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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Jul 2005 : 19:18:23
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Elussien watched in horror as the man chanted unrelenting. The display of power was amazing beyond belief, yet deadly with its intent. He thought quickly about going to the ohters, but that would prove fatal to the party. He had to do something to distract the man and stop the summoning.
Moving silently, Elussien moves into a position so that there is a clear parth to the man summoning. With talent he hoped would hold, he took out a dagger coating it in Medium sized spider vendom. With a flick of his wrist the throws it at the mans back, hoping for a middle shot. Once the blade is free Elussien moves swift to the shadows and keeps low. |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 16 Jul 2005 18:18:57 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2005 : 19:19:43
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| Trahæarn stops sharply at the sight of the human. Exchanging his sword for the reach of his bow, he carefully takes aim upon his target. |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 14 Jul 2005 19:36:16 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2005 : 19:35:52
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The dagger strikes the back of the man, entering into the fabrics of his robe, then there is a sharp clashing sound of metal on metal, and the dagger drops to the floor.
The skeletal dragon screeches and roars at the interruption, and snaps his fangs dangerously close to Elussien as he skitters away.
The cleric turns towards the fleeing Elussien. "You dare to think you can enter here unnanounced? I have seen your every move little little men. Come out from the shadows incompetent one, and watch as I destroy your precious toy, before I destroy you"
At that he holds the artifact up to the dragon, and it leaves his hands and floats up towards the ceiling, level with the dragons mouth. The dragon rears up and screeches again, this time in triumph and clamps it's jaws around the artifact.
A thunderclap fills the room and everyone in the area is thrown to the floor. Blinding light fills the room, hurting the eyes of all present even with them shielded against the glare. When everyone can focus again they realise that the zombies and skeletons in the area have been utterly destroyed by the purifying light. The cleric remains unharmed, but the Dragon has suffered severely. The back end of it's skull has been blown away and it's bones look battered and crumbling. The cleric cries the final word of his spell and the dragons bones glint the colour of iron briefly before looking normal (though not cracked any more). By the skeletons feet the artifact lies unharmed
"No! How can it be? It was supposed to be destroyed!" He starts to growl like some sort of feral cat, the tone slowly rising until he roars in anger
"This is your doing! You will die painfully for this! Kill them!"
The dragon rears up again and sweeps it's tail menacingly, ready to lash out. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2005 : 00:40:48
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Cayltith is the quickest to react and audibly expresses her distaste for their combatants by saying "Ewww...More dead things" before settling into combat. From the back of the group she sheathes her sword and draws her ready loaded crossbow. She then looks at the floor briefly and composes her self, her eyes seeming distant
when she looks back up again.
Upon entering the chaotic scene in the large room Selm grimaces at the
ensuing carnage. Though he felt no loss for the destruction of the undead,
the fact the priest was capable of destroying them all so easily and harming
the twisted dragon showed him to clearly be a man of no small prowess.
Speaking quickly, he issued advice, "I would rather not have to issue orders
like this and I'm not saying you have to follow them but I'd rather we all
lived to see another day. We cannot afford to all get caught together if the
dragon attempts to breathe on us, or anything else for that matter. If we
spread out, it cannot attack us all at once. Also try to target it from a
distance but try to subdue the man and stop him from casting anything else."
Moving to the right so as to distance himself from the others, Selm focuses
his will and projects a ray of divine energy at the dragon.
The ray scoeches the beast in the same manner the artifact did, and
inflicts further wounds upon it, bone dust billowing out in a cloud
before settling as a fine film on the water.
"Taste your doom worms!" the cleric cries out, and a thick cloying
grey mist surrounds the party, choking their spirits. The mist causes
dark black infected wounds to appear instantly on the skin. The unholy
power is too much for Valanwe, Daleson and Traehaearn to cope with,
and leaves them fealing nauseous. Valanwé has trouble to keep from
retching in between spells.
He still manages to utter the words of the spell to dispel any
beneficial magic on the skeletal dragon. Valanwé grins when he sees
the skeletons bones weaken again, and he realised he has managed to
dispel the powerful spell cast by the cleric, giving him some hope.
Irritated by the sudden attack, but enraged by the vicious blow from
the artifact, the skeleton whips his head round and bears down on
Elussien. The first attack comes from it's bony wing, slapping
Elussien towards the dragons left claw which gashes down his back
leaving a crimson trail on the floor. The dragon picks up Elussien in
his maw and crushes him, biting down hard. The elf cries out in pain
which ends in a gurgle as his throat fills with blood, the dragon
having pierced his lung. Tossing the now still Elussien in the air and
batting him down again with his other wing, the dragon roars in
triumph. The bloody mass that was once the cunning rogue is hardly
recognisable, and the dragon stil continues it's unrelenting assault,
stamping down on the corpse with an audible crunch before turning to
face the other adventurers. The malicious beast is still not through
with it's attack, and finally whips it's tail around, picking up the
corpse and slamming it into the opposing wall, where it slides down
gradually and leaves a large pool of blood.
