Blarkenvürk - Scouur City Guard
A barrage of arrows bounced harmlessly off the side of the creature, the crossbowmen fired waves of arrows, with two groups altering firing, but to no avail, the creatures skin was as stone. After several waves, and the creature taking no notice, the captain of the guard led the charge, raising his sword with his voice. "FOR SCOUUR, FOR THE CAPITAL, FOR THE PEOPLE!" He along with around 50 men charged in at the creature, this did catch its attention. The creature's head turned towards the men, its eyes narrowing, how dare they disturb its task. The creature let out a shrieking roar, displaying a mouth lined with several rows of jagged teeth.
The leviathan slithered forwards before rearing up as it had been while drilling, a large crystal set into its forhead began to glow with a brilliant heat before discharging a searing beam towards the advancing vanguard. A couple of lucky soldier in the group had dived, but the vast majority had not been so lucky. As the beam struck it vaporized the approaching party. But the beam did not end, it focusedly continued to be driven towards the city gate where Elgar and the remaining soldiers were situated.
Blarkenvürk - Elgar
Among the shouting and cries Elgar was pushed to the side with a mass hoard, everyone at the gate had plenty of time to be parted in two as the searing beam shot out of the gate in a glowing arc. The beam collided with the wall above the gateway causing rubble to fall and fill this entryway. Sheltering his eyes from the dust, Elgar looked to the sky above the city, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature, what he saw next was not at all expected.
The Blackened Heart of the world - Leviathan Su-ouul Drei
A heartbeat emanates from the catacombs. Human intervention provides a moment of clarity, this disturbance however must be reported.
The leviathan coiled up into a spring-like formation before launching itself into the air. The stripes runing along its length unfurled into sail-like membranes, it quickly repositioned itself in the wind by flicking its body like a whip before being shot north at a such a speed that it created a sound as if the sky itself were shattering.
The journey on the Scourer had been uneventful for Gilor, but to him, "uneventful" was the best it possibly could have been. It ought to have been, if he paid full price for the fare; time to rest and relax was a pleasant contrast to his normal life of thieving and running. He even still had plenty of coin left! A fresh start on Spindol where no guard knew his face would be perfect. As the ship docked, Gilor eagerly disembarked and set his sights on the port town of Gate. He was a bit surprised to see it looked quite similar to any other port city he'd seen before, but paid it little mind; he wasn't here for sightseeing, after all. The best thing to do, he decided, was to look for the front gates in the event that he needed to beat a hasty retreat, as well as find an inn to stay for the night. He set off to wander the streets, and quickly found a rowdy inn; sounds of a fight emanated from its walls. Probably wasn't the best place to find a room.
The sun was quickly setting, yet Gilor managed to find a shoddily-built inn alongside the docks; so shoddy, in fact, that it didn't even have a name. Gilor paid a measly 5 copper for one of the only two rooms (he was alarmed that they had the money to give change for his silver; they assumed it had the same value as one of their silver coins, conveniently). Drafty and cold, and without a morning's breakfast. But, still better than nothing.
Come morning, Gilor set out early to get some supplies. Seeing the prominent presence of guards, he figured this town wouldn't be optimal to start off with so he decided it would be best to hit the road. He found a few merchants vending what he needed; a map, a bedroll, a rucksack, and some bread and apples for the road. A total of 5 Filenese silver was spent. According to the map, Blarkenvurk looked close by and could be a decent place to prowl; after getting directions to the gate from a few worried-looking residents, Gilor exited the town. He conjured up his Steed and was off.
---
The road was surprisingly deserted, putting Gilor on edge; not a friendly face (or an unfriendly one, thankfully) in sight. Like his voyage, this bout of traveling was uneventful... until he drew close to Blarkenvurk, that is. Burnt corpses littered the road and smoke rose from a source he could not identify in the distance. Gilor was definitely nervous now, but his nervousness gave way to greed; whatever burned these bodies might still be around... but, it might have already left. And, it might have left behind gold. Perhaps he should have a look ahead...
Gilor found himself at the edge of a crater, barely paying any mind to the two humanoids. He dispelled the steed and looked into the crater; this thing couldn't be Blarkenvurk, right? Blarkenvurk was a town, not some firey snake's home! And yet, according to the map, this was Blarkenvurk; all the features matched up except for this ashen crater. Perhaps he had been scammed out of a proper map? Or, was this merely the worst town in existence? Maybe this snake had razed the place not too long ago?
Gilor turned his attention to the two humanoids near him, an wood elf and a very short man. Perhaps they knew what had happened here?
"Hey, isn't this Blarkenvurk? What happened here? What is that giant snake-thing?"
Gilor couldn't quite hear if they had responded, as at that moment the snake had risen into the air and made some horrible noise as it flew... east? north? His ears rang as he staggered in surprise, futilely trying to cover his ears.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Did something happen to you in your childhood to give you this unreasonable fear of rutabaga?
The elf's curt definition didn't help much (not that Gilor expected an oracle) but at least he knew that the crater was the ruins of Blarkenvurk now. She paid little mind to Gilor and immediately began to talk with her companion. They were clearly awestruck by the power of that beast; the elf, at least, seemed worried that they wouldn't be able to take it down. She was out of ideas, and from the looks of it, "Pearce" wouldn't have much in the way of legend-slaying to offer either.
Gilor was baffled; why on earth would this elf even think of trying to kill that monstrosity? Adventurers sure don't pay much heed for safety, do they? Two hunters against that? There's glory and bounty in adventuring, sure, but then there's suicide; you'd need siege engines, or a small army, or some mythical weapon or something. No amount of guile from these two would be able to take that down unless Excalibur itself is stuck in a rock two feet from here. If they're wise, they'd be like me and leave; maybe find some proper warriors to help them, if that's what they fancy. Blarkenvurk was clearly not going to bring him much fortune.
Gilor was about to turn and leave, but figured that he might as well examine the perimeter of the crater before he left. Blarkenvurk itself was utterly annihilated, but there were still a few crumbled ruins and bits of wall towards the edges that just might have a few gold pieces; the city gate was entirely intact for that matter. And, for a charred crater of a city, the city gate had quite a bit of movement; Gilor could clearly see the movement of men by it. Judging by the way they glinted in the light, they must be armored. No doubt, here to kill the beast--the two hunters ought to be pleased by that. Might even kill the thing, if those warriors have quality arms.
"Oy, thought you might want to know," Gilor interrupts as he points towards the gate, "there looks to be some soldiers over by the gate. I'm no tactician, but if you're aiming to down that thing, you'd be much better off with them then on your lonesome. I doubt your bows or blades could pierce its hide."
Gilor then adds, shrugging: "No guaranteeing their arms could, but twenty heads is better than two at the very least."
??? - Gilor
twenty heads is better than two at the very least....
A cold chill runs down Gilor's spine suddenly the sounds of the world are no more and Gilor is standing in a field of Dusk. The night air around Gilor is physically heavy causing any movement to be hindered as if the air was a liquid. This unfamilar world is noticably lacking magic, a much older force is at work here. Before even a second has passed, Gilor is stood in front of a pale faced man in dark robes. in one hand a staff, in the other an hourglass. The glass' frame distinctly lacks any sand.
The man speaks, though his way of speaking is closer to the listener reading ink on a page. "Gilor, It is not by choice, but by law of a wish that your time on earth has run short, your sands have been stolen, they are empty and thus you are no longer free to wander the overworld plane of existance. You are gifted fourty hours to correct this wish if you believe it to be errorous, then we will come for you." With that the ink ran off the page of Gilor's mind and settled into his palm in the shape of a black copper piece.
