|
Post by Aileen on Feb 21, 2021 20:02:50 GMT -5
The stacked goblins break apart, and they attack us as we go down the steps. Poor Thatch is getting torn up, blood spurting out of a concerning gash, and Victorine isn’t much better. We all fight tooth and nail to get free of these wretched things. I run in and out, killing and running to the next one. Lazakon is enjoying himself being surrounded and beating the goblins down.
Things don’t look so bad, but then with the sounding of what appears to be a penny whistle, we are joined by a dinosaur. It pounces on Thatch, knocking her out cold and biting into her. Victorine goes to her aid while I hit the Dino and run. I come around the side of the tent pile and am immediately shot by a scared goblin, grazing my arm.
“Ah! I’m sorry- it’s in my nature!” It yelps, trying to hide from me.
I think we’ve got this in the bag, but then there’s a commotion coming from the jungle. Squawking, horrible squawking. Four huge axe-beaks charge out of the trees, running straight for me. I ready my rapier to fight them, but they come in with claws blazing. A few good swipes and bites and I’m fading off to La-La-Land.
Victorine comes through again, and I come to in the thick of a battle between the giant birds and Lazakon. I get up, stab one, and run over the pile of canvas to hunker down behind the big guy for a moment. I’m a mess of blood and torn between hunger and exhaustion. They swarm in around Laz, and Thatch takes one out with her burning hands. I kill the slightly crispy one next to me, and then move in to stab the one Laz has left pecking at him before retreating. Finally all that is left is the goblin leader, dying on the ground. I dash over to him and he grabs the front of my armor with a shaking hand.
“Was there... treasure in there?” He croaks, blood bubbling up through his crooked, pointed teeth.
“The real treasure was the friends we made along the way.” I tell him, smiling so he sees my fangs.
His defeated rattle marks the end of his existence, and he falls back dead. I stand, taking in the carnage all around us, and walk back to the temple. The heavy rain is already washing all the blood away, but the bodies will eventually attract predators.
We rest an hour before heading out into the monsoon. Camp Vengeance is marked on our map, the only known point for many many leagues. It’s the best option we have without a guide. I take the lead, accustomed to tracking my way in the forest, but the jungle is quite different. I can only pray we make it there.
Sometime in the late morning we run into some baboons. I see them first and try to think... they’re vicious creatures from what I’ve been told, but they’re very food motivated.
“Someone get food! Thatch?”
“What?”
“Baboons in the trees! We need to distract them with food!”
Thatch spins around in circles, trying to see them, and I have no patience. I grab her pack and open it, finding our stash of rations. I take one out, and hurl it toward the jungle floor by their trees. The baboons descend, hooting and hollering as they dig in. We quickly run by, and they do not pursue.
The rest of the day is uneventful, but we are all exhausted by the time we make camp. None more so than Lazakon. That’s a lot of surface area being pummeled by the whipping rains, and he’s spent. I take watch while the others sleep, meaning to meditate in the last four hours before dawn. I’m lost in thought, watching the fire crackling and the distant screeches of some annoying jungle creature, when I feel the hair on my neck stand up. Lifting my gaze I see a shadowy figure hunched over Victorine’s sleeping form. There’s a snipping sound, and it straightens up. I must have shifted on my log because she turns her head sharply toward me and I see it’s a little old lady. She holds a pair of silver scissors in one hand and chunk of Victorine’s hair in the other.
“What are you doing out here?” I whisper.
She holds the index finger of the one holding scissors to her lips.
“Let me go or you won’t like what happens to you!” She says, sickly sweet.
I’m sure she’s just a crazy old woman who lives in the jungle, so I let her go. She steps sideways and disappears into thin air.
“Huh. Something wasn’t right about her.” I mutter to myself. Then again, I’m used to strange people. I spent my rebellious younger years living with my father and his assortment of companions and spawn. No creepy old ladies though.
Thatch relieves me several hours later, and I immediately go into a trance. When I come out of it, it’s light out but very grey and a bit chilly for the jungle. It’s nice.
“Hey, Victorine, there was an old lady in camp last night. She was clipping your hair.” I tell her, remembering my night visitor.
“Excuse me?! Why did you not wake me up?”
“Didn’t seem important. She just took a little hair, maybe she makes yarn out of it?”
“Maybe. So that’s why I have a bald patch on my leg!”
She mutters something about me letting old ladies accost her in her sleep, but I barely hear what is said as I adjust my armour.
“I’m not going to shoot you!” I say.
“I said I’m not going to let you shave me!” She says.
“Oh. Sorry, I’m old. Hearings not what it used to be.”
My hearing is perfect. I can hear the pulse in every single one of their necks from where I stand, but I will never tell them that.
We head out, making good time, and in the afternoon have to cross the river. Thatch flies overhead as the rest of us swim across. I find myself extremely thankful that I’m only half what my father is, this moving water would have had him quite injured.
We come into view of Camp Vengeance before evening fall. The stench of death is apparent as we draw near, and we slosh past some animal carcasses and corpses in a ditch as we head dripping wet toward the walled compound.
“Who goes there?” Calls a voice on the ramparts above.
“Adventurers!” Shouts Thatch.
“Are you living?”
I snicker a little. Half living, alright.
“Yes! We are living!”
They let us in the gate, and we are lead in to meet with the boss, a Templar named Niles Breakbone. He’s wearing the holy symbol of Tyr, and accompanied by a female human and a dwarf. The guards who led us in stay standing by. We are told that they were all at Camp Righteous, but were attacked by undead and driven to hide out here, sustaining daily attacks from the undead. They scoff at our claims of having defeated the ones we did back at the other camp.
“You’ve cleared nothing!” Niles says.
A half elven hunter named Wulf Rygor and a Chultan join us, and we are told we are to join them in leading a group of hunters to fight undead in the jungle. However, they’re heading back in the direction of Port Nyanzaru.
“We’re not going that way. We have a task already, and that’s finding the source of the Death Curse.” Lazakon says.
“I don’t care about the death curse!” Commander Breakbone growls.
“You should,” I snap. “It affects all of us, including you. We need to go stop it.”
“Are you disobeying a direct order?” He shouts at me.
“I’m not military!”
“You are now!”
It seems we are getting nowhere with this guy. He’s mad, whether with power or with impossible ideals, but whatever his deal is there’s no reasoning with him. We are going to have to play along. Lazakon goes off Victorine to the healers, offering aid, leaving Thatch and I with the soldiers. I’m exceedingly uncomfortable listening to them all talking about the undead, and how much they hate them and want to kill them. I keep my mouth shut, not wanting to be found out. I’m very much alive, but part of me is undead. I do not belong here, not one bit. After a while the dwarf, Olf Firebeard, comes back from having been with our healers.
“Come with me,” he says.
We follow him, flanked by some of the guards we will be traveling with, and he brings us to the healing tents. We are given supplies, and head out immediately. We’re lead off into the jungle a little ways, and then the dwarf calls us all to a halt.
“I’ve been ordered to leave you here. You are to go on your own.”
“What about you?” Asks Laz.
“We go north, to fight the undead. Farewell, adventurers, and may your gods protect you.”
They salute us, and go off into the jungle. We make camp, and the next day set out, heading southwest. Or so we hope. As we are merrily making our way along, I spot nine tiny velociraptors, and so does Victorine.
“Honkers!” She whispers.
They come crashing through the underbrush toward us. I run up, stab at one, then retreat. Thinking they’ll all go to the larger part of the group, I find myself a bit taken aback when they all charge in and surround me, off by myself. They all start excitedly jumping up on me, nipping and clawing. Thatch burning hands two to death, and I manage to kill one before springing away.
They converge on me again. I’m bitten, hard, and scratched up. One gets me good, and I feel my strength draining as I bleed profusely. Lazakon reaches out and touches me, healing me some, but I still feel lightheaded and oh so drained. I need... blood.
Before I know what I’m doing, I lunge at one of the velociraptors, grabbing it by the neck and sinking my fangs into its leathery flesh. The blood is like fine wine, rolling over my tongue and down my throat. I feel better, so much better! I drop the miserable creature and dash to the back of the group. Victorine kills two more and then the remaining three run away into the jungle.
I’m still licking the blood off my lips, getting my breathing under control when a shadow comes over me. I look up at the huge paladin, staring down at me.
“So... that’s new.” Lazakon says, a bit accusatory.
“Not really new,” I say sheepishly. “I just don’t mention it, really. I needed it.”
“To eat a dinosaur?”
“No, the blood. It heals me.”
“Care to explain?”
Everyone’s gathered around now, and I sigh. Why do people always have to make it weird. Thatch already knows, I’m surprised nobody else caught on until now.
“Alright. I am dhampir. I’m an elf, but my father is a vampire.”
“He’s a what?” Victorine looks confused.
“Vampire. I’m a half-vampire.”
“Well that’s... bloody wonderful.” She says. “Just so you know, I do not taste like goat. My blood is disgusting.”
“You’re not really my vintage.” I say. “You guys don’t have to worry. I rarely, if ever, drink from anything beside animals. And only in an emergency, like that.”
The rest of the day is uneventful, and despite what I am the others seem pretty okay with it. I think I’ve earned their trust, in that they still let me lead. Even if we are getting lost out here. The next day we are proceeding on, hopefully in the right direction, when Victorine starts asking questions again.
“Is your father dead?”
“No, he’s still around.”
“No, I mean,” she makes her fingers into fangs in front of her mouth.
“Oh. Well, yes, I suppose so.”
She’s silent for a moment.
“So how did he get it up?”
“What?!”
She makes a lewd gesture, and I can’t help but laugh. Poor Thatch looks mortified as she listens in.
“How did he get it up? I supposed your mother and him had to... you know.”
“I didn’t ask! It’s the same way you all were made! Same way my own were. Do I really have to describe it for you?”
I hear Lazakon chuckling quietly to himself. This is going to be a long journey.
🍃 Elora
|
|
|
Post by dragonforgotten on Feb 22, 2021 16:58:25 GMT -5
I’m starting to think all those stories of jungle adventure and treasure has been highly exaggerated. I thought we would be quick. That even with our guide gone navigating and learning how to survive would be easier once we got the hang of it. Oh how wrong I was. The moment we stepped out of the crocodile riding man temple were attacked my masked goblins. Not only has the weather even turned against us but even the wildlife as the rain keeps me earth bound, I’m savages by allosaurus and axebeaks. We helped you! We spent the next days trying to navigate, the weather keeping me grounded again for half of it. Vic got a nightly hair cut by a Leroy old lady. Just when you think you avoided the creep old ladies in the city, you just finding them in the jungle. Camp vengeance turns out to be a wash. They’ve delved too deep into the heart of darkness and the evil stares back into them as my favorite passage described. We’re lucky to have gotten away. I’m not will to join the military. We’re attacked by little ankle bitters the day after and at last Elora confessed she’s a vampire. Well, diet vampire. The group got me to slip of the burning in bakers street, that day I was born. The next is a series of getting lost. So very very lost. Then more lost. Oh aunt. I fear we’re not going to make it in time.
Thatch
|
|
|
Post by kynigoskerata on Mar 1, 2021 9:36:52 GMT -5
All around her were unfamiliar voices, chanting ugly words and taunting her with dark secrets and vile thoughts. She could feel her soul being mongered, piece by piece. Victorine even believed she could hear the souls of her friends, Elora, Thatch, Lazakon, and Melvakri, screaming out in the same pain and horror that she herself felt. Her soul was being rend from itself, and she had no way to stop it.
Already she could feel the divine power of her ancestor being siphoned away, as though her soul's power was being chopped up, the rest being thrown out as waste. Her memories, personality, they would be cast adrift, as her soul's strength was used to fuel whatever evil machinations the master of the curse had. The voices were quieting down, or maybe she was getting further spent. It was so tiring now to think. Tiring to be. Exisitance is a fluttering thing.
One voice was beginning to stand out among the many though. A loud whisper, echoing in her head, like a secret being shared with the universe. The voice was familiar, she had heard it, if only once before. Cruel and kind, hungry and never full. That old woman, that is who the voice reminded Victorine of. The one with the gos sety name. Nana Pupu. Why would she be the last thing Victorine heard. She didn't trust old women, they took her hair. Just let her sleep, Victorine thought. But the chanting only got louder, and the tiredness was being banished.
Her soul was a meager thing now, empty of all but her, but an empty vessel may be filled, and as Nana Pupu began to pull the remnants of the satyr from the ethereal world, beings of the inbetween noticed. Eldritch energy was flung this way and that in an endless cycle of rage, hatred, callousness, and loss. Tendrils of power destroyed worlds not seen by mortals, worlds occupied by strange beings. One such being took notice, of the empty soul being gathered, and in a fit of interest, filled the vessel like water into a barrel. The moment was forgotten by the being no more than a moment later, as it returned to its war.
The vessel returned, unbreathing, but existing.
|
|
|
Post by Aileen on Mar 1, 2021 11:27:02 GMT -5
-25 years ago-
“Elora, let me in!”
“No!” I shout, holding my infant closer to my chest, my two year old son clinging to my side obliviously. “Leave me alone! I never want to see you again!”
“Elora, please! I did this for you!”
Hot tears fall down my cheeks, my whole body shaking in rage. He can’t come in if I don’t invite him, and I never will. This is my home, mine and my... no. My husband is no more. Just another slave to my father.
“You killed him. I will never forgive you.”
The other side of the door is silent, for a moment. No breathing, of course, and no sound of anyone being there. It feels like ages before he speaks again.
“Elora... I didn’t want you to ever be alone. He was human, mortal... it’s the only way he could be with you forever. The only way he could be there for you and the children.”
“You doomed him to a life of enslavement! To you! You did it for you, not for me! I hate you! LEAVE. NOW!”
It’s silent again, save for my choked sobs. Darcie starts crying in my arms, but I hush her quickly.
“I’m sorry, my daughter. I never wanted to hurt you.”
I get up from the floor an hour or so later, after not hearing him speak again, double checking that the shutters are locked and the door barred. He won’t get in, not on my watch. Perks of having a vampire for a parent, when you don’t want them to bother you at home just never invite them in. I find myself laugh despite my grief as I put the babies down to sleep. Their father is now a vampire spawn, and it’s my duty to keep them from him.
Years pass, and my children grow into adults seemingly in the blink of an eye. Daegan looks just like my father, I hate to admit- tall, golden hair, but lacking any undead qualities. Darcie, brunette like me and her eyes blue as the ocean like her father’s. How they used to be, at least. Raising them by myself was challenging, but I had my mother’s family to help. We left the city behind, back to the woods, and I’d hoped never to return to Baldur’s Gate again. But innocent children grow into curious adults, and in their teens they began questioning where their father was all their lives, why they only got letters and never got to meet him. I avoided it as long as I could, and then Darcie wanted to go to wizard school and Daegan to train for the military. We returned to Baldur’s Gate.
My father’s mansion is beautiful from the outside, luring any unknowing person to want to go inside. I know what’s in there, what horrible things go on, and yet here I am on the doorstep for the first time in 25 years. Taking a deep breath, I reach out and slam the knocker down three times.
The door opens a minute later, of its own accord, and I enter. Torches burn in sconces along the walls, candles in the chandelier above the entrance hall. The opulent rugs, brightly upholstered furniture, and elegant art pieces all around the place seem completely out of place, but my father has always been a man of culture. I follow the sound of voices down the hall to the parlor, where I find my father entertaining guests, two of his young female spawn sidling up to the studious young men he has for guests. He looks up as I enter, and I’m sure if he had any color to begin with it all would have drained from his face.
“Elora...” he stands, gracefully walking my direction as the others turn and stare. “I wasn’t expecting you!”
“Neither was I,” I say. “Hello, dad.”
He turns to the others, snapping out of his reverie, and nods at his spawn.
“If you will excuse me, gentlemen- this has been a most interesting conversation, but my daughter has come for a surprise visit! Mairead and Leanne, you may show them to the dining hall.”
The men eagerly leave with his spawn, and I’m sure they’ll be wondering what happened in an hour or two. Poor saps. When they’re gone, my father comes closer. Despite my misgivings, I let him embrace me.
“Still as beautiful as I remember. You look so much like your mother.”
I ignore that comment, not wanting to bring her into this. She left him to have me, and never approved of me seeking him out. I exit the embrace.
“What brings you here?” He asks. “Come, sit!”
I follow him in to sit down, parking myself on a rather comfortable armchair. My father sits in his chair, nursing a glass of wine. Or blood, more likely.
“We just moved back,” I say. “The children and I.”
“That’s wonderful! You should have written, you could have stayed here. Are you renting?”
“Yes, renting. Darcie is going to wizard school in the city. Daegan just joined the guard.”
“It cannot be, my grandchildren are all grown up?!”
“I’m just as shocked as you are,” I mutter. “So anyway, why I’m here. They’ve been asking questions, and they’re old enough now I can’t keep things from them. They want to meet their father.”
“I do not think that would be wise,” my father says. “He is still quite... feral.”
“And whose fault is that?” I snap.
My father grows stern and quiet as he watches me.
“There is nothing I regret more, in all my years, then turning him. I lost you all that day. It was never worth it.”
“Then why? Why would you?”
“He was human. I couldn’t bear to ever see you hurting, when he would eventually die. Their lives are just a blink of our eyes. He would leave you and the children, all alone. I thought that by turning him I could prolong the time you have with him, eternity instead of mere years. I was wrong.”
“You ruined my life. You ruined the lives of my children! I had to raise them without their father!” I’m sobbing now, shaking with anger at the memory, still so clear. “You never, ever wanted the best for me. You just wanted me to be like you.”
—- Chult, Mbala, present day —-
Nanny Pu’Pu seemed an amusing sort, an old lady surviving on this desolate plateau, the last living person here. We liked her, eating her beans and immediately agreeing to take care of her pterafolk infestation. Oh how stupid we were.
The small group of pterafolk were a hard fight. All of us went down at least once, some of us twice. I spent more time on the ground then in the fight, but with our excellent healers and our strength of arms we emerged victorious. My leg severely run through by a spear and all of us worse for wear, we decided to rest up in this cave before making the tough trek back to Nanny Pu’Pu.
Our rest was undisturbed, and after an hour my leg was good to stand on. I had just gotten up from the ground when a scream issued from the cave mouth. Victorine had been sitting on the edge of the mist, her legs hanging over, and hadn’t seen the pterafolk coming. She went down, and then about a dozen pterafolk flew in.
Every one of us started to fall. Lazakon, surrounded, put up a valiant fight. I ran in and out, attacking and getting away. The healers did their best, keeping all of us alive and fighting, but the lack of light and sheer number of foes won in the end. I was the last man standing, watching in horror as our last hope was lost with our healers going down. The pterafolk turned to me, and I didn’t last much longer.
—-
I wake up, but I don’t feel alive. I’ve always been half in the grave, needing life force from others to keep myself feeling normal. But this... I’m different. I see Nanny Pu’Pu standing over me, and the blood on her hands. Someone’s blood, my blood- doesn’t matter. I’m starving. I lash out, my teeth sinking into her arm, surprisingly strong for such an old lady. It’s then I see her true self... a gods damned hag.
“Down! Have you no manners, girl!” She smacks my head, and I unlatch. “For that-“
She lunges at me, biting into my shoulder, coming away with a chunk of flesh. Strange, I don’t feel a damn thing. She swallows the piece of me, and smiles a horrible fanged smile.
“You’re all my children, now,” she cackles.
All of us, the living dead. Pieces of flesh missing, bones exposed, skin pale as corpses, gems in each of our foreheads... not one of us is the same. And yet, we are still us. Kind Melvakri, traumatized by our transformation, yet still filled with the gumption to complete our mission. Lazakon, embracing his massive size and no longer needing to eat or breathe to fuel his fight. Victorine, horrified to learn her beautiful magic has been corrupted, yet embracing her new skills all the same. Thatch, now more demonic than ever, yet still worried for her dying aunt, even more than her own self. And me... my thirst for blood has never been higher. I’m more vampire now than elf, my other side taking over. An undead abomination.
My father would be so proud.
🍃 Elora
|
|
|
Post by dragonforgotten on Mar 1, 2021 17:02:14 GMT -5
I always believed hard work and determination could get me through everything. I thought if we were smart enough, hit with more power, pressed the attack then we could make it through the jungle. I was wrong. It started when we make it to the cliffs we found a decayed abandoned village with a old woman inside it. It skeeves me out. The rest of the gang are talking and laughing with her but I just want to either leave or rest. I get neither. We informs us of the Petrafolk on the other side did the cliffs and sends us there. We ambush them in there own caves. It was a hard battle but we came out on top. I was feel confident in myself and suggest we take some time to figure out the spoils we found. It lead to our demise. The Petra folk returned just as the light from my cantrip faded. They striked and down Vic and swarm into the room, striking blindly at anything they can get at. Laz is getting his ***kicked while all that’s keeping me from following in Vics shoes is the darkness. I keep thinking we can do it. I’ll keep burning them. They have to drop eventually. When our poor cleric falls after reviving Vic I begin to realize our encroaching doom. I no longer have the power to cast rope trick. They all scream at me to turn on the light but I can’t! If I turn it on they’ll be able to see and... But if I keep it off Vic can’t heal. S***! F***! It’s checkmate! We’re damned if we do damned if we don’t! laz is on his last legs and soon he falls. I begin contemplating stealing the healing potion we just found from the cleric. Hide in the shadows, sneak it down the paladins throat but even still our odds are grim. I decide to put my faith in Vic and Elora, even if I know what it would mean. I turn on the light and I am cut down and it all goes dark.... ..... .......
I blink awake and everything feels wrong. My body is wrong. I groan, shuffling off the bed and I’m taken aback by the color of my skin, bleached shock white with my veins black and visible. My wings are slightly decayed, holes pocketing the edges of the membranes. I can feel myself panick as I watch the rest of my comrades rise. We shouldn’t be here. It’s obvious by the way we appear and the gauntness in our faces and bones appearing here and there on our bodies. I center myself. Trying to regain my sense of calm. You are undead now. You can not change that. All you can do is finish what you started. Try to save aunt along with yourself. Fear will not help you anymore. I feel a calling in the depths of my being. The old woman, really a hag tells us we must see the ubota, I think that’s what she called that structure we saw on the top of the cliffs. They can help us there. So be it. I must change now how I approach my tactics while understanding me new undead nature.
Thatch
|
|
|
Post by Chris on Mar 1, 2021 17:26:07 GMT -5
-25 years ago- “Elora, let me in!” “No!” I shout, holding my infant closer to my chest, my two year old son clinging to my side obliviously. “Leave me alone! I never want to see you again!” “Elora, please! I did this for you!” Hot tears fall down my cheeks, my whole body shaking in rage. He can’t come in if I don’t invite him, and I never will. This is my home, mine and my... no. My husband is no more. Just another slave to my father. “You killed him. I will never forgive you.” The other side of the door is silent, for a moment. No breathing, of course, and no sound of anyone being there. It feels like ages before he speaks again. “Elora... I didn’t want you to ever be alone. He was human, mortal... it’s the only way he could be with you forever. The only way he could be there for you and the children.” “You doomed him to a life of enslavement! To you! You did it for you, not for me! I hate you! LEAVE. NOW!” It’s silent again, save for my choked sobs. Darcie starts crying in my arms, but I hush her quickly. “I’m sorry, my daughter. I never wanted to hurt you.” I get up from the floor an hour or so later, after not hearing him speak again, double checking that the shutters are locked and the door barred. He won’t get in, not on my watch. Perks of having a vampire for a parent, when you don’t want them to bother you at home just never invite them in. I find myself laugh despite my grief as I put the babies down to sleep. Their father is now a vampire spawn, and it’s my duty to keep them from him. Years pass, and my children grow into adults seemingly in the blink of an eye. Daegan looks just like my father, I hate to admit- tall, golden hair, but lacking any undead qualities. Darcie, brunette like me and her eyes blue as the ocean like her father’s. How they used to be, at least. Raising them by myself was challenging, but I had my mother’s family to help. We left the city behind, back to the woods, and I’d hoped never to return to Baldur’s Gate again. But innocent children grow into curious adults, and in their teens they began questioning where their father was all their lives, why they only got letters and never got to meet him. I avoided it as long as I could, and then Darcie wanted to go to wizard school and Daegan to train for the military. We returned to Baldur’s Gate. My father’s mansion is beautiful from the outside, luring any unknowing person to want to go inside. I know what’s in there, what horrible things go on, and yet here I am on the doorstep for the first time in 25 years. Taking a deep breath, I reach out and slam the knocker down three times. The door opens a minute later, of its own accord, and I enter. Torches burn in sconces along the walls, candles in the chandelier above the entrance hall. The opulent rugs, brightly upholstered furniture, and elegant art pieces all around the place seem completely out of place, but my father has always been a man of culture. I follow the sound of voices down the hall to the parlor, where I find my father entertaining guests, two of his young female spawn sidling up to the studious young men he has for guests. He looks up as I enter, and I’m sure if he had any color to begin with it all would have drained from his face. “Elora...” he stands, gracefully walking my direction as the others turn and stare. “I wasn’t expecting you!” “Neither was I,” I say. “Hello, dad.” He turns to the others, snapping out of his reverie, and nods at his spawn. “If you will excuse me, gentlemen- this has been a most interesting conversation, but my daughter has come for a surprise visit! Mairead and Leanne, you may show them to the dining hall.” The men eagerly leave with his spawn, and I’m sure they’ll be wondering what happened in an hour or two. Poor saps. When they’re gone, my father comes closer. Despite my misgivings, I let him embrace me. “Still as beautiful as I remember. You look so much like your mother.” I ignore that comment, not wanting to bring her into this. She left him to have me, and never approved of me seeking him out. I exit the embrace. “What brings you here?” He asks. “Come, sit!” I follow him in to sit down, parking myself on a rather comfortable armchair. My father sits in his chair, nursing a glass of wine. Or blood, more likely. “We just moved back,” I say. “The children and I.” “That’s wonderful! You should have written, you could have stayed here. Are you renting?” “Yes, renting. Darcie is going to wizard school in the city. Daegan just joined the guard.” “It cannot be, my grandchildren are all grown up?!” “I’m just as shocked as you are,” I mutter. “So anyway, why I’m here. They’ve been asking questions, and they’re old enough now I can’t keep things from them. They want to meet their father.” “I do not think that would be wise,” my father says. “He is still quite... feral.” “And whose fault is that?” I snap. My father grows stern and quiet as he watches me. “There is nothing I regret more, in all my years, then turning him. I lost you all that day. It was never worth it.” “Then why? Why would you?” “He was human. I couldn’t bear to ever see you hurting, when he would eventually die. Their lives are just a blink of our eyes. He would leave you and the children, all alone. I thought that by turning him I could prolong the time you have with him, eternity instead of mere years. I was wrong.” “You ruined my life. You ruined the lives of my children! I had to raise them without their father!” I’m sobbing now, shaking with anger at the memory, still so clear. “You never, ever wanted the best for me. You just wanted me to be like you.” —- Chult, Mbala, present day —- Nanny Pu’Pu seemed an amusing sort, an old lady surviving on this desolate plateau, the last living person here. We liked her, eating her beans and immediately agreeing to take care of her pterafolk infestation. Oh how stupid we were. The small group of pterafolk were a hard fight. All of us went down at least once, some of us twice. I spent more time on the ground then in the fight, but with our excellent healers and our strength of arms we emerged victorious. My leg severely run through by a spear and all of us worse for wear, we decided to rest up in this cave before making the tough trek back to Nanny Pu’Pu. Our rest was undisturbed, and after an hour my leg was good to stand on. I had just gotten up from the ground when a scream issued from the cave mouth. Victorine had been sitting on the edge of the mist, her legs hanging over, and hadn’t seen the pterafolk coming. She went down, and then about a dozen pterafolk flew in. Every one of us started to fall. Lazakon, surrounded, put up a valiant fight. I ran in and out, attacking and getting away. The healers did their best, keeping all of us alive and fighting, but the lack of light and sheer number of foes won in the end. I was the last man standing, watching in horror as our last hope was lost with our healers going down. The pterafolk turned to me, and I didn’t last much longer. —- I wake up, but I don’t feel alive. I’ve always been half in the grave, needing life force from others to keep myself feeling normal. But this... I’m different. I see Nanny Pu’Pu standing over me, and the blood on her hands. Someone’s blood, my blood- doesn’t matter. I’m starving. I lash out, my teeth sinking into her arm, surprisingly strong for such an old lady. It’s then I see her true self... a gods damned hag. “Down! Have you no manners, girl!” She smacks my head, and I unlatch. “For that-“ She lunges at me, biting into my shoulder, coming away with a chunk of flesh. Strange, I don’t feel a damn thing. She swallows the piece of me, and smiles a horrible fanged smile. “You’re all my children, now,” she cackles. All of us, the living dead. Pieces of flesh missing, bones exposed, skin pale as corpses, gems in each of our foreheads... not one of us is the same. And yet, we are still us. Kind Melvakri, traumatized by our transformation, yet still filled with the gumption to complete our mission. Lazakon, embracing his massive size and no longer needing to eat or breathe to fuel his fight. Victorine, horrified to learn her beautiful magic has been corrupted, yet embracing her new skills all the same. Thatch, now more demonic than ever, yet still worried for her dying aunt, even more than her own self. And me... my thirst for blood has never been higher. I’m more vampire now than elf, my other side taking over. An undead abomination. My father would be so proud. 🍃 Elora This earned 10 Joust League points
|
|
|
Post by Aileen on Mar 8, 2021 12:34:09 GMT -5
Journeying through the jungle is lovely as the living dead. We pass a field of skeletons lying in ambush, that just completely ignore us. I almost expect them to start giggling like a group of toddlers playing graveyard, but they’re just silent and still. We see a beautiful stegosaurus just meandering around in a meadow, and it turns and... Ah. S***!
It charges us, plowing into Lazakon. I shoot it from a distance, not wanting those spikes flinging my undead bones around. Lazakon beats on it, Melvakri gives it the ol’ inflict wounds, and soon it lies dead. Such a waste of a beautiful creature, but apparently it did not like undead.
“What’s this rope hanging from the sky?” I ask, swinging on the random rope Thatch summoned.
“It’s our plan B! If things get bad, we can hide in the rope trick.”
Still unsure why she did that for a simple vegetarian dinosaur, but not my magic- not my business. We continue on for a few hours until I spot some more of those frog people hanging out in trees, waiting for us to pass through so they can ambush us. Just as we arrive to their copse of trees, I peel off and climb a tree, surprising one of the grungs. I run him through with my rapier, and he falls to the ground next to Lazakon. The others descend with cries of alarm, swarming my friends. I skitter up and down the tree, killing grungs and returning to safety. Melvakri uses her touch of death on one, but ends up poisoned from touching its nasty skin. After losing several of their own, the grungs disengage and run away. I skitter down and rejoin my party.
Onward we go, at last reaching the Ziggurat. There are three levels with a fourth enclosed level up top, some kind of enclosed temple. Lazakon starts heading for the stairs, but I stop him.
“There’s no way this place isn’t trapped. Let me search it.”
How right I am. I miss the thorny vines on the first stair, cutting my self up pretty good. You would think being undead would prevent me from bleeding, but my latest meal comes flowing out of my veins just the same. I head back down and warn the others, asking for an axe. Of course we don’t have one. We go round to the other side of the ziggurat, and find ourselves with a new member of our group. A little tiny doll-like creature with a wooden mask, holding a large purple and orange orchid. It squeaks, runs up the steps, and the thorns part letting it through.
“Huh... let’s find those orchids!” I announce, dashing into the jungle.
We find a bunch of them after searching around. Thatch goes first, and it works! We all get up to the next level. When I try to scout up to the next level the stairs turn to gravel and I just slide right back. Thatch tries flying to no avail. I can’t even spider-climb up the wall! I keep sliding for fun, and eventually another little guy shows up. This one in a chameleon mask, holding an orchid and what looks like a parrot feather. He gets up just fine. So, back to the jungle we go, looking to hunt a parrot. Luckily we find a pile of feathers and do not have to destroy a beautiful jungle bird. Back to the Ziggurat we go, bypassing the thorns and the crumbling stairs. The next level has poisonous snakes swarming the stairs, but luckily another little guy appears with a mongoose mask. He whacks a snake with his flower, tickles its back with a parrot feather, and lays down. The snake slithers into his mouth, and then the little guy slithers up the stairs.
“Well... guess I’ll go first,” I sigh, stepping forward. “I’ve had worse things in my mouth.”
I try it, and slither on up to the top. The snake never comes out, and I’m a bit concerned what happened with it. The others soon join me, all a bit disgusted with themselves, and we approach the temple. I search the outside, finding just a dusty abandoned temple. However, the scent of incense lingers... it smells fresh. I step in, and suddenly the dust and grime disappears. I find myself in an opulent temple, hanging lamps and burning incense, cushions and reed mats, singing birds, beautiful flowers... and a big ol’ naga. The others come in behind me, and we approach the naga.
“I am Saja Nabaza- what do you seek?”
We tell her of our quest to find the soulmonger and stop the death curse. Luckily, she can help! She tells us of her visions of a yuan-ti named Ras Zni and a city called Omu. The yuan-ti is scheming to end the world after his first attempt failed. She urges us to destroy him, going to Omu between the Peaks of Flame and the Valley of Lost Honor.
As she speaks, a man in studded leather and a small dragon looking guy step out of the shadows. On the man’s hands are tattooed “Burt” and “Lug” and he has a ring on one finger. Must be married- he’s quite handsome after all. If I weren’t already married I’d be all over him. He introduces himself as Artus Kimber and his companion Dragonbait. Artus agrees to accompany us on our mission if we pledge to destroy Ras Zni, which we do. Then the Naga bestows us with gifts. I step forward first to receive mine.
“Can you see in the dark?” She asks.
“Yes.”
“Are you afraid of falling?”
“No.” I laugh.
“Do you like animals?”
“They’re... alright.” I mean, I’d eat them if I have to, but I’ve never had pets.
“What kind of weapon do you wield?”
“Rapier.”
“Do you ever feel poorly?”
“Not anymore.”
“Do you get exhausted?”
I just laugh again. Can she not see what horrible abomination I am? I end up receiving a token of animal summoning, which could be useful? The others all get tokens that do other things. We rest up and get to know Artus, or at least try to. The man is clammed up tighter than... I don’t want to finish that sentence.
“I’ve been around a long, long, long time.” I hear him say in response to Thatch’s questioning.
“Me too. Life sucks, doesn’t it?” I smile at him, and he shudders.
This man is clearly no elf, and he’s relatively young, what does he mean he’s been around a long time? I’m nearly 270, that’s old! After resting up, we head out with our new friends. We come to the rivers edge and start heading the direction of Omu with Artus leading us.
“Do you have a canoe?” I ask him.
He shakes his head.
“Well... better start whittling.”
He looks around, not seeing any proper trees.
“Give me your leg.” He smirks.
“What?”
“There’s no wood, I’ll carve one out of your leg.”
“Are you... calling me fat?” I snap.
He sighs and moves along. Already I can tell we are going to be best friends. Such a man child.
We go until he cannot anymore, and make camp. I would prefer we keep going, but he can’t without sleep. Weak humans.
“Can you not sleep in my muscular arms? I’ll carry you.”
“Can you NOT talk to me?” He snaps, settling in for the night far away from me.
That night as us non-sleepers hang out about camp, I see the old lady again. The one that came and took Victorine’s hair. I silently get up and walk up behind her as she bends over Artus.
“Hey!” I whisper. “The goat lady is over there!”
“I’m not here for her,” she cackles quietly. “I’m here for him!”
She steps into midair and disappears like last time. The others converge on me, pestering me with questions.
“It’s just the old lady who cuts hair!” I hiss.
“Why would you let her do that?!” Victorine snaps.
“She’s harmless! Well... maybe. She threatened me last time, so I let her go. She just takes hair, I think she sells it!”
“Why?!” Thatch groans. “We can’t trust you!”
“Of course you can’t trust me, I’m a rogue!”
They leave me alone, and I wake up Artus. His eyes open and he glares up at me in the dim firelight.
“Why is your hair so expensive?” I ask.
“What?”
“The old lady was cutting your hair.”
He reaches up, feeling his hair.
“No, she didn’t. Go away!”
He pushes me off him, and rolls over. I suppose most people would not want to wake up to a vampire hovering over them talking about their luscious hair. Oh well.
The next day, as we walk along the river, a big juicy wild boar runs out in front of us. Artus and I are in the lead, keeping a good distance between each-other. Every time I try to strike up conversation he gets pissy, so I’ve given up.
“Mmm... meat. That would do us well for rations!” Artus mutters, drawing his bow.
He shoots and drops the boar, moving in on it. I go up beside the boar corpse, watching the jungle. Sure enough, it was being chased. Several little raptors come tearing out of the jungle, and one slams into me. I’m torn up and bitten, knocked completely off my feet. The blood spurts out of me, my energy fading fast. Artus jumps in to my aid, stabbing the creature as I fumble for my rapier. I get to my feet.
“Thank you!” I shout, killing the raptor.
We quickly kill the rest of them, but Thatch is down. Artus and Dragonbait are fantastic warriors, and I’m glad we have them with us. Even if Artus is a miserable prick.
We travel a couple more days, and at last reach a river canyon. It’s filled with beautiful rainbow coral, and feels like we’re walking in a different world. I wish we had time to enjoy this beautiful land, but it’s so full of evil and this curse, and we are on a time crunch. We walk until nightfall, and make camp.
As I’m sitting on my rock, enjoying the night breeze and the snores of Dragonbait and Artus, I sense something moving. I look up just in time to see a giant constrictor snake lash out at me.
🍃Elora
|
|
|
Post by kynigoskerata on Mar 8, 2021 17:11:27 GMT -5
The world has yet only grown more strange. Upon waking, I had discovered the... inconsistencies that came with my power, the need to create chaos and trickery had disappeared. Even worse, Pupu had stuck a gem in my head and my body smelt of decay. While Elora had made the life after death look quite gracious, the true fact was she was extremely lucky to have recieved her unlife in the way she had, at least before her new change courtesy of the hag. Now we are all stuck, for better or worse, until the Death Curse is ended and we can be revived, or our bodies and souls are forever seperated and we are lost to the abyss.
The abyss is frighteningly welcoming now too, another strange new aspect of my power that emerged. Where before my strength came in helping others, now it only seems to flourish in insanity. Not wven the chaos of my godly anscestor was this callous. I feel constantly to be under a microscope, percieved by beings that have no place in this realm, and yet go where they desire without compunction. If we can end the death curse, maybe the eyes in my dreams will stop searching me, finding my soul like a bug under an eyeglass, burning from the concentration of energies I still cannot completely comprehend.
Yet as far as I can tell, while the fate delivered to me is awful, I can only imagine how cruel it is to change a paladin and cleric, people who fight the evil of undead with all their hearts, into the very evil they would seek to destroy. No matter what, these two deserve a better fate. If it is my last act to save their souls from this cruelty, I can be happy to help Lazakon and Melvakri.
|
|
|
Post by kynigoskerata on Mar 15, 2021 9:05:38 GMT -5
I had been stalking this group of travelers for several days now, watching them as they made camp but didn't sleep. At least most of them didn't. It was rare, I have heard, for such calm relations to exist between the undead and the living in societies so drastically opposed to the Yuan-ti. Then again, it is also true that my connection with Vigilant has changed me, so perhaps circumstances have changed these people as well.
There was no better time to make myself known though, when it became clear that several of their party had fallen and they would need help to continue their journey. Where to, I do not yet ask, but hopefully they will be willing to help me stop the Curse of the End, where those who have come again weaken, and those who should come back stay silent.
Vigilant seems at least, to enjoy their presence, as much as he can that is, so it is no surprise that they are trustworthy, and even hardy and strong in battle. Still, this seems like a bad week for the outlanders. Their fellows drop like flies and this jungle has it out for them. I wonder if revealing myself now was the truly right choice.
|
|
|
Post by Aileen on Mar 15, 2021 10:42:23 GMT -5
Chult is everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more. The bright colors and interesting people, big lizards called dinosaurs that people ride on and have as companions, and the smells! I’m drunk off the aroma of the busy port city as I make my way to the tent of my contact here. Sometimes the air is spicy, sometimes sweet, food of all sorts being cooked up and sold to the hungry shoppers. And the heat! I’ve never felt such pleasantness on my far too pale skin. I’ve lived all my long years in the icy cold near Luskan, and never set foot in somewhere so hot and moist as this. I absolutely love it!
I have to rip off the fur trim on my armor, mentally cursing my mother who told me to bundle up before leaving home. She’s always cold, being a full vampire, and tends to forget I take more after my elven father. Mom would hate it here in Chult.
I waltz into the tent, still high on sunshine, and find a harem of pretty young women. They greet me and fetch their master. He’s young and yet old, and looks awful, cataracts in his eyes and barely able to walk.
“Good, you’ve arrived!” He says. “Have you been told why you’re here?”
“I’m assuming not a vacation?”
“Nay, nay. You have heard of the death curse?”