Appalled by the brutality of the attack, and the loss of his companion
Daleson wades into battle. Despite feeling the sickness from the evil
spell he manages to offer a very swift prayer to the morninglord and
holds his shield in front of him, attempting a crushing blow at the
dragons leg.
Traehaearn attemps to fire on the cleric who cast the spell at them,
but in his sickened state he misses his first shot. His second shot
flies true, but unfortunately again he cannot concentrate enoguh to
pick a vital area, and the arrow does no damage to the man. Finally he
attempsts a rushed third short and this one pays off. Grazing the mans
calf and opening a hole in his robe, the arrow clatters to the floor.
The man yelps in pain and grits his teeth, preparing to cast another
spell
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Edited by - Kaladorm on 18 Jul 2005 00:58:39 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2005 : 16:20:44
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Caylith focuses her mental energy in the bolt that is sitting ready in her crossbow. She takes careful aim and fires, the bolt thudding into the spellcaster in his left shoulder. Before he cna remove the bolt he cluches his head in pain. As his mind is wracked by pain and cerebral spasms, Caylith can be seen concentrating intently, clearly causing the mental agony focused through the bolt.
Seeing the dragon about to inflict the same fate on Daleson, Selm moves into a position to heal him. Unfortunately the wild thrashing of the dragon disrupts his incantation, and it is all Selm can do to stay out of reach of it's flailing claws.
The cleric recovers from the wracking pain as Caylith can hold her concentration no longer, and manages to complete an complex incantation which summons a festering ghoul to his side.
The ghouls existence is short lived however, for Valanwé calls down a magical storm to assault the area. Driving rain is intermixed with huge chunks of ice, which batter and freeze those caught in the tempest.
The skeletal dragon also suffers some severe damage in the storm from the crushing shards of ice, but the below frezing temperature inside the storm don't bother it at all. It lashes out again, this time at the man who had shattered one of the dragons minor bones by a sharp impact with his morning star. The morning star lies on the floor and he now has a holy symbol in his hand to drive off the dragon, but before he can channel the energy needed to disrupt it, the skeletal beast had started it's barrage.
The same grisly fate awaits Daleson as awaited Elussien. Though somewhat protected by his armour, the insistent onslaught of blows proves too much for him. The final lash of the dragons tail crushes the mid section of his plate mail armour, making it impossible for Daleson to breath. He manages to retreat from the dragon slightly before toppling over into tainted pool and sinking straight to the bottom, dragged down by the weight of his armour.
With another companion down Traehaearn continues to fire as many shots as he possibly can to take out the spell caster. The first shot hits, but the last two both go wide. |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 20 Jul 2005 14:44:34 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jul 2005 : 14:44:15
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Caylith once again distances herself from the battle and focuses herself. Absently she reloads her crossbow, ready to imbue it with her mental energy for another shot.
Far from the tranquility of Caylith, Selm is being had pressed by the dragon. Already having taken out Daleson, the dragon is beginning to move into a position to where it can tear apart Selm.
A flash of insight hits Selm and he moves just out of the dragons reach whilst beginning a complex incantation to bless the area.
Completing the spell he rips the holy symbol from around his neck and hurls it towards the alter. The symbol begins glowing with a bright light and as it strikes the altar it flares brightly, driving away the pervasive grey mist. The light from the symbol fades.
Now that the unholy energy bolstering the skeletal dragon was gone, it suddenly froze in position (just as it was about to strke Selm). Its bones started to crumble beneath it and it shuddered for a few palpable seconds before collapsing to the ground, generating a huge cloud of dust.
When the dust clears the whole party can see the cleric finishing the incantations of a spell, and miraculously healed despite his critical condition earlier in the fight.
Valanwé and Traehaearn rectify this situation immediately. Valanwé continues to concentrate and his icy storm continues, still battering and freezing the man inside with giant chunks of ice.
Traehaearn's spirits are lifted high after seeing the dragon destroyed, and every single one of his arrows strikes true.
The cleric, riddled with arrows drops to the ground. His corpse still battered by the shards of ice even after death.
Eventually the storm clears and from beneath the pile of bones the companions can see a faint rosy glow, warm and happy yet still insistent. |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 12 Aug 2005 01:51:58 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jul 2005 : 00:55:13
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Lowering his hands to his sides in a gesture in part from relief, and in part of sorrow, Valanwé surveys the scene of death before him. Still spitting red sparks, he raises a hand to Trahaearn's shoulder, and looks straight at him, his golden eyes dulled in a look of despair mixed with a glimmer of resolve.