With that Gilor was once again standing just as he were before the dusky plains, time had not even progressed a fraction of a second.
There was a loud crack in the sky as the leviathan flew overhead, towards the north.
Pearce could see waves and waves of what might be arrows or bolts in the distance. They had taken flight and were arcing towards the structure that Caerwyn had pointed out earlier. He focussed on the structure, trying to figure out why there would be such an attack on it. There had to be a reason, as an entire troop of people wouldn't just decide to fire on something without such a reason.
First Pearce heard something, a distant shrieking roar. And then an almost blinding beam of energy shot from the structure, turning dirt and rock into a plume of smoke where it made contact. Pearce watched on, shocked. The structure... It was the creature that Caerwyn and him had decided to try to hunt down. The immense power of the beam that shone from the beast's head was frightening. Pearce worried for the people who fired the bolts at the beast.
"I have never seen such a creature in my life" Pearce said in awe, "Not even in books"
Caerwyn expressed doubt about how well her arrows would do against such a beast, and Pearce had doubts about his spells too. Would his spell casting have any effect on such a creature? Pearce thought not. He looked to Caerwyn and spoke.
"I doubt my spells would have any effect either" Pearce said.
Pearce watched as the beast unfolded a pair of wings and launched itself into the air. Not only could the creature reduce a city to a crater, it could also fly. Would any town be safe from the beast? They had to stop it before it levelled the continent. Pearce looked over to the newcomer who had asked about what was happening here, a question which had been already answered by Caerwyn, and had suggested that they go and talk to the soldiers.
"Going to the soldiers sounds like a good idea" Pearce said, recovering slightly from the earlier shock, "If we are to take down the creature, we would have a better chance if we were not alone. If you wish to help, then please follow."
The last thing Pearce said was directed to the newcomer who had suggested that they join the soldiers. Pearce looked over to Caerwyn, wondering if she agreed. If the newcomer was going to join them then he should at least introduce himself. There was a loud crack overhead, which made Pearce reflexively look upward in the rough direction of the noise. It appeared that the beast was in the midst of flying away. Pearce looked back to the newcomer and Caerwyn, now feeling a sense of urgency.
"My name is Pearce Allan, by the way" he said as he turned to the direction of the group of soldiers and began to move quickly toward them.
Pearce moved over ash and dust, around the edge of the crater. It shouldn't take that long to reach the soldiers. Pearce wondered if they would accept their help, or if they would have to find another way to help take down the beast. He hoped that they could help to stop the beast before it killed more innocent people.
Silver rushed through the forest, trying to catch back up with the pair he had been following. Somehow, they'd managed to lose him, unintentionally.
When he finally glided up to the border, the town was in view.
Not that it seemed much like a town anymore.
Burnt, craters everywhere, the place seemed totally destroyed. Aside from something... in the middle...
And that was when the monster rose into the sky, and spun off, flying overhead like a snake swimming through the air. Silver desperately hoped that wasn't the goal of their journey.
He finally spotted the two out by the town, and he nearly just ran forward and asked them what happened. But he held himself back, because there was a third person, mounted, talking with them and gesturing.
Nervously, he fingered his sleep arrows, wondering what exactly was going on. For some reason, he really, really wanted to shoot that third person, maybe even with a real arrow. But the feeling didn't make any sense, so he shoved it to the back of his mind and simply watched.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wyrm Watches. The Wyrm knows. The Wyrm reads. The Wyrm Animates too! Check me out at the WyrmWorks Channel on Youtube!
You should join Brazil on the Total War Minecraft server - 167.114.100.168:43841! Includes many Minecraft Forum members including myself, Selene011, Genius_idiot, Gamelord, and more!
An apparition--shock, and then fear--his time wished short? Gilor's mind devolved into a panicked frenzy as the words spilled and sunk into his hand, the heavy air smothering his lungs.
And then, it was over; the cool air shocked Gilor once more, but brought about a new vigor and lucidity. His composure quickly returned, but his eyes still betrayed fear to those who examined them. By law of wish, my time has run short...? Someone has used a Wish just to kill me? Gilor felt his familiar stoic calm return to him; in a way, he was almost flattered that someone would waste a wish just to kill him. One wouldn't Wish a petty thief dead, after all!
But still... he had been Wished dead. One cannot overcome a Wish easily, and Wishes were a branch of magic Gilor knew very little of. He did not plan on succumbing to this--far from it!--but he still had no idea how to go about saving himself. If he managed to get a Wish within fourty hours, he could, perhaps, Wish his sands back to the wizened figure. Judging by the way the figure mentioned "wander the Overworld plane of existence", it seemed possible that if he somehow found a way to move to another plane of existence, Gilor would not need to die... however that would work. And, of course, Gilor could find the sands themselves.
None of those were very promising prospects. Gilor knew little about Wishes, but knew nothing about other planes of existence. Could he even travel to another, or survive the trip? Unless he happened to find a powerful wizard very quickly, that wouldn't be a reasonable possibility. Finding his "sands"--perhaps he'd call them "Sands of Time", it sounds fanciful--was probably out of the question, as anyone he'd have angered enough to provoke a killing Wish would be overseas right now, and Gilor guessed it would be more likely that the sands would be with them than anywhere on this island. That left getting a Wish of his own. Horrendously difficult, especially in a fourty-hour timespan... but it was reliable, and that would be all that would matter.
Suddenly, an adventuring party was looking like an excellent opportunity right now; sure, it was risky, but Gilor wouldn't be finding any Wishes by picking pockets. Adventurers tend to find all sorts of loot and attract all sorts of attention. Finding some source of Wishes on a journey wouldn't be out of the question... but the real question was whether they would miraculously stumble upon a wish within fourty hours. And, perhaps, if Gilor could somehow evade the wizened one--wizened ones, they said we--should fourty hours pass. And if an adventuring party would even waste a wish on saving a thief's life over something more selfless like bringing down a great firey snake that might raze an entire island civilization to the ground.
The more and more Gilor dwelled on this, the grimmer his odds seemed. Perhaps there was no escaping death this time, but he'll be damned if he won't try.
Gilor once more had a flash of lucidity, and his alertness was almost completely restored; he hadn't even noticed that the beast had made a second deafening crack or that the human was speaking to him. Or that he had been standing around awkwardly for about a minute as he tried to process what had just happened.
He turned to address the... human? Gilor hadn't noticed how foxlike it looked for a human. Must be a beastfolk. From behind, Gilor couldn't see its features; they were obscured by the cloak. He seemed appreciative of his idea and offered an invitation to join them in slaying the beast. How quickly one's mind can change when a knife is put to your throat!
Gilor conjured his steed--both to prove his skill and to move tirelessly--and mounted it. "I'll help however I can. Gil-- Gilante, illusionist, at your service. I might not be able to wound that beast" It'd be best to take up a pseudonym around these folk. They probably don't know my face, but they might have heard my name, and a name hidden is one not easily learned.
His nerves were on edge, and he felt as if he were ready for anything. Yet, even though his thoughts were completely back to the present world, his wits were still scattered; his steed flickered and sputtered every now and then, and he hadn't even an inkling of a thought that he was being watched (something he otherwise would have picked up instantly).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Did something happen to you in your childhood to give you this unreasonable fear of rutabaga?
"If you just got here, you're probably just rusty. Either way, you might be needing a bigger bow..."
Judging from the way Caerwyn was keeping distance and hovering around Pearce, she probably wasn't interested in conversation. Gilor might have asked her about her homeland, otherwise; no wood elves were known to live in or near his own homeland of Filenis (as far as Gilor knew anyway), but he had heard stories about their unique brand of magic. Not that Gilor would be able to use it, but if Caerwyn was willing to share some of the methods, he might be able to repurpose them for his own brand of spellcasting. He was trying to work out the kinks of his Haste derivative; it made you move faster, sure, but it drained way too much energy to be practical and didn't actually give your body any enhanced durability to withstand the enhanced speed. Just making a single finger faster was almost as draining as conjuring his Steed. He wouldn't dare cast it until it had been perfected, even with his new threat being on the horizon.
Regardless, the elf clearly was wary of him, and in all likelihood the beastfolk Pearce was as well. Best not to fuel their fears; Gilor kept his distance as well.
The beast seemed to be flying away, and it occurred to Gilor that they might not actually remember the direction it flew in; Caerwyn should if she had an inkling of skill, but Gilor didn't know her well enough to judge yet. He took out his map and tried to make a crease in the direction he thought it flew in; should be good enough, it isn't like the beast is hard to miss. He didn't dare look at where the words had settled on his left hand. Would need to buy gloves or gauntlets at the next opportunity to hide it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Did something happen to you in your childhood to give you this unreasonable fear of rutabaga?
"We would need help if we are to attempt to hunt the beast" Pearce said, "Otherwise we would have quite some difficulty. Perhaps if we used cunning to take it down, like a trap of some kind. But we would need more information to create such a plan."
Pearce was trying to think of a plan, he had been musing over the problem for some time. The beast that had destroyed the city of Blarkenvurk was highly dangerous, and would be very difficult. Any plan to stop it would have to take into account the fact that the creature had the ability to destroy an entire city. Perhaps if they used powerful magic, but any spell that could stop that creature would be far more powerful than a spell that Pearce could cast.
He looked over to the newcomer, who said his name was Gilante. He said he was an illusionist, perhaps his abilities could be used to distract and trick the beast. He did say that he would help after all. However, he did seem distracted, nervous even. As if there was something important on his mind. Gilante had summoned some kind of spectral steed, but it flickered and sputtered, probably due to whatever was on their new ally's mind.
Pearce continued to moved toward the group of soldiers who had attempted to fight the beast. They might be allies, assuming that they would agree to let Caerwyn, Gilante and Pearce help. As Pearce walked his mind wandered. He and Caerwyn were joined by a new person on their journey, but Pearce knew very little about them. He knew that he was an illusionist and that he was called Gilante. It wasn't that Pearce didn't trust Gilante, it was just that he had only just met him.
It didn't take too long for Pearce to reach the group of soldiers. And here he saw more destruction, all caused by the beast. It was terrible, all this destruction and death. He looked around at the soldiers who were most likely here to stop the creature before it destroys another city.
Pearce approached one of the soldiers and said, "We wish to help. Can you tell us anything about this creature?"
After the dust cleared the remaining guardsmen were able to clear some rubble to build a path into the cratered remains of the city. The damage was greater than suggested from an outside glance. The inner layer of the city walls was stained black with the contents of the city, the searing beam of the Leviathan had left little more than these fine black powdered remnants, a sickening thought of what this meant washed over the crowd. What was this creature, why did it do this, where did it come from?
"I've found something!" one of the more curious guards that hadn't been lazered from existance was now in the center of the crater, digging. A small crowd gathered around and peered down, where the beast had been drilling, only a few centimeters deeper, an opening into a room-like structure, the floor only a few metres down below. One guard pulled a sunrod from his belt, broke it and dropped it down, confirming this notion. "Gods, what was that creature after..."
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
8/10/2016
Posts:
137
Location:
Not behind you
Minecraft:
Wind_Weaver
Discord:
BoboDeHobo
Member Details
The warm gentle breeze pushed on Herne's face, Blowing his hair every which way. Leaning on the creaking wood of the old boat. Herne viewed the ocean waves as they reflected the sunlight. Suddenly Herne jerked as he heard one of the Sailors beckon Land Ho! Looking back he saw Port Scouur.
Herne took off his cloak because the temperature had gotten the too hot for him. The water had gotten much clearer nearing the town, Herne could see Fish swimming in the water. The boat docks and people start to go off, carrying various items from spices to luggage. Grabbing his bag Herne went down to the dock. the old wood creaking as he went down onto the dock. Going into town he saw many shops, People on the side of the street selling trinkets to travelers
. He saw a Tavern and went over to it approaching it, He could see inside it through a partly shattered window. Opening the door He saw many people eating and drinking he saw an open spot he went sat down at the bar and asked for water and a small biscuit. Looking around he saw some City Guards, Travelers, and Men from around town. He started to eat the food that was placed before him. He finished eating and paid for the food. Suddenly the door slammed open and a man was telling everyone about the beast. Herne quickly took off towards the place the Beast was.
Gilor followed the party wordlessly until they had reached the guards. He was calmer now, and the horse's figure was sturdy and unwavering; even if the threat of the wizened men loomed on the horizon, he somehow felt that the great beast was a bigger concern now. Not much thieving can be done when an island has been burnt to the ground, after all. But, why did it want to destroy Blarkenvurk, and not some other town? If its aim was just to kill, surely razing Gate would have been more effective.
Pearce had asked one of the guards if they would like their assistance; Gilor didn't hear what the response was, but since everyone seemed to be moving deeper into the city (the guards seemed like they had just finished clearing rubble for a path inside) he assumed that the guards were accepting their assistance. The walls of what structures remained were stained black with what looked like soot, and piles and trails of a fine black powder were coated here and there. Gilor dismounted for a moment and picked up a handful with his right hand--that coin mark was in the left palm, and he wanted to give no-one a chance to see it--and let it sift through his fingers. It felt decidedly unlike ash, he thought, though he didn't exactly touch ash recreationally. Disgusting; what magic on earth could have left this behind? Some sort of disintegration spell, maybe?
Old memories began to resurface as he pondered the destruction. Great floods--screams--spells dissipating against the flesh of a great blue behemoth--but Gilor instinctively pushed them to the back of his mind. He mounted his steed again and fixedly trotted with the rest of the party; those who looked at his eyes would see the odd stare of someone trying very hard to ignore something as he continued to move forward.
They reached the center of the crater, and Gilor thought it best to look around for any evidence of what the leviathandon't think about it snake thing was looking for. One of the guards had beaten him to it, though, and let out a call that he had found something; Gilor trotted towards him and dispelled the steed. He was standing before a hole that he had dug, but the hole broke into some sort of chamber. As more people crowded around the hole, another guard tossed a sunrod into the hole, revealing the floor a few meters down.
Gilor expressed his curiosity aloud: "I suppose this is what... uh, the beast... was looking for, but what could it be? Are these the city's catacombs? Or, sewers?"
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
8/10/2016
Posts:
137
Location:
Not behind you
Minecraft:
Wind_Weaver
Discord:
BoboDeHobo
Member Details
Herne approached the area that the Beast had unleashed its power, Moving towards a building or what was left of it He felt the black stained walls. What could have done this? He began to search for more clues, Wandering around the area He came upon the group of people near the crater. He neared the edge, Just in time to see the sun rod fall down. What on earth is this chamber of some sort. Looking up he could see an Elf, What brings an Elf down here following the beast possible. She might know something about this Beast "Herne thought."
Silver was still staring at the ruins, guards scurrying around like ants on a disturbed pile, when the wood elf spoke again. He turned his head, just the tiniest, to glance over and see who she was talking to... and found her staring at him. He froze, mind racing. She'd spotted him? He must have been too distracted by the beast to really concentrate on staying hidden, or maybe she was simply more perceptive than he'd originally thought. But now what?
He couldn't run now. So instead, he took a half step out of the shadows of the trees that he had thought were hiding him (traitorous shadows) and cleared his throat. "I.. uhm... Silver. I'm Silver." He shuffled his feet a bit, horrified at how fidgety he felt all of a sudden. Normally he could stand or crouch for an hour or so, still and silent in the trees, but now that he was talking with a pretty elf... ugh. "I came from the port town after I heard yo- someone talking about this creature destroying towns, and thought maybe I could help you." He paused, then hastily clarified. "You all. Not just you, everyone. Its a bad beast, right, needs to be stopped?"
He clamped his mouth shut. That was enough. Too much more talking and he was afraid it would sound like he was stalking them. He slid the silver-shod staff off of his back and leaned on it, trying to look nonchalant, and nodded in the direction of Pierce/Peerce whatever his-name-was.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wyrm Watches. The Wyrm knows. The Wyrm reads. The Wyrm Animates too! Check me out at the WyrmWorks Channel on Youtube!
You should join Brazil on the Total War Minecraft server - 167.114.100.168:43841! Includes many Minecraft Forum members including myself, Selene011, Genius_idiot, Gamelord, and more!
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
8/10/2016
Posts:
137
Location:
Not behind you
Minecraft:
Wind_Weaver
Discord:
BoboDeHobo
Member Details
Herne started backing away noticing Sliver stepping out from a tree. He turned away clipped on his cloak flipped the hood on and moved away from the crowd. He climbed onto a building and looked around for a hint as for the whereabouts of the Beast. Watching the sky and the crater it had been drilling in waiting for something to happen. He pulled out his bow fooling around with it while waiting...
Gilor snapped around upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, his hand instinctively rushing to his dagger--but his grip immediately relaxed upon seeing the source. It was just some half-elf who seemed to have been following the party; they had stepped out from behind some of the few burnt-out ashen trees that miraculously managed to stay standing after the beast's onslaught. They were speaking to Caerwyn and claiming they would assist the party, though their tone and pattern of speech made it seem like he was making excuses for himself; perhaps his motives didn't match his words.
Whatever. Gilor's didn't, either. The half-elf did seem odd and a bit feeble (if awfully light on their feet for someone to evade Gilor's sight for that long) but they were another body and that was all that really mattered.
At that point, Gilor noticed that there was another human among them, with odd clothing and an assortment of gaudy weaponry strapped to their body. They had climbed a building and seemed to be searching for something, though with the Leviathan gone, Gilor didn't know what he could possibly be looking for.
Gilor sighed; he had seen leviathans before, and knew what destruction they were capable of, back when he was going to attend Academy Lunmagie. Gilor hadn't recognized the black serpent was a leviathan at first--he had only seen a blue one before and didn't exactly want to think about them in the first place--but the adventurers and the guards ought to know what they're up against. Much as he'd like to push them out of his mind, telling them the little he knew about leviathans would at least help go towards preventing another catastrophe like Blarkenvurk's.
He figured it would be best to wait a bit, and regain his composure. His eyes were calmer now. Either way, he was getting antsy; given his recent predicament, any time wasted could lead to his death. The chamber below somehow became appealing... perhaps one of the guards had a rope?
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
8/10/2016
Posts:
137
Location:
Not behind you
Minecraft:
Wind_Weaver
Discord:
BoboDeHobo
Member Details
Herne sitting on the edge of the burnt building surveyed the ground below then his and someone else's eyes connected. Quickly Herne jumped to his feet and attached his cloak to certain parts of his clothes. He began to climb down a side of the building and leaped off. He stretched his cloaked out and then glided to a roof of a lower building. He hit it with a thud, but dodge rolled to help with the landing. He immediately got up and detached the cloak from his garments running. He jumped over the side sliding down the wall, He hit the ground got up and looked around. Sneaking out of the alley way unnoticed. He flicked his hood on walking away. CRACK! Herne had stepped onto a broken pot quickly he ran quietly and swiftly as the wind.
Gilor watched the cloaked adventuer's acrobatics with a baffled bemusement. What purpose on earth could this serve? He wasn't entirely sure what their goal was; if they wanted to help, they'd do their best to conserve their energy and make their intentions known. At least his antics lightened the mood a bit.
It was probably best to keep an eye out in case he happened to be the world's worst assassin (even if he moved quietly, it's nigh-on impossible to miss a human gliding around with a cloak), but either way, it was time to get going; if the leviathan came back, they'd be sitting ducks.
"Well, if we're done standing around, could we start exploring these depths? Whatever intentions that leviathan has, they can't be good, and I doubt it's just going to sit and wait for us. Someone ought to secure a rope or some cloth so we can climb down safely and search for whatever it was after; we're lucky it fled at all."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Did something happen to you in your childhood to give you this unreasonable fear of rutabaga?
Pearce heard a shout, this drew his attention away form the soldier he was talking to and, instead drew it towards the crater. Something had been found, exactly what Pearce wasn't sure. He looked towards the soldier who was standing in the middle of the crater, the one whom Pearce thought to have been the shouter. There was some speculation as to what the structure beneath the layers of dirt and ash was. Gilante suggested that it could be catacombs or sewers. Without getting closer, Pearce couldn't find out.
He was near the edge of the crater, peering into the site of the destruction and considering getting closer to the crater's centre when Pearce heard something. His fox-like ears twitched and he turned to see a rather nervous newcomer trying to explain his presence. The man, named Silver, claimed to have heard about the creature and the destruction it caused and had decided to come help. The man's nervous disposition did make Pearce a little suspicious but he dismissed the feeling.
"If you wish to help, Silver," Pearce said in his usual serious tone, "then perhaps come and investigate. I am Pearce Allan, by the way."
Pearce was just about to climb down the crater wall when the sound of broken pottery reached his ears. He instinctively turned his head to find the noise's source, only to see a figure run off. Pearce then determinedly returned to the task of investigating whatever underground structure the soldier had found and discovering whether or not the creature was creating some sort of nest like Caerwyn had suggested. The thought of more of these creatures laying waste to more and more cities like Blarkenvurk was not a happy one.
"Yes, we should investigate" Pearce replied to Gilante as he approached the place were the soldier had found the structure, "Perhaps one of the guards has a rope and other supplies, or there might be another way in. We must hurry though, who knows what secrets this place holds."
Pearce arrived at the entrance to the structure, he peered into void beyond which was illuminated by a sunrod. There was a room there, some of it was illuminated but the rest faded into darkness. Pearce thought that not only would they need a rope the get down into the room, that they would also need a torch or some other source of light. Although Pearce could see fairly well at night, he could not see in absolute darkness.
"What could be here?" Pearce said, thinking aloud.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
8/10/2016
Posts:
137
Location:
Not behind you
Minecraft:
Wind_Weaver
Discord:
BoboDeHobo
Member Details
Herne was just about to run out of remains of the city and enter the woods looking for the
leviathan but He turned back and thought about it. The beast is long
gone and they will likely need help. Ugh alright you'll have to wait leviathan I'll be back.
Approaching the crowd he saw a rope going down into the catacombs below. Jumping
over carts and piles of ash he picked up numerous items. He stopped a
meter away from the crowd and tied a rope around some hooks nice and
tight a good old fashion grappling hook.
Herne blended in with the crowd and came out near the crater he went to the rope and told one of the guards I'll go in.
He waited to be able to climb down because there where several other people going down already.
Blarkenvürk - Scouur City Guard
A barrage of arrows bounced harmlessly off the side of the creature, the crossbowmen fired waves of arrows, with two groups altering firing, but to no avail, the creatures skin was as stone. After several waves, and the creature taking no notice, the captain of the guard led the charge, raising his sword with his voice. "FOR SCOUUR, FOR THE CAPITAL, FOR THE PEOPLE!" He along with around 50 men charged in at the creature, this did catch its attention. The creature's head turned towards the men, its eyes narrowing, how dare they disturb its task. The creature let out a shrieking roar, displaying a mouth lined with several rows of jagged teeth.
The leviathan slithered forwards before rearing up as it had been while drilling, a large crystal set into its forhead began to glow with a brilliant heat before discharging a searing beam towards the advancing vanguard. A couple of lucky soldier in the group had dived, but the vast majority had not been so lucky. As the beam struck it vaporized the approaching party. But the beam did not end, it focusedly continued to be driven towards the city gate where Elgar and the remaining soldiers were situated.
Blarkenvürk - Elgar
Among the shouting and cries Elgar was pushed to the side with a mass hoard, everyone at the gate had plenty of time to be parted in two as the searing beam shot out of the gate in a glowing arc. The beam collided with the wall above the gateway causing rubble to fall and fill this entryway. Sheltering his eyes from the dust, Elgar looked to the sky above the city, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature, what he saw next was not at all expected.
The Blackened Heart of the world - Leviathan Su-ouul Drei
A heartbeat emanates from the catacombs. Human intervention provides a moment of clarity, this disturbance however must be reported.
The leviathan coiled up into a spring-like formation before launching itself into the air. The stripes runing along its length unfurled into sail-like membranes, it quickly repositioned itself in the wind by flicking its body like a whip before being shot north at a such a speed that it created a sound as if the sky itself were shattering.
The journey on the Scourer had been uneventful for Gilor, but to him, "uneventful" was the best it possibly could have been. It ought to have been, if he paid full price for the fare; time to rest and relax was a pleasant contrast to his normal life of thieving and running. He even still had plenty of coin left! A fresh start on Spindol where no guard knew his face would be perfect. As the ship docked, Gilor eagerly disembarked and set his sights on the port town of Gate. He was a bit surprised to see it looked quite similar to any other port city he'd seen before, but paid it little mind; he wasn't here for sightseeing, after all. The best thing to do, he decided, was to look for the front gates in the event that he needed to beat a hasty retreat, as well as find an inn to stay for the night. He set off to wander the streets, and quickly found a rowdy inn; sounds of a fight emanated from its walls. Probably wasn't the best place to find a room.
The sun was quickly setting, yet Gilor managed to find a shoddily-built inn alongside the docks; so shoddy, in fact, that it didn't even have a name. Gilor paid a measly 5 copper for one of the only two rooms (he was alarmed that they had the money to give change for his silver; they assumed it had the same value as one of their silver coins, conveniently). Drafty and cold, and without a morning's breakfast. But, still better than nothing.
Come morning, Gilor set out early to get some supplies. Seeing the prominent presence of guards, he figured this town wouldn't be optimal to start off with so he decided it would be best to hit the road. He found a few merchants vending what he needed; a map, a bedroll, a rucksack, and some bread and apples for the road. A total of 5 Filenese silver was spent. According to the map, Blarkenvurk looked close by and could be a decent place to prowl; after getting directions to the gate from a few worried-looking residents, Gilor exited the town. He conjured up his Steed and was off.
---
The road was surprisingly deserted, putting Gilor on edge; not a friendly face (or an unfriendly one, thankfully) in sight. Like his voyage, this bout of traveling was uneventful... until he drew close to Blarkenvurk, that is. Burnt corpses littered the road and smoke rose from a source he could not identify in the distance. Gilor was definitely nervous now, but his nervousness gave way to greed; whatever burned these bodies might still be around... but, it might have already left. And, it might have left behind gold. Perhaps he should have a look ahead...
Gilor found himself at the edge of a crater, barely paying any mind to the two humanoids. He dispelled the steed and looked into the crater; this thing couldn't be Blarkenvurk, right? Blarkenvurk was a town, not some firey snake's home! And yet, according to the map, this was Blarkenvurk; all the features matched up except for this ashen crater. Perhaps he had been scammed out of a proper map? Or, was this merely the worst town in existence? Maybe this snake had razed the place not too long ago?
Gilor turned his attention to the two humanoids near him, an wood elf and a very short man. Perhaps they knew what had happened here?
"Hey, isn't this Blarkenvurk? What happened here? What is that giant snake-thing?"
Gilor couldn't quite hear if they had responded, as at that moment the snake had risen into the air and made some horrible noise as it flew... east? north? His ears rang as he staggered in surprise, futilely trying to cover his ears.
The elf's curt definition didn't help much (not that Gilor expected an oracle) but at least he knew that the crater was the ruins of Blarkenvurk now. She paid little mind to Gilor and immediately began to talk with her companion. They were clearly awestruck by the power of that beast; the elf, at least, seemed worried that they wouldn't be able to take it down. She was out of ideas, and from the looks of it, "Pearce" wouldn't have much in the way of legend-slaying to offer either.
Gilor was baffled; why on earth would this elf even think of trying to kill that monstrosity? Adventurers sure don't pay much heed for safety, do they? Two hunters against that? There's glory and bounty in adventuring, sure, but then there's suicide; you'd need siege engines, or a small army, or some mythical weapon or something. No amount of guile from these two would be able to take that down unless Excalibur itself is stuck in a rock two feet from here. If they're wise, they'd be like me and leave; maybe find some proper warriors to help them, if that's what they fancy. Blarkenvurk was clearly not going to bring him much fortune.
Gilor was about to turn and leave, but figured that he might as well examine the perimeter of the crater before he left. Blarkenvurk itself was utterly annihilated, but there were still a few crumbled ruins and bits of wall towards the edges that just might have a few gold pieces; the city gate was entirely intact for that matter. And, for a charred crater of a city, the city gate had quite a bit of movement; Gilor could clearly see the movement of men by it. Judging by the way they glinted in the light, they must be armored. No doubt, here to kill the beast--the two hunters ought to be pleased by that. Might even kill the thing, if those warriors have quality arms.
"Oy, thought you might want to know," Gilor interrupts as he points towards the gate, "there looks to be some soldiers over by the gate. I'm no tactician, but if you're aiming to down that thing, you'd be much better off with them then on your lonesome. I doubt your bows or blades could pierce its hide."
Gilor then adds, shrugging: "No guaranteeing their arms could, but twenty heads is better than two at the very least."
??? - Gilor
twenty heads is better than two at the very least....
A cold chill runs down Gilor's spine suddenly the sounds of the world are no more and Gilor is standing in a field of Dusk. The night air around Gilor is physically heavy causing any movement to be hindered as if the air was a liquid. This unfamilar world is noticably lacking magic, a much older force is at work here. Before even a second has passed, Gilor is stood in front of a pale faced man in dark robes. in one hand a staff, in the other an hourglass. The glass' frame distinctly lacks any sand.
The man speaks, though his way of speaking is closer to the listener reading ink on a page. "Gilor, It is not by choice, but by law of a wish that your time on earth has run short, your sands have been stolen, they are empty and thus you are no longer free to wander the overworld plane of existance. You are gifted fourty hours to correct this wish if you believe it to be errorous, then we will come for you." With that the ink ran off the page of Gilor's mind and settled into his palm in the shape of a black copper piece.
With that Gilor was once again standing just as he were before the dusky plains, time had not even progressed a fraction of a second.
There was a loud crack in the sky as the leviathan flew overhead, towards the north.
Pearce could see waves and waves of what might be arrows or bolts in the distance. They had taken flight and were arcing towards the structure that Caerwyn had pointed out earlier. He focussed on the structure, trying to figure out why there would be such an attack on it. There had to be a reason, as an entire troop of people wouldn't just decide to fire on something without such a reason.
First Pearce heard something, a distant shrieking roar. And then an almost blinding beam of energy shot from the structure, turning dirt and rock into a plume of smoke where it made contact. Pearce watched on, shocked. The structure... It was the creature that Caerwyn and him had decided to try to hunt down. The immense power of the beam that shone from the beast's head was frightening. Pearce worried for the people who fired the bolts at the beast.
"I have never seen such a creature in my life" Pearce said in awe, "Not even in books"
Caerwyn expressed doubt about how well her arrows would do against such a beast, and Pearce had doubts about his spells too. Would his spell casting have any effect on such a creature? Pearce thought not. He looked to Caerwyn and spoke.
"I doubt my spells would have any effect either" Pearce said.
Pearce watched as the beast unfolded a pair of wings and launched itself into the air. Not only could the creature reduce a city to a crater, it could also fly. Would any town be safe from the beast? They had to stop it before it levelled the continent. Pearce looked over to the newcomer who had asked about what was happening here, a question which had been already answered by Caerwyn, and had suggested that they go and talk to the soldiers.
"Going to the soldiers sounds like a good idea" Pearce said, recovering slightly from the earlier shock, "If we are to take down the creature, we would have a better chance if we were not alone. If you wish to help, then please follow."
The last thing Pearce said was directed to the newcomer who had suggested that they join the soldiers. Pearce looked over to Caerwyn, wondering if she agreed. If the newcomer was going to join them then he should at least introduce himself. There was a loud crack overhead, which made Pearce reflexively look upward in the rough direction of the noise. It appeared that the beast was in the midst of flying away. Pearce looked back to the newcomer and Caerwyn, now feeling a sense of urgency.
"My name is Pearce Allan, by the way" he said as he turned to the direction of the group of soldiers and began to move quickly toward them.
Pearce moved over ash and dust, around the edge of the crater. It shouldn't take that long to reach the soldiers. Pearce wondered if they would accept their help, or if they would have to find another way to help take down the beast. He hoped that they could help to stop the beast before it killed more innocent people.
Silver rushed through the forest, trying to catch back up with the pair he had been following. Somehow, they'd managed to lose him, unintentionally.
When he finally glided up to the border, the town was in view.
Not that it seemed much like a town anymore.
Burnt, craters everywhere, the place seemed totally destroyed. Aside from something... in the middle...
And that was when the monster rose into the sky, and spun off, flying overhead like a snake swimming through the air. Silver desperately hoped that wasn't the goal of their journey.
He finally spotted the two out by the town, and he nearly just ran forward and asked them what happened. But he held himself back, because there was a third person, mounted, talking with them and gesturing.
Nervously, he fingered his sleep arrows, wondering what exactly was going on. For some reason, he really, really wanted to shoot that third person, maybe even with a real arrow. But the feeling didn't make any sense, so he shoved it to the back of his mind and simply watched.
The Wyrm Watches. The Wyrm knows. The Wyrm reads. The Wyrm Animates too! Check me out at the WyrmWorks Channel on Youtube!
You should join Brazil on the Total War Minecraft server - 167.114.100.168:43841! Includes many Minecraft Forum members including myself, Selene011, Genius_idiot, Gamelord, and more!
An apparition--shock, and then fear--his time wished short? Gilor's mind devolved into a panicked frenzy as the words spilled and sunk into his hand, the heavy air smothering his lungs.
And then, it was over; the cool air shocked Gilor once more, but brought about a new vigor and lucidity. His composure quickly returned, but his eyes still betrayed fear to those who examined them. By law of wish, my time has run short...? Someone has used a Wish just to kill me? Gilor felt his familiar stoic calm return to him; in a way, he was almost flattered that someone would waste a wish just to kill him. One wouldn't Wish a petty thief dead, after all!
But still... he had been Wished dead. One cannot overcome a Wish easily, and Wishes were a branch of magic Gilor knew very little of. He did not plan on succumbing to this--far from it!--but he still had no idea how to go about saving himself. If he managed to get a Wish within fourty hours, he could, perhaps, Wish his sands back to the wizened figure. Judging by the way the figure mentioned "wander the Overworld plane of existence", it seemed possible that if he somehow found a way to move to another plane of existence, Gilor would not need to die... however that would work. And, of course, Gilor could find the sands themselves.
None of those were very promising prospects. Gilor knew little about Wishes, but knew nothing about other planes of existence. Could he even travel to another, or survive the trip? Unless he happened to find a powerful wizard very quickly, that wouldn't be a reasonable possibility. Finding his "sands"--perhaps he'd call them "Sands of Time", it sounds fanciful--was probably out of the question, as anyone he'd have angered enough to provoke a killing Wish would be overseas right now, and Gilor guessed it would be more likely that the sands would be with them than anywhere on this island. That left getting a Wish of his own. Horrendously difficult, especially in a fourty-hour timespan... but it was reliable, and that would be all that would matter.
Suddenly, an adventuring party was looking like an excellent opportunity right now; sure, it was risky, but Gilor wouldn't be finding any Wishes by picking pockets. Adventurers tend to find all sorts of loot and attract all sorts of attention. Finding some source of Wishes on a journey wouldn't be out of the question... but the real question was whether they would miraculously stumble upon a wish within fourty hours. And, perhaps, if Gilor could somehow evade the wizened one--wizened ones, they said we--should fourty hours pass. And if an adventuring party would even waste a wish on saving a thief's life over something more selfless like bringing down a great firey snake that might raze an entire island civilization to the ground.
The more and more Gilor dwelled on this, the grimmer his odds seemed. Perhaps there was no escaping death this time, but he'll be damned if he won't try.
Gilor once more had a flash of lucidity, and his alertness was almost completely restored; he hadn't even noticed that the beast had made a second deafening crack or that the human was speaking to him. Or that he had been standing around awkwardly for about a minute as he tried to process what had just happened.
He turned to address the... human? Gilor hadn't noticed how foxlike it looked for a human. Must be a beastfolk. From behind, Gilor couldn't see its features; they were obscured by the cloak. He seemed appreciative of his idea and offered an invitation to join them in slaying the beast. How quickly one's mind can change when a knife is put to your throat!
Gilor conjured his steed--both to prove his skill and to move tirelessly--and mounted it. "I'll help however I can. Gil-- Gilante, illusionist, at your service. I might not be able to wound that beast" It'd be best to take up a pseudonym around these folk. They probably don't know my face, but they might have heard my name, and a name hidden is one not easily learned.
His nerves were on edge, and he felt as if he were ready for anything. Yet, even though his thoughts were completely back to the present world, his wits were still scattered; his steed flickered and sputtered every now and then, and he hadn't even an inkling of a thought that he was being watched (something he otherwise would have picked up instantly).
"If you just got here, you're probably just rusty. Either way, you might be needing a bigger bow..."
Judging from the way Caerwyn was keeping distance and hovering around Pearce, she probably wasn't interested in conversation. Gilor might have asked her about her homeland, otherwise; no wood elves were known to live in or near his own homeland of Filenis (as far as Gilor knew anyway), but he had heard stories about their unique brand of magic. Not that Gilor would be able to use it, but if Caerwyn was willing to share some of the methods, he might be able to repurpose them for his own brand of spellcasting. He was trying to work out the kinks of his Haste derivative; it made you move faster, sure, but it drained way too much energy to be practical and didn't actually give your body any enhanced durability to withstand the enhanced speed. Just making a single finger faster was almost as draining as conjuring his Steed. He wouldn't dare cast it until it had been perfected, even with his new threat being on the horizon.
Regardless, the elf clearly was wary of him, and in all likelihood the beastfolk Pearce was as well. Best not to fuel their fears; Gilor kept his distance as well.
The beast seemed to be flying away, and it occurred to Gilor that they might not actually remember the direction it flew in; Caerwyn should if she had an inkling of skill, but Gilor didn't know her well enough to judge yet. He took out his map and tried to make a crease in the direction he thought it flew in; should be good enough, it isn't like the beast is hard to miss. He didn't dare look at where the words had settled on his left hand. Would need to buy gloves or gauntlets at the next opportunity to hide it.
"We would need help if we are to attempt to hunt the beast" Pearce said, "Otherwise we would have quite some difficulty. Perhaps if we used cunning to take it down, like a trap of some kind. But we would need more information to create such a plan."
Pearce was trying to think of a plan, he had been musing over the problem for some time. The beast that had destroyed the city of Blarkenvurk was highly dangerous, and would be very difficult. Any plan to stop it would have to take into account the fact that the creature had the ability to destroy an entire city. Perhaps if they used powerful magic, but any spell that could stop that creature would be far more powerful than a spell that Pearce could cast.
He looked over to the newcomer, who said his name was Gilante. He said he was an illusionist, perhaps his abilities could be used to distract and trick the beast. He did say that he would help after all. However, he did seem distracted, nervous even. As if there was something important on his mind. Gilante had summoned some kind of spectral steed, but it flickered and sputtered, probably due to whatever was on their new ally's mind.
Pearce continued to moved toward the group of soldiers who had attempted to fight the beast. They might be allies, assuming that they would agree to let Caerwyn, Gilante and Pearce help. As Pearce walked his mind wandered. He and Caerwyn were joined by a new person on their journey, but Pearce knew very little about them. He knew that he was an illusionist and that he was called Gilante. It wasn't that Pearce didn't trust Gilante, it was just that he had only just met him.
It didn't take too long for Pearce to reach the group of soldiers. And here he saw more destruction, all caused by the beast. It was terrible, all this destruction and death. He looked around at the soldiers who were most likely here to stop the creature before it destroys another city.
Pearce approached one of the soldiers and said, "We wish to help. Can you tell us anything about this creature?"
Blarkenvürk - Scouur City Guard
After the dust cleared the remaining guardsmen were able to clear some rubble to build a path into the cratered remains of the city. The damage was greater than suggested from an outside glance. The inner layer of the city walls was stained black with the contents of the city, the searing beam of the Leviathan had left little more than these fine black powdered remnants, a sickening thought of what this meant washed over the crowd. What was this creature, why did it do this, where did it come from?
"I've found something!" one of the more curious guards that hadn't been lazered from existance was now in the center of the crater, digging. A small crowd gathered around and peered down, where the beast had been drilling, only a few centimeters deeper, an opening into a room-like structure, the floor only a few metres down below. One guard pulled a sunrod from his belt, broke it and dropped it down, confirming this notion. "Gods, what was that creature after..."
The warm gentle breeze pushed on Herne's face, Blowing his hair every which way. Leaning on the creaking wood of the old boat. Herne viewed the ocean waves as they reflected the sunlight. Suddenly Herne jerked as he heard one of the Sailors beckon Land Ho! Looking back he saw Port Scouur.
Herne took off his cloak because the temperature had gotten the too hot for him. The water had gotten much clearer nearing the town, Herne could see Fish swimming in the water. The boat docks and people start to go off, carrying various items from spices to luggage. Grabbing his bag Herne went down to the dock. the old wood creaking as he went down onto the dock. Going into town he saw many shops, People on the side of the street selling trinkets to travelers
. He saw a Tavern and went over to it approaching it, He could see inside it through a partly shattered window. Opening the door He saw many people eating and drinking he saw an open spot he went sat down at the bar and asked for water and a small biscuit. Looking around he saw some City Guards, Travelers, and Men from around town. He started to eat the food that was placed before him. He finished eating and paid for the food. Suddenly the door slammed open and a man was telling everyone about the beast. Herne quickly took off towards the place the Beast was.
Gilor followed the party wordlessly until they had reached the guards. He was calmer now, and the horse's figure was sturdy and unwavering; even if the threat of the wizened men loomed on the horizon, he somehow felt that the great beast was a bigger concern now. Not much thieving can be done when an island has been burnt to the ground, after all. But, why did it want to destroy Blarkenvurk, and not some other town? If its aim was just to kill, surely razing Gate would have been more effective.
Pearce had asked one of the guards if they would like their assistance; Gilor didn't hear what the response was, but since everyone seemed to be moving deeper into the city (the guards seemed like they had just finished clearing rubble for a path inside) he assumed that the guards were accepting their assistance. The walls of what structures remained were stained black with what looked like soot, and piles and trails of a fine black powder were coated here and there. Gilor dismounted for a moment and picked up a handful with his right hand--that coin mark was in the left palm, and he wanted to give no-one a chance to see it--and let it sift through his fingers. It felt decidedly unlike ash, he thought, though he didn't exactly touch ash recreationally. Disgusting; what magic on earth could have left this behind? Some sort of disintegration spell, maybe?
Old memories began to resurface as he pondered the destruction. Great floods--screams--spells dissipating against the flesh of a great blue behemoth--but Gilor instinctively pushed them to the back of his mind. He mounted his steed again and fixedly trotted with the rest of the party; those who looked at his eyes would see the odd stare of someone trying very hard to ignore something as he continued to move forward.
They reached the center of the crater, and Gilor thought it best to look around for any evidence of what the
leviathandon't think about it snake thing was looking for. One of the guards had beaten him to it, though, and let out a call that he had found something; Gilor trotted towards him and dispelled the steed. He was standing before a hole that he had dug, but the hole broke into some sort of chamber. As more people crowded around the hole, another guard tossed a sunrod into the hole, revealing the floor a few meters down.Gilor expressed his curiosity aloud: "I suppose this is what... uh, the beast... was looking for, but what could it be? Are these the city's catacombs? Or, sewers?"
Herne approached the area that the Beast had unleashed its power, Moving towards a building or what was left of it He felt the black stained walls. What could have done this? He began to search for more clues, Wandering around the area He came upon the group of people near the crater. He neared the edge, Just in time to see the sun rod fall down. What on earth is this chamber of some sort. Looking up he could see an Elf, What brings an Elf down here following the beast possible. She might know something about this Beast "Herne thought."
Silver was still staring at the ruins, guards scurrying around like ants on a disturbed pile, when the wood elf spoke again. He turned his head, just the tiniest, to glance over and see who she was talking to... and found her staring at him. He froze, mind racing. She'd spotted him? He must have been too distracted by the beast to really concentrate on staying hidden, or maybe she was simply more perceptive than he'd originally thought. But now what?
He couldn't run now. So instead, he took a half step out of the shadows of the trees that he had thought were hiding him (traitorous shadows) and cleared his throat. "I.. uhm... Silver. I'm Silver." He shuffled his feet a bit, horrified at how fidgety he felt all of a sudden. Normally he could stand or crouch for an hour or so, still and silent in the trees, but now that he was talking with a pretty elf... ugh. "I came from the port town after I heard yo- someone talking about this creature destroying towns, and thought maybe I could help you." He paused, then hastily clarified. "You all. Not just you, everyone. Its a bad beast, right, needs to be stopped?"
He clamped his mouth shut. That was enough. Too much more talking and he was afraid it would sound like he was stalking them. He slid the silver-shod staff off of his back and leaned on it, trying to look nonchalant, and nodded in the direction of Pierce/Peerce whatever his-name-was.
The Wyrm Watches. The Wyrm knows. The Wyrm reads. The Wyrm Animates too! Check me out at the WyrmWorks Channel on Youtube!
You should join Brazil on the Total War Minecraft server - 167.114.100.168:43841! Includes many Minecraft Forum members including myself, Selene011, Genius_idiot, Gamelord, and more!
Herne started backing away noticing Sliver stepping out from a tree. He turned away clipped on his cloak flipped the hood on and moved away from the crowd. He climbed onto a building and looked around for a hint as for the whereabouts of the Beast. Watching the sky and the crater it had been drilling in waiting for something to happen. He pulled out his bow fooling around with it while waiting...
Gilor snapped around upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, his hand instinctively rushing to his dagger--but his grip immediately relaxed upon seeing the source. It was just some half-elf who seemed to have been following the party; they had stepped out from behind some of the few burnt-out ashen trees that miraculously managed to stay standing after the beast's onslaught. They were speaking to Caerwyn and claiming they would assist the party, though their tone and pattern of speech made it seem like he was making excuses for himself; perhaps his motives didn't match his words.
Whatever. Gilor's didn't, either. The half-elf did seem odd and a bit feeble (if awfully light on their feet for someone to evade Gilor's sight for that long) but they were another body and that was all that really mattered.
At that point, Gilor noticed that there was another human among them, with odd clothing and an assortment of gaudy weaponry strapped to their body. They had climbed a building and seemed to be searching for something, though with the Leviathan gone, Gilor didn't know what he could possibly be looking for.
Gilor sighed; he had seen leviathans before, and knew what destruction they were capable of, back when he was going to attend Academy Lunmagie. Gilor hadn't recognized the black serpent was a leviathan at first--he had only seen a blue one before and didn't exactly want to think about them in the first place--but the adventurers and the guards ought to know what they're up against. Much as he'd like to push them out of his mind, telling them the little he knew about leviathans would at least help go towards preventing another catastrophe like Blarkenvurk's.
He figured it would be best to wait a bit, and regain his composure. His eyes were calmer now. Either way, he was getting antsy; given his recent predicament, any time wasted could lead to his death. The chamber below somehow became appealing... perhaps one of the guards had a rope?
Herne sitting on the edge of the burnt building surveyed the ground below then his and someone else's eyes connected. Quickly Herne jumped to his feet and attached his cloak to certain parts of his clothes. He began to climb down a side of the building and leaped off. He stretched his cloaked out and then glided to a roof of a lower building. He hit it with a thud, but dodge rolled to help with the landing. He immediately got up and detached the cloak from his garments running. He jumped over the side sliding down the wall, He hit the ground got up and looked around. Sneaking out of the alley way unnoticed. He flicked his hood on walking away. CRACK! Herne had stepped onto a broken pot quickly he ran quietly and swiftly as the wind.
Gilor watched the cloaked adventuer's acrobatics with a baffled bemusement. What purpose on earth could this serve? He wasn't entirely sure what their goal was; if they wanted to help, they'd do their best to conserve their energy and make their intentions known. At least his antics lightened the mood a bit.
It was probably best to keep an eye out in case he happened to be the world's worst assassin (even if he moved quietly, it's nigh-on impossible to miss a human gliding around with a cloak), but either way, it was time to get going; if the leviathan came back, they'd be sitting ducks.
"Well, if we're done standing around, could we start exploring these depths? Whatever intentions that leviathan has, they can't be good, and I doubt it's just going to sit and wait for us. Someone ought to secure a rope or some cloth so we can climb down safely and search for whatever it was after; we're lucky it fled at all."
Pearce heard a shout, this drew his attention away form the soldier he was talking to and, instead drew it towards the crater. Something had been found, exactly what Pearce wasn't sure. He looked towards the soldier who was standing in the middle of the crater, the one whom Pearce thought to have been the shouter. There was some speculation as to what the structure beneath the layers of dirt and ash was. Gilante suggested that it could be catacombs or sewers. Without getting closer, Pearce couldn't find out.
He was near the edge of the crater, peering into the site of the destruction and considering getting closer to the crater's centre when Pearce heard something. His fox-like ears twitched and he turned to see a rather nervous newcomer trying to explain his presence. The man, named Silver, claimed to have heard about the creature and the destruction it caused and had decided to come help. The man's nervous disposition did make Pearce a little suspicious but he dismissed the feeling.
"If you wish to help, Silver," Pearce said in his usual serious tone, "then perhaps come and investigate. I am Pearce Allan, by the way."
Pearce was just about to climb down the crater wall when the sound of broken pottery reached his ears. He instinctively turned his head to find the noise's source, only to see a figure run off. Pearce then determinedly returned to the task of investigating whatever underground structure the soldier had found and discovering whether or not the creature was creating some sort of nest like Caerwyn had suggested. The thought of more of these creatures laying waste to more and more cities like Blarkenvurk was not a happy one.
"Yes, we should investigate" Pearce replied to Gilante as he approached the place were the soldier had found the structure, "Perhaps one of the guards has a rope and other supplies, or there might be another way in. We must hurry though, who knows what secrets this place holds."
Pearce arrived at the entrance to the structure, he peered into void beyond which was illuminated by a sunrod. There was a room there, some of it was illuminated but the rest faded into darkness. Pearce thought that not only would they need a rope the get down into the room, that they would also need a torch or some other source of light. Although Pearce could see fairly well at night, he could not see in absolute darkness.
"What could be here?" Pearce said, thinking aloud.
Herne was just about to run out of remains of the city and enter the woods looking for the
leviathan but He turned back and thought about it. The beast is long
gone and they will likely need help. Ugh alright you'll have to wait leviathan I'll be back.
Approaching the crowd he saw a rope going down into the catacombs below. Jumping
over carts and piles of ash he picked up numerous items. He stopped a
meter away from the crowd and tied a rope around some hooks nice and
tight a good old fashion grappling hook.
Herne blended in with the crowd and came out near the crater he went to the rope and told one of the guards I'll go in.
He waited to be able to climb down because there where several other people going down already.