“Of course! I’m already un-“ I stop myself. “I mean, I’m aware.”
“Good, good. Well, one of our people went into the jungle and we believe that group has disappeared.”
“A Zhent?”
“An associate. You were recommended by our contact in Waterdeep, so I trust you will be up to the task of tracking down that expedition? They were trying to find the source of the curse.”
“Yes, I can. But how dangerous is this jungle?”
“You’ll be fine! Just watch out for snakes.”
It’s a long and uneventful journey through the jungle on foot, and I am bothered by nothing but annoying baboons and the occasional dinosaur. I tried to shelter at some fortress but the man inside was completely insane, and I got chased out for being a vampire. I’m not even a full one, but they didn’t take me not burning in the sun as an excuse. Maybe Chult isn’t as nice as I thought it was.
At last I see something going on through the trees as I walk aside the river. Up in the treetops are parts of what looks like a shipwreck, and there’s people moving around. Judging by the horrible screaming things are not going well. I nearly run into a raptor as I’m rushing toward it, and find myself with an arrow in my face.
“Who are you?” The woman asks.
“I should be asking the same thing.”
“Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.”
“Lyssa. Nice to meet you, too.”
She points her bow away from me, and the raptor stops growling.
“Valira. What are you doing here.”
“I was sent to find some people and then I saw that going on-“ I say, pointing to the shipwreck trees.
“Right. We should probably check that out.”
We reach the action just in time for it to end. It is in fact parts of a ship in the trees, I see. A massive, sickly looking man with tattoos on his head and a big gem in the middle of his forehead, is kneeling by a pile of ash and some gear crying.
“No!!! Elora!!!”
A pale tiefling runs her hands through another pile of ash, and looks up as we approach.
“Ah! Who are you?”
“Valira of the Blue Tongues,” says my new ranger companion.
“Hi! I’m Lyssa!” I smile at the tiefling, who flinches.
“You’re like her!” She says.
“Who?”
“Elora!”
“Oh! Yeah, that’s who I was sent to find. Don’t personally know her, but I was told she is a, uh... fellow sister of the trade?” I look between her and the big guy. “Where is she?”
“Dead,” says big guy. “Elora and Victorine both. Elora had children...”
“Adult children.” Adds the tiefling.
“It’s still sad, you heartless demon!”
Valira holds up her hand to stop them.
“Woah, woah- it’s just the two of you left?”
“Us and those two-“ big guy points over to a man with his back turned and a lizard looking guy, both standing over the pile of ashes I now know was Elora. “Mister Cimber, Mister Bait- we’ve got newcomers!”
They turn around and my mouth drops open as I catch the eyes of the man. He’s easily one of the most handsome men I’ve ever laid eyes on. Dark hair, broody eyes, built like... ugh. My mouth is watering just looking at him.
“Artus Cimber,” he says, nodding. “This is my traveling companion, Dragonbait.”
“That’s a big dagger you’ve got there, Mr. Cimber.” I say, staring at his belt.
“Thanks,” he grunts, but doesn’t seem the chatty type.
Dragonbait doesn’t speak but as he approaches us I smell the scent of... something sugary. It’s delightful.
Valira and I are welcomed to join their party as their number has dwindled, and I’m given a silver dagger that their now deceased rogue had. We leave the shipwreck and proceed onward, heading to a place called Omu between the Valley of Lost Boys and the Flaming Peaks, or something.
I quickly learn that Lazakon, the big guy, and the cleric Melvakri and the tiefling Thatch are all even more undead than I am, having been killed and raised up by a hag. Their friends Elora and Victorine were also bestowed with this curse, thus them being turned to dust. Turns out Elora was in fact a dhampir like me, but of no relation. So that’s one awkward conversation out of the way.
We camp for the night and I mess with Lazakon, hiding up in a tree as he sits below it praying or something.
“Lazakon, my child!” I say in my deepest voice.
“Torm? Is that you?”
“Yes, it is I, Torm!”
“Why do you sound like a female elf?”
“I do not!” I say, my voice cracking.
“Lyssa?”
I sigh and scramble down beside him.
“Hi, Lyssa. You don’t do a very good impression of Torm.”
“I suppose not! Goodnight, big guy!”
I lay next to Artus, who tries to get further away, but it’s a cold night. He falls asleep before me and I find his arm flung across me as he snores, and Dragonbait draped over him. I sleep very well knowing there’s undead adventurers guarding our camp.
“Hey! Elora, wake up!”
A foot prods me.
“Not Elora!” I groan, sitting up. “You think we all look the same, tiefling?”
I get to my feet, drawing my rapier, and run in the direction of combat. Looks like ogre zombies- nasty things! I stab the one on Lazakon, yawning.
“Thanks for joining, sleepyhead!” He says.
“I was having a great dream,” I groan.
Lazakon runs this one through and drops it, so I go to the aid of Valira. I lunge and thrust my rapier into the foul creature, severely wounding it.
“That was a nice thrust!” Valira comments.
“Thanks! Not my best!” I shoot a look back at the handsome Artus, but he’s still fast asleep and slowly taking over my own bedroll.
Thatch finishes the ogre zombie off, and after rolling Artus off my bedroll I’m finally able to go back to sleep.
The next day we proceed into the gully of black basalt, and immediately spot a few tall reptilian bird things being ridden by amphibious humanoids. They draw scimitars as we approach, yelling something I don’t understand.
“They said kill the intruders!” Thatch yells, flying up and casting magic missile at one.
“Well... looks like we’re doing this.” Artus sighs, drawing his bow.
He shoots his bow, hitting one, and they move in closer. They’re still pretty far away so I’m a bit shooketh when they start hurling flames from their beaks. I scream as the fire burns my flesh, and fumble for my rapier. Dragonbait draws his sword and bravely advances, clearly not afraid of much of anything. I run as fast as I can, hoping to get past the creatures, but as soon as I approach I’m hit with flames.
I wake up crispy and confused, the massive non-barbarian leaning over me. He claps me on the shoulder and gets back in the fight, immediately getting bitten at by one of the creatures. I stand up and lunge at one of the mounts, killing it, but angering it’s rider. The rider attacks me.
Artus holds up his hand, and his ring begins to glow as he stares down one of the mounts.
“This isn’t good!” He shouts, as ice begins to encase the creature.
“Looks pretty good to me!” I say, turning my attention to the riders now swarming me.
Suddenly Lazakon is hit by one of the creatures’ attacks, and turns to dust before my eyes.
“NOOO!!!” The collective screams are deafening. I’ve known him all of a couple days and have grown to adore him. Now he’s gone, just like that.
I turn to the rider nearest me, and tear into his throat with my fangs. Hot blood spurts into my mouth, and the energy invigorates me just a little. It doesn’t help the pain of losing a friend.
“You drank my blood!” It shrieks.
“It was delicious!” I growl.
The one I bit and his friend slice into me with their scimitars, and I succumb to the darkness.
—-
“Come on, get up!” Artus huffs.
Artus and Valira help me to my feet, and I take a deep breath of the moist jungle air. The ground is littered with the corpses of the strange mounts and amphibian people. A small pile of ash lays nearby, Lazakon’s gear strewn around it. We gather around the pile, putting his armor next to it with his holy symbol of Torm draped over, and his weapon guarding.
“Goodbye, Lazakon. You were a true hero.” Says Artus.
We leave our friend behind, and head off into the pass. The world still needs saving, and there’s one less hero in the world to do it.
❄️ Lyssa Coldwind
|
|
|
Post by kynigoskerata on Mar 21, 2021 11:07:50 GMT -5
And so we march on. The shallow lives of fallen be laid down with their gods, hopefully. With the state of the world, who knows what monstrosity is occurring to those souls that pass beyond their mortal frames. Whether it will be possible to see them again, or if their fates are now intertwined with the end of the death curse becoming their true release.
Our party is different now, I am not even an origonal member. The city, no, the great metropolis buried under root and fern stands before us and soon we will be attacked by all sides, as whatever evil lays here strives to protect it's dark craft as it fonishes the foul machinations that require so much true death.
There are many things I wish I could do, to call upon and end the plight of my people, as these faces with me wish to do as well. Whatever Chult has in store for us, is not something that my people have planned to do, and so, I am here to fight fang and scale to end this madness.
I know why I was chosen. I know I am probably not the only pureblood sent to Chult, but I will be the one to end the Death Curse, to show my way is best. I learned at an age earlier, how the world truly is, and in looking up at the stars, I can see, how truly small we really are.
|
|
|
Post by Aileen on Mar 22, 2021 10:51:10 GMT -5
We are sitting in a little corner of the black basalt gully when a lone adventurer arrives. I jump to my feet, watching him for a moment before he comes by where we are.
“Who are you?” I call out.
He jumps a little, but then smiles and walks our way. I thought Artus was handsome, but this guy... I really hope he’s not an enemy.
“Hello, my name is Bastian Cold-Pepper!” He announces.
“Lyssa Coldwind,” I say, laughing a little at the closeness of our names. “What brings you here?”
“I seek the source of the Death Curse,” he says. “And you?”
“The same,” says Artus, putting away his dagger. “Well met, I am Artus Cimber.”
The newcomer takes a seat and chats with us. He’s apprehensive about the tiefling and the cleric, both a bit scary looking in their living dead state. He outright flinches when he shakes my hand and I give him a smile.
“What’s wrong?” I frown as he pulls his hand away. “Do I have pepper on my fang again?!”
I cover my mouth in embarrassment.
“Um... it’s more that you have fangs.” He replies.
“Oh, honey, I’m a dhampir! You’ve got nothing to worry about. I mean, unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
The poor guy flushes red, and can’t bring himself to look at me for a while. Typical human response. After healing up a bit, we head back out through the obsidian ravine, the sharp points casting ominous shadows as we traverse through. I’m up ahead with Vigilant, scouting for traps, when I see something flying our way. Of course, a dragon, just our luck!
The little red dragon flies quickly our way, and Thatch calls out to it in draconic. Such an ugly, uncivilized language. It replies back, then swoops in toward her.
“It’s okay guys it’s- ahhh no it’s not!”
The little dragon breathes fire over everyone in back as I watch in horror. I can feel the heat on my face from here. Artus points his ring at the dragon, it glows, but nothing happens- I was really hoping he might be able to freeze it like the other things! He swears loudly and draws his knife. Thatch casts a beam of crackling energy at it, and Bastian suddenly grows huge. I have to blink a few times to fully register that our handsome new friend is now a giant- what a nice trick! More of him to ogle at.
I dash closer and skitter up one of the shards of basalt next to the dragon. I balance delicately on top of the razor sharp rock and thrust my rapier into the dragon. It flies away and I strike it again, but the thing is pretty hardy for its size and age. A fireball of dragon breath explodes from its mouth, and even here on my shard of rock I am hit. The burning hot flames surround me, and I go unconscious as I fall off my tower.
I’m not out long, the unmistakable feeling of holy healing washing through my body and waking me up. I slowly peel myself off the ground, the groans of Artus and the smell of baked ham preceding me noticing I’ve narrowly avoided falling on my companions. Dragonbait draws his sword, and Artus activates his ring again, making it glow.
“They’re definitely gonna sense this!”
A globe of snow sails toward the dragon and erupts. Who is they, though? He’s always worried using this ring, and now I’m worried too. No time to ask, I take a shot at the dragon, miss, and run out of sight. Bastian the giant hurls another javelin at the dragon, hitting it in the face. There’s a horrible roar of pain, and it seems that Bastian took out its eye. It angrily roars one more time, wheels around, and flies away.
After a moment I realize it’s safe to come out, and dash over to my fallen rapier. Artus and Dragonbait are a bit worse for wear and gathering their wits about them.
“Mr. Cimber- what’s the deal with the ring?” I ask, cleaning off my rapier.
“That’s none of your business.” He says a bit gruffly.
“Actually, it is my business. We are traveling together.”
He walks away, Dragonbait glaring at me. I smell... scalloped potatoes? Damn, I’m hungry. We all decide to take a rest, all of us very injured, and Thatch makes a rope trick fort thing 50ft up.
“Everybody get in!” She says, climbing up.
“No, I’m not getting in that and falling out when the spell ends.” Says Bastian, now normal sized.
He’s right, not worth it. The rest of us stay on the ground as Thatch goes up alone. We take our rest, tending to our wounds and rubbing salve on our burns.
“So, are you part giant or something?” Melvakri asks Bastian.
“No, it’s just one of many things I can do,” he says, perking up at the chance to discuss his skills. “I use runes to do it.”
“How long can you get large for?” I ask.
“Only a minute.”
“Damn, that’s not very long is it?”
“It’s long enough!”
I can see him blushing again and laugh quietly to myself. Humans are adorable. After an hour we get back up and proceed onward. Not too long into walking the damn dragon comes back. We were really hoping it went off to die somewhere. It swoops in and everyone attacks. My bow twangs but the damn arrow just falls to the ground as my string hits me in the face. And that’s why it’s important to always inspect your adventuring equipment, kids! It goes after Valira and takes her down. Artus makes the ring glow again and once more is worrying about people being after him. I’ve been in the bounty hunting trade long enough to know a wanted man when I see one. He’s hiding from someone, no doubt about it.
Giant Bastian slays the beast with his javelin, driving it straight into its good eye and through the back of its head. The dragon falls majestically to the ground with a resounding thud. I go to it and break off a claw, licking some of the blood and tasting the marrow before anyone can see me. I’ve had white dragon before back home, this is a bit spicier. Wiping the evidence away, I rejoin the group.
“So, Mr. Cimber, sir... I know you don’t want to talk about it, but are you... running from the law? Should we be worried about your ring?”
“No. And yes.”
Always a man of few words. I know he doesn’t much trust me, but I have to trust him. I know he is good, and honorable, but he is in danger. I’ll do anything I can to protect him.
The rest of the day is uneventful and we make camp for the night. Us sleeping folk gather our bedrolls in a circle and chat a little before going to sleep. I place myself between Artus and Bastian, my two favorite boys. Bastian is still a bit nervous about my vampiric nature, and I see him cover his neck with his blanket despite the heat.
“I won’t hurt you,” I say. “I don’t need to drink blood to survive.”
“But you like it?”
“Yes, it’s full of good things. Iron, vitamins...”
He laughs nervously.
“How can you walk in the sun?”
“Don’t know. My mother can’t, she’s full on vampire. Has been for hundreds of years. I was a bit of a surprise. She fell in love with my father when he came to the North on an expedition and then a year later, there I was!”
“That’s... odd.”
“Yeah, I guess. But she loved me and raised me as best she could in her freezing cold castle. I was the only living thing among thirty people living there- she has many spawn. They taught me most of what I know.”
“Aren’t they evil?”
“Evil and good are a broad spectrum. I’d say they’re more driven by need and nature, the need to drink blood to survive. As you can imagine, there’s not many living people up their to subsist on. We mostly had animals. Worked out for me since I’m half living, I ate the meat and they drank the blood.”
I hear Artus groan.
“Can you not talk about this?” He hisses.
“Sorry, I’ll stop. But have either of you ever had white bear?”
“Yes,” replies Artus. “Now shut up and go to sleep.”
I shut up and close my eyes, soon drifting off to sleep. And I sleep well until screaming wakes me up.
“SKELETONS!” Shouts Melvakri.
I get up, grabbing my rapier, and run into the battle. Thatch is in the air flying, Melvakri at her feet, both surrounded by skeletons. I jump in, hitting one, and run back out.
“You guys got this?” Artus asks sleepily from his bedroll.
“Yes, go back to sleepy sleep!”
“Okay.”
And he does. That’s my boy! The skeletons start shooting at Thatch as she buffets her wings trying to stay afloat, and then... dust! She doesn’t even fall to the ground, exploding into a fine dust that sprinkles down like rain. Melvakri cries out in rage and holds her holy symbol aloft.
“Begone, undead!”
I shriek as my eyes burn from looking at the symbol, but I’m too far away for it to hurt me. The skeletons bolt! When she puts down the symbol I approach, standing ready for them to return. I try not to track through Thatch’s ashes. Bastian and Vigilant have been wrecking them- I’m so proud! The ones that ran come back and we destroy them too. I gather Thatch’s belongings and put what we don’t need in an organized pile.
“Goodbye, Thatch. We will free your soul, I promise.”
The next couple days of travel are uneventful. We find a body of an elf in a tree, which I push down and we discover they were chased up into the tree by a Dino and starved. Typical for this place. At last we reach the city of Omu! It the gargoyles say anything about this place it’s to be on our guard- the place reeks with evil. We go in, and read some graffiti on the walls. We are not the first people to come here recently. I just hope we don’t meet our ends too quickly.
🗡 Lyssa
|
|
|
Post by Aileen on Mar 29, 2021 11:54:43 GMT -5
We proceed into the abandoned city and head toward what looks like a temple. Outside is a murky pool with a statue of a giant frog. We approach the edge of the water when something catches my eye. I turn, ready to strike the creature stalking us, and strangle a cry of alarm when I see a creepy humanoid owl.
“Hello!” It hoots. “My name is Hawthorne!”
“Don’t sneak up on people like that!” I hiss. “Friend or foe?”
“Friend, I hope! What are you people doing here?”
“Searching for the source of the death curse,” says Melvakri. “You?”
“Sightseeing! But I would love to help! What are you?”
“A cleric.” Mel snarls. Poor girl is miserable being living dead. It’s sad seeing a beautiful creature like an aasimar reduced to being a corpse.
“Ahh!” Bastian screams as tentacles fly up out of the murky pool that he decided to touch with his javelin.
I shoot the massive frog that appears out of the depths, keeping away from the edge of the water. It lashes its tongue at Bastian, trying to eat him it looks like. It wraps him in its tentacles, then gets Valira, and then Melvakri. To my utmost horror it drags the cleric in and swallows her whole.
The owl casts a fireball, alerting anyone that didn’t know we were here, and Bastian enlarges. Artus rolls his eyes at me when I giggle girlishly. I dash in, stab the creature with my rapier, and dash away. It suddenly retches horribly, and a second later spits Melvakri out on the ground. She stands up groaning angrily and covered in slime. It picks up Vigilant instead, clearly finding dinosaur more appetizing than a zombie. I stab again and get away just in time to see Melvakri destroy it with a bellow of rage.
I head to the stepping stones that go across the water, and hop to the first one. I pride myself on being light on my feet and graceful, able to scale any surface, but I am shocked when my feet slip. I fall right off the slick rock and splash into the nasty water. I surface, spitting water from my mouth, and find that everyone saw.
“Just uh... needed to cool off!”
“You okay? You slipped on that rock pretty good.” Asks Bastian.
“I jumped in!” I snap, swimming to the frog statue.
I pull myself up out of the water and onto the statue. Searching every inch of it I am delighted to find a key in its mouth. Grabbing it I swim back to the group and get out of the water, dripping wet but refreshed from the hot jungle air. After years of my mother being terrified of me going in water and not letting me swim, I was pleased to discover that moving water does not affect me like it does her. I spent my teenage years sneaking away with the village kids, and drinking on a small island between two rivers while she could only glare at me across the water.
“I found a key!” I announce, shaking the water out of my hair much to Artus’s annoyance.
“Excellent!” Bastian smiles. “But we need to rest before trying to open anything.”
“I can go scout out somewhere to stay,” I offer. “we are a bit exposed here.”
And so I sneak out into the village, checking out the first abandoned building I come to. It’s empty but there’s a weird blue mist inside. Thank check out the next building and find the same mist. So I head back to the party for advice.
“Is it breathable?” The owl asks.
“Didn’t try. I’ll be right back!”
I head back and go inside the building, taking a deep breath of the mist. I feel fine! I head back to the party and tell them.
“Let’s just go in my rope trick!” The owl says.
“Wait, why did I breathe that stuff in then?”
“To test it, of course!” She replies, casting a spell on the rope.
“I am going to eat you.” I mutter under my breath.
We go into the rope trick, all crammed in quite uncomfortably. I’m still wet and smell like murky water, but Dragonbait doesn’t seem to mind as he sits next to me, in fact all I can smell is the scent of banana bread coming off him. An hour passes, and I head down the rope.
Halfway down, skittering upside down, I see several creatures. Yuan-ti! They’re in the courtyard and some sniping from a distance. They must have known we were here, lying in wait for us to exit the rope trick! Getting off the rope I dash toward one with snakes for arms, stabbing him. The snake arms bite me, and I feel a burning sensation in my veins. Poison! These things are nasty. Arrows fly into my back, and I’m not doing so hot. I bite the yuan-ti and run, taking cover by the pool. The two in the courtyard move into the cover of the obelisk, looking up at the rope trick for more of my companions to come down.