"Should have been faster," says Trahaearn, shaking his head, and looking hard at Valanwé. "Why did he go so far ahead?"
"He chose to," replies Valanwé, simply. "But aye - I would wish we had been quicker."
"I do not understand the N'Tel'Quessir. When I think I learn.... I learn I do not."
"They vex me also at times, but rarely fail to surprise," says Valanwé, looking to Elussien's corpse, in no doubt of his condition. "He was a brave man; let us bear him up."
Trahaearn grunts something inaudible , edging closer to the pool. "We need him" he says, gesturing at Daleson's body. "We need him alive, for the sake of his god's artifact"
"Aye," replies Valanwé, moving the same solemn glance to Daleson's body. "Let none of us attempt to touch that artefact. I would not suffer the Lord Lathander's wrath, even if my intention is honourable."
Trahaearn nods, then answers, in Common so the remaining party members can understand, "Then we will need to extract him from the pit."
"We cannot leave it," replies Caylith. "It was his quest to retrieve it. I will take the risk and pray that his Lord will understand." Placing a hand into her silken pouch, she removes her psionic stones, and transfers them to her belt. Approaching the artefack, and kneeling before it, she speaks: "I do not know much of Lord Daleson's faith, my Lord Lathander, but his life has been given to you for this item. If it is your wish that it be returned to your temple and away from this desecrated place, then I ask your blessing and patience as this one not of your faith will carry it." She pauses, then quietly speaks in Draconic, grasping the relic. "My faith protects me."
Valanwé nods, and kneels down, removing his pack from his shoulders. Removing two large, thick blankets from it, he places one on the floor on top of the pack, and directs Trahaearn to take one end of the remaining blanket, and lays it down flat at the endof the pool, near to where Daleson's body lies. Silently, with nothing more than a glance between them, Valanwé indicates that they should lift Daleson's body out of the water, and onto the blanket.
Walking over to where Daleson's body was lying in the pool, Selm looks at the fallen hero floating in the stagnant water. After a quick prayer, the water clears to become as fresh as a mountain spring. "He deserves to look better," was all he offered by way of an explanation.
Lowering himself down into the pool, Valanwé attempts to manouver Daleson's body towards the end of the pool at which the blanket lies. Encountering some difficulty, he looks to Selmwell and Trahaearn for assistance.
Helping the two elves, Selm reaches in to pick up the body and lay it on a blanket on the ground.
Addressing the whole party, Selm asks the question that had bothering him. "How are we to transport Master Daleson back with us? Do you have a suitable spell, Valanwé, or are we simply going to strap him on to his horse?"
Not replying immediately, and hauling himself out of the pool once more, Valanwé glances around the room. He sees Daleson's holy symbol lying on the floor, and walks over to it slowly. Picking it up, with a few words in prayer to Lathander, that he might be allowed to hold such an item, he takes it to Daleson's body, and lays it on his chest. Taking the Paladin's arms, he crosses them over the symbol, and shuts the corpses eyes.
"I know of a spell that we might use," he replies finally, "but I will not be able to cast until I have studied my spellbook. We must bear them on horses until tomorrow."
Trahaearn looks down at the paladin's body for a moment, unsure of what to do. With a glance at Valanwé, he turns and heads over to the cleric's corpse.
Seeing Trahaearn's 'difficulty' with the situation, Valanwé wraps the blankets around Daleson, and moves over to Trahaearn with the words: "Come - let us attend to Elussien." Hoping to lead by example, he moves over to the bloody mess, having first taken a blanket from his pack, and begins to slide Elussien's body onto it, covering his hands with blood and entrails. He looks at the blood, and then down at the front of his robes. Sensing something amiss, he places his hand gently on Elussien's cheek, and turns his head towards him. Looking into his eyes, Valanwé is hit by a cold shock coursing through his body: "Il na'ai Tel'Quessir..." he says quietly.
Trahaearn looks at Valanwé, then with a turn, sprints over to where the cleric's corpse lay, and aims a running kick right at the bridge of it's nose, shouting a near-unintelligible stream of insults, which surprises even Valanwé.
Selm looks at Trahaearn in shock for the colourful choice of language he used but doesn't say anything, understanding his loss. He does, however, quietly ask him to leave the priest's corpse alone, "I understand the loss you feel for losing one of the People, but please don't tarnish his memory by harming the corpse. The dead should be left to rest in peace, even those who have done us grave injustices."
"Aye," