out Gravin, Ogden, Hans and even Gravin out cold as the little man tries to get away from its path. It batters me, Aevlin and Nylen but I manage to keep my feet. I just manage to stabilize Hans when I look around and can feel my ears sag. The birdmen who tried to protect us from the falling glass and apes died in the attack. Worst still even though we killed so many of them and the bought time for the summoning of the air elemental the village it’s self suffered staggering lose. Only a handful of them are left in the ruins of there home. Even the potions they wanted to gift to us are smashed onto the ground. With only the remains of this village left the birdmen will be relocating to there second village. The entire situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth and puts rocks in my stomach. I end up helping them build the pyre and put there numberious dead to rest. The pyre wasn’t hard, my gypsy clan do it all the time wheather someone dies or we just want a nice big fire. It’s the least I can do. The head shaman goes to take a spiritual journey for the night, wishing to commune with his god through the aid of magic seeds. Aevlin asks me to steal some but I just chuckle. She’s more likely to break her teeth then get high off of them anyway. Also it doesn’t seem like a good time for mischief, not after half there village was killed in a single day. The shaman returns to us with news. “I have seen many things in my journey. Caw!” I try to remain grim and straight face as he tells of his spiritual journey of dark monsters, giant eagles, white spire in a frozen lake, and a white flying fish. It was extremely difficult as he caws and chirps like an oversized parrot between words. Reminds me of my uncles cinerary that liked to steal your earrings. He advises us to seek out the Skyfish, and consult the eagles. One of the shamans will escort us to their aerie. Giant eagles sounds pretty metal. They tell us they are going to go to there village but advise we stay with them for the night and set out in the morning, the mountains are dangerous at night. I sit besides Aevlin keeping an eye on Hans while I sharpen my blades. His eyes Hafinally flutter open and he sits up with a groan. Man don’t I know that feeling.
“Welcome back, Father Heinrich!” “Don’t call me that, Lady Jörmungandr!” “Don’t call me that, Hansy!” I watch them banter about as old friends as I while off the dust form the blade, greatly amused. Hans “Riiight,” he rubs his head, wincing as his eyes survey the ruined temple were squatting in for the night. “Where the hells is Zinnie?” I can’t help snickering, putting away my blades aside. “Turns out the man is extremely afraid of heights, Poor guy headed back to the shrine.” I can’t blame a man for getting cold feet. It’s hard to face your fears. Maybe next time he’ll be able to stomach it. “He said he had something to take care of with a lady, I thought?” says Aevlin. Oh Aevlin, you don’t know people that well do you? “That’s what he wanted you to think, Aev. If there’s one person I miss right now is Ergo.” “I thought you hated him.” “I don’t hate the man. I’m just pissed at him but even my anger can’t last forever. Besides it’s not really him I miss. I miss his sexy a*** fireballs and lightening blasts. If there’s a wizard I really miss it’s Elmarth and Kynigos. Those are men I could get behind and not feel the need to stab with how he looks at you.” “Jaris! He doesn’t stare at me anymore. That was all tiger stuff.” I sniff. “Months of tiger s***. Don’t worry. I don’t hold grudges that long when it comes to curses.” We spend the night in the ruined temple and leave at first light. Just as we are about to leave the birdmen provide us thicker set of winter clothing. The mountains are cold and dangerous not just from the animals but the elements as well. I really start to understand what they mean as the wind feels like it cuts through me in my leather and furs. I appreciate the mits. The mits, hat and scarf are fantastic. I have to tuck my ears into them and suffer them being pinched but at least the wind doesn’t burn them anymore. During the third day in our March I spy a ball of electric energy come barreling for us. Looks like excitement has found us.
Jaris FJ
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Post by Aileen on Jan 5, 2021 11:18:05 GMT -5
The mountains are lovely, and I rather enjoy our trek through them, but after losing our shaman guide to the giant eagle council we can’t seem to find our way easily. The eagle said the tower of ice is empty but the shaman told us to find Mt. Ederglow anyway.
The first night we are attacked by eagles with deer heads. I wake up to screams of pain, and find my husband next to me fighting one off. I go to hit it and he moves away.
“What are you doing?!”
“Letting you have it, since you get mad!”
“Jaris, I just want to sleep! Kill the damn thing!”
One day he will learn to read me like a book, but he’s still learning. We finish the perytons off and go back to sleep. The next morning brings us a troll, which we quickly slay. The rest of the day is worry free, just more walking. The day after, we make it halfway through the day and the path changes. Flying to look ahead I see we are on the trajectory of a snow storm, so we head back to camp and take the other way the next day.
We slay a hill giant. That night camp is attacked. Graven wakes me up as a devil dog is prancing on top of me. I light the flame tongue and get into the fight, which is over soon. Nylen is getting some questionable meat ready to cook, but I’m not sure if it’s devil dog or peryton.
“You know, before I’d ask for it well done, but after being a weretiger I’m okay with it mostly raw.” I say.
“We all know how Aevlin likes her meat.” Mutters Hans.
“Stealthy?”
Jaris chokes on his water skin, blushing furiously.
The next morning is a holy day of Kord, so I join Hans in doing push-ups for the lord. Our path splits, and after flying up to see the options I suggest we go northeast. This path leads us to some yeti, which Hans once again flamestrikes and Ogden and I charge. Pain rips into my back, and I nearly stumble.
“Sorry!”
“OW, NYLEN!” I groan, and proceed forward. Just an arrow, I’ll live. But ow!
The yeti don’t stand a chance, and we keep going. Jaris yanks the arrow out of my back as we go, and pours some ‘medicine’ on the wound, which suspiciously smells like the whiskey he told me we don’t have.
Our journeying brings us to our first dead end, and we turn back. The next day another dead end. Turning back we come across a northern bear which absolutely kicks Hans’s ass before we kill it. Then, another dead end. The day after we realize our only option left is to go through the snowstorm I saw days ago.
We come across a winter wolf, and completely ruin its expensive pelt as we slay it. The next day, two giants, then nothing. We camp, Jaris and I snuggled up with each other against the bitter cold. Luckily we got furs before leaving or I’m sure we would have succumbed to hypothermia by now.
Into a snowstorm we go, and toward two even bigger giants!
⚔️ Lady Aevlin Jörmungandr
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