Bastian is next, getting shot at as he dangles on the rope. He looks up at the invisible hole enraged.
“Fly down!” He shouts. “Don’t use the f***ing rope!”
Everyone falls out a moment later as the rope coils to the ground. They’re all floating down thanks to a quick feather fall by Hawthorne, except Dragonbait who slams full speed into the ground. Poor guy!
I run over to the dock leading out into the water, hoping to snipe the yuan-ti with my bow from that vantage point. The second I put the weight of my left foot on the dock it falls apart, plunging me into the water again. I come up sputtering, and swim with my bow held overhead to the frog statue.
“That was on purpose!”
I get up on the frog and hide on its back, readying myself to shoot. I feel healing wash over me and am immensely grateful that Melvakri’s spell has reached me here in the pool.
“Pull out the mongoose!” I call, remembering that they eat snakes. Who knows, maybe Mr. Cimber can summon one with his ring.
“Not right now, we’re in the middle of battle!” Artus replies, and I can see from here he’s blushing. Oh... ohhhh that’s not what I meant!
“I’m just a frog! Ribbit ribbit!” I say, ducking behind it again as I nock an arrow.
I take a shot and watch as Artus uses the ring once more to cause a sleet storm over two of the yuan-ti. It’s reducing visibility and buying everyone time to get to them without being shot. The others go after another group of them as Artus and Bastian take on the ones still by the pool. I dive off the statue into the water, then make my way stealthily through the water with my bow held overhead. Back on land I take cover behind an obelisk, dripping all over the place, and shoot one of the ones that hit me before. Bastian kills it and then he and Artus start charging the sleet storm, Artus holding the glowing ring aloft as he goes.
I keep stepping out and firing at the sleet storm, then going back behind my cover. I’ve lost a lot of blood thanks to the snake arms guys and the archers, but luckily everyone’s distracted by everyone else. I’ve got the perfect position where I am! I watch I’m disturbed amusement as Melvakri flies toward the enemy screaming about death as she tightens the rope around her neck, its length trailing behind her. The owl catches up to her.
“No, that’s not the right knot! Let me help you!”
I hear a thud from the direction of the sleet storm, but don’t know if it’s one of our guys or a yuan-ti.
“Artus, do you need me?”
“I’m not dead, yet!”
“What?! No do you need me to come help?!”
“Awkward!” Says Valira.
Our enemies are all dead, and at last Artus stops the sleet storm. I see Bastian laying on the ground and run to him. Artus stabilized him but he looks awful, covered in blood. Artus glares at me as I kneel over Bastian.
“I’m not going to drink his blood, Mr. Cimber.”
“Better not.”
I roll my eyes and let Melvakri take over. She still has the rope around her neck. Poor girl doesn’t want to live this unlife, all her former friends dead. Bastian wakes up, a little worse for wear, and I help him to his feet.
“You’re both very brave,” I say to him and Artus. “And you, Dragonbait, are the bravest of all!”
Our reptilian companion suddenly smells of several delicious desserts, clearly flattered. We head around the pool to the temple, and find a strange text over the gate. Hawthorn casts a spell and can read it.
“Kubazon urges us to tread without fear and to give back as much as we take.” She reads.
The gate is locked, I find after searching for traps, and I take my lock picks out with a sigh. I go to pick it when Bastian clears his throat.
“Didn’t you find something in the frogs mouth?”
“No?”
“Not a gate key?”
“There is no gate key!” I pause for a second, and look at my other hand, holding a key. “Ah, you mean this gate key!”
I open the lock, and walk in. A pit of spikes is before us, and on on the walls are wooden beams coming out of carved frog head mouths. Across the pit is a pedestal. I climb up on the wall and easily walk across as Valira starts crossing the beams. Each one she steps on retracts back into its respective mouth. I take a look at the pedestal as she crosses, and find a little cube on it. Knowing what I know about pressure traps and the riddle on the door, I assume we are supposed to give an offering to take the cube. I’ve only got 20 gold, but I don’t know how much this cube is worth. Probably more.
“Val, you got any coins?”
“I’ve got 10 gold!”
“Fantastic, I need to borrow it!”
She finishes crossing and hops down to join me. She hands me the money, and I take a deep breath before picking up the cube. I slam down the thirty gold in its place, and breath a sigh of relief.
“Hope that’s enough!” I say.
Suddenly the door slams shut, and the frog heads belch forth gas from their mouths.
“S***! I think you put too much!” Val says, grabbing me and pulling me away.
“This is what I get for being a generous thief!”
🗡 Lyssa Coldwind
|
|
|
Post by kynigoskerata on Mar 29, 2021 12:30:26 GMT -5
A generous thief she says, as the room fills with a strange gas, I can only hope that it is poison, and not some airborne acid. I can survive poison. I raise the scaled hood in irritation at the excitability of this adventure, having the adrenaline and fervour of battle and wits in the great game. I must remember my mission, above all else. I watchas my new adventuring compatriots fill with fear, the scent of it wafting off them as the gas leaks into the room. If it is poison, I may need to continue this mission alone, which would be... inconvenient. I have grown used to the idea of traveling with these scaleless children.
That is not the proper way to think though, not for me. The scales on my arm itch slightly as the gas gets closer and the panic in the room grows. We have beaten back the great toad creature, and the yuan-ti native to these lands, we should not be beaten by a puff of air that wafts too close.
I take a moment to think, and I believe I know what to do. There is a strong chance, that because of the nature of these traps, they were built specifically for non-yuan-ti crearures in mind. These are ruins of one of the great cities of old after all, I think. Anyways, I can take my time, while the rest need to get out of here soon. Perhaps I can explore more closely, as I don't have skill with traps and the like.
That is of course, all dependent on this being poison gas though.
|
|
|
Post by Aileen on Apr 5, 2021 12:28:37 GMT -5
The gas fills the chamber and I frantically pull some of the coins off the offering pile. Nothing happens, the trap is still active! I look to Valira and she’s just breathing in the gas like it’s nothing while my eyes are tearing up and I’m fighting the urge to vomit.
“What’s wrong with you?!” I cough.
“I’m immune!”
“Must be f***ing NICE!”
The owl flies over and starts investigating the pedestal, much to my offense. It’s my job to find traps, there’s nothing she can find that I haven’t already!
“Alyssa, give me the key!” Melvakri calls.
“Lyssa, there’s no A!”
“Yes there is.” Hoots the owl.
Annoyed I run along the wall, coughing in the cloud of gas, and get to the other side. The key doesn’t work on the door, but I think I can try to pick the lock! Holding the key in my fangs I get to work, fiddling around with my picks until I hear a click. The lock comes off, and the door is good to open! I get back on the wall to put my stuff away and allow Melvakri to open the door.
We rush outside, gasping in the fresh air, muggy as it is. Valira comes out last, blowing a puff of gas from her mouth like a cigarette. The gas dissipates into the air, clearing out the temple.
“What the hells?” Artus steps back from the greenish air.
“Lyssa set off a gas trap.” Says Melvakri.
“Yes, because I was too nice!” I growl, reaching into my belt pouch. “But I got this!”
I pull out the cube, and see now that it’s carved with the likeness of a froghemoth. Artus looks at it before reaching out to touch it, but I close my fingers around it and slip it back in my pouch.
“Got a few more to go,” I say. “Where next?”
“I don’t know about you all, but I need rest,” says Bastian, turning to me. “Can you scout somewhere for us?”
“There’s that building with the blue mist, it was fine!”
“Yeah, but you’re not normal,” he says. “Go, scout. Have fun.”
I head out with Vigilant, my favorite party member mostly because he doesn’t talk and judge me, being a dinosaur. I find a building devoid of mist and traps, and take a quick look around before getting the others. I find a little jade statuette, a fancy ring and a piece of cool pottery that all look worth something, so I stick them in my bag with the cube. I find Vigilant staring at me, judging.
“Oh come on, Vig, I thought we were cool?” I find the most comfortable place to put my bedroll and take a seat. “All right, call the others here!”
The others arrive shortly and get settled in. I take out the cube while we rest and try to get it to divulge its secrets. It’s clearly magical, but serves only the purpose of being part of a bigger puzzle. I look forward to finding its siblings and seeing what this puzzle is.
There’s a brief moment of dissension in the group when we all smell pastrami, and think Artus is holding out on us, but it’s just Dragonbait’s current scent.
“Think there’s a Yard Yardley’s here?” I ask.
“We get it, you all can eat food!” Mel snaps. “I’m living dead! And I want to be dead dead!”
“Sorry, Mel. I mean, I’m half undead...”
“Yes, but you can still eat Yard Yardley’s you ungrateful b-“
“I’m gonna go scout!”
I dash away before I piss off the cleric further. The poor girl is running out of time and I don’t think we can save her. We discussed checking out a big compound, hoping it may serve as a safe camp for us. However, as I approach, I find the place strewn with bodies being devoured by wild dogs. My heart skips in excitement- I love dogs! I grew up with wolves at home, of course they were servants of my mother- but I loved my big fluffy killing machines! These ones are scrappier and mangy looking, and probably dangerous. I run back to the group as quietly as possible.
“Lyssa, you’re back already!” Artus looks startled as I run in on him finishing up pissing on the side of the building. He clears his throat, blushing.
“I didn’t see anything!” I say, hoping it makes him feel better. “I mean, I didn’t see anything of you- I saw stuff in the compound!”
The others, hearing my voice, come out to join us.
“There’s doggos!” I announce.
“What’s doggos?” Valira asks.
“Puppers!”
“Canines,” Hawthorne says.
“That’s what I said!” I retort. “There’s a lot of them, though. And lots of bodies.”
“You know, most people would lead with the thing about the bodies,” says Artus. “Let’s go, safety in numbers.”
We head back to the compound, and I sneak in the side while the others go deal with the dogs. I come to a wrecked room, finding a glaive sticking out of a pyre. Over it, drawn in ashes, is a symbol of a snake eating its own tail. I remove an inhuman looking vertebrae from the glaive, and start to pull it out when I hear a voice.
“Help me!”
I tense up, jumping back from the pyre, and look around.
“Help- me!”
There- a pile of rubble! There’s a hand sticking out, trying to beckon me over. Not wasting any time, I dash over and start digging. I find a man buried under rubble, severely dehydrated and not doing so hot.
“Help me, I’m so thirsty!”
I get him dug out, and hold his grey haired head on my lap as I help him drink from my water skin. It’s like he hasn’t drank in years, he’s so thirsty he drains my water very quickly. I have half a mind to bite him and put him out of his misery, but then he smiles and I can’t do it.
“Thank you, my dear!” He sits up with my help. “My name is Orvex.”
“Lyssa,” I say. “Are you alright?”
“I’m a bit hurt, but I think I’ll live. What brings you here?”
“Searching for the soul stone... Soultaker?”
“The Soulmonger?!”
“Yeah, that one!”
“The Red Wizards are after it, too!” He suddenly looks ashamed. “Don’t judge me- I’ve been working for them, they pay really well!”
“No judgment here,” I shrug. “What happened?”
“Yuan-ti attacked!” He says. “I got away, but... the roof attacked me. Anyway... do you need a scholar? I know Grung- do you know Grung? I also speak Ancient Omuan and I know the Tale of the Nine Gods!”
“That’s... great,” I get to my feet and head back to the pyre. “I’m just gonna get this glaive here and then I can bring you back to my group!”
“Fantastic, thank you, miss!”
I get the glaive out, and finding nothing else help my middle aged friend out of here and back to the courtyard. We’re both a little shocked when we see the group dragging half burnt bodies out into the street, the wild dogs yipping happily and wagging their tails as Valira barks at them.
“I swear they’re normal,” I say to Orvex. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
We walk over to Bastian and Artus, and I see Orvex staring wide eyed in delight at Dragonbait.
“I found a friend!” I announce. “Everyone, this is Orvex, he’s a scholar!”
“Hello!” He says. “Ah! Yuan-ti!”
He immediately jumps behind me, using me to shield him from Valira as she walks over shooing off the last dog.
“She’s safe,” I say. “Nobody here will harm you.”
“You know you’re hiding behind a vampire?” Valira laughs.
“What?!”
I turn around and find Orvex staring at me in disbelief and fear, and smile at him. He turns pale.
“Orvex, sweetie, if I wanted to drink your blood I would have done it when you were stuck under that rubble! You have nothing to worry about.”
He nods, taking a deep breath, and goes to stand by Artus.
“Oh, Bastian- got you something!”
I hand my handsome companion the glaive, which he takes with a smile and tests out.
“I was wondering what you were doing with that! It’s nice.”
“I don’t know if it’s magical but I found it in the same place I found Orvex. Also a symbol of a snake eating itself? Anyway- gonna go scout more! We can’t stay here.”
“Please be careful, Lyssa.”
“Always am!”
I dash off, heading through the streets and dashing through a courtyard as stealthily as possible. I see a potential building for us to rest in, and am halfway to it when a vine wraps around my ankle and I nearly break my damn leg.
“Ah! I hate nature!”
It quickly wraps up around my legs and then about my middle, restraining me as I struggle. All around me vines start writhing and moving.
“Well, I know where not to camp now!”
With a burst of energy I break free of the vine holding me, and run, the other vines slowing me and tripping me up. I start running, and see two vine things chasing me. I think I’m going to escape, but then I see a tendril shooting towards me. It hits me hard, knocking me off my feet, and I scream as it tightens around me. I find my life force being smothered by the horrible vines, and then nothing.
—-
“- get yourself killed, and nobody will know where you are! I don’t want to have to write home to your scary vampire family! I don’t want to explain how you got eaten by plants!”
“Bastian?” I sit up, in a world of pain, and find a still giant Bastian standing over me. “Who are you talking to?”
“You!” He growls, but slowly shrinks down to normal size. “You nearly died!”
“But I’m not!” I grin, taking his hand. He helps me to my feet. “What happened?”
“We heard you scream, came here and found these assassin vines and no sign of you. Look- love the sneak thing, it’s incredibly helpful... but maybe don’t go so far. I don’t want to worry about you.”
“Aww! You care about me?!”
He sputters, turning red. I see Orvex being helped by Artus out of the corner of my eye.
“Oh no! Orvex, my best friend!”
I run over to my new friend, now looking even worse with a gaping leg wound. I help Artus get him into the nearby building, and we all settle down to rest. I’m still a bloody and bruised mess, and have some weird rash thanks to the vines, but I’m sure rest is all I need. Poor Orvex is exhausted and I hope he will recover- he has valuable information that could help us in our cause, and so far seems a very nice person.
We rest up for eight hours, and then Orvex tells us the Legend of the Nine Gods. It’s a ridiculous story involving strange creatures all tricking each-other, and when Orvex gets to the part about a giant snail some of us can’t help but laugh.
“A little respect, please, for the gods!” Orvex warns us.
He wraps up the tale, and it turns out that each of these temples here in Omu are dedicated to one of the nine Trickster Gods. So, we head across the street to the next nearest temple.
Hawthorne makes me invisible and I scout around the temple, the others staying a bit behind. When I get to the other side of the temple I spot two large creatures hiding behind a cart, but I don’t stop and investigate. I come back around and go up behind Bastian, startling him as I put my hand on his shoulder.
“Bring the others round the other side, I’ll take the right- there’s a couple creatures hiding and I want to get behind them!”
“Okay. We will see you on the other side, then.”
“Don’t say it like that. Sounds like we’re gonna die.”
“Whatever- just go!”
And so I sneak around behind the cart and see two leopards with snakes coming out of their shoulders. They’re kamadans, like the god from the tale Orvex told us!
I hear the others before I see them, Bastian’s armor clanking loudly and giving their position away. The big cats perk up, and step out from around the cart. I dash in, stab one, and run up the nearby wall. The one I hit turns and breathes on me, but nothing happens. The other one goes after my friends. I skitter down off the wall, stab mine again, and run away. It looks so happy to chase me, but then there’s a mewling scream as Bastian kills the other one. It runs off after him as Mel guiding bolts it, and pounces on Bastian. The now big Bastian falls over, the snakes attacking him as the big cat stands on his chest. I run in and kill it, and it falls lifeless on top of him.
“You okay, darling?” I ask.
“I’m great,” he growls, rolling it off of him as he breaths hard.
That’s when I hear it. A soft mewing, sweet and sad. My ears follow the noise to the cart, and I look under to see three sets of little eyes staring back at me. Three perfect, beautiful feline faces, so tiny and adorable-
“Eeeee!” I squeal without realizing it, and dive under the cart. Hawthorne comes flying over in alarm.
“Somethings eating her!” She hoots.
“No!” I call, grabbing the three little fluff balls and coming back out. “Kittens!”
So we are orphan makers now. I do feel bad for killing the mighty kamadans, but they would have killed us anyway. They were just trying to protect their babies, though. I feel terrible. I hand a mewling kitten to Melvakri, who has been extremely depressed, and she holds the sweet kitten up to her cheek smiling for the first time in a long time. I lay another one on a now normal sized Bastian as he lays on the ground, and he chuckles as he pets the little one. The third I put in the front of my armor, sticking out of the collar. I can feel the little fluffy head tickling my cheek and can’t help but smile.
“I’m your mother now!” I tell her, kissing the little spotted head.
We head back to the others, Bastian with his kitten peeking out of his pouch and Mel with hers on her shoulder. I’m almost skipping with happiness as I go up to Artus and Orvex.
“Like our new accessories?” I ask.
“What did you do?!” Artus looks shocked as I pull the kitten out of my cleavage.
“We found kittens!”
“Found?” Orvex asks.
“Yes. Found.”
I hand the kitten to Orvex for safekeeping, and then head to the door to the temple. I’m checking it for traps when I hear Bastian gasp excitedly behind me.
“Cut the vines away, there’s writing on the pillars!”
They do so and find more writing.
“Old man!” Says Valira. “You said you could read old Omuan?”
“Yes!”
“Is this Old Omuan?”
“Yes!”
He translates the writing and seems very excited as he reads it aloud.
“Shagambi teaches us to fight evil with honor.”
I find no traps on the door, but I also can’t open it. The others find me nearly throwing my back out as I try to push the massive doors. Valira gets in next to me and with our girl powers combined they open with a grinding noise.
I go in first, a light shining off my chest thanks to Melvakri. This temple is old and dark, and as I get down the stairs I see two Omuan statues on either side of a big dip in the floor. As I get closer I see it’s a gladiatorial arena.
“Guys, come close behind me- I’m scared!”
“You’re literally a vampire!” Bastian whispers.
“Half! And I’m afraid of the dark!”
“What?!”
“I mean I’m afraid of what might be in it!” I quickly cover. “You guys stay on the stairs. I’m going to check this statue.”
I go to the right and look at a statue. It’s an Omuan warrior, but it’s hands are empty. It looks like a staff would be held in them. All the other three are the same. Moving on to the far side of the room I find a relief on the wall of a kamadan fighting a froggy looking guy. There’s writing underneath.
“Orvex, come here!” I call in a loud whisper.
He comes in a few moments later after much shuffling around on the stairs. Everyone else just comes in behind him. He comes to me and starts examining the artwork and reads the Omuan writing.
“This is interesting! It tells the story of Nang Nang stealing Shagambi’s spear!” He traces the letters with his fingers. “Oh! There are some tiny holes in this sculpture!”
“Is it a fountain?” I ask.
He says nothing, just giving me a look that clarifies how dumb I sound. I’m just a rogue, I don’t do the thinking here! I move over to the cylinder facing the relief, and glance over at Valira checking out a statue.
“Hey Bastian, want to come out your spear in one of these statues hands?” I call out to the darkness behind me.
“I would if I had a spear.” He calls back.
“Glaive, whatever it is!” I roll my eyes.
I check the pedestal for traps, finding none, and decide I’m going to try opening the hatch.
“Hey, I’m going to touch something! Everyone come in. Be ready for anything!”
I try to open it, and nothing budges. A familiar hissing noise is accompanied by gas pouring out of the holes in the relief that Orvex pointed out. I take a cloud of gas directly to the face, making me choke and cough. I’m standing there vomiting and choking, my eyes watering, when I feel arms pushing me back. I can breathe again, but I feel like s***. Valira pats me on the shoulder and goes to check the pedestal as I recover.
“Next time if there’s poison involved, let me take the brunt of it!” She says.
I think we make a good team. I’m just incredibly unlucky in setting off traps. After she can’t open it, we decide to head to the stairs down. I take the lead, and we go down a log winding passageway. We pass into a sandy grounded chamber and I realize as light comes from above that it’s the gladiatorial pit! I’m startled as I hear portcullises clatter, and four clay statues of Chultan warriors come in.
🗡 Lyssa
|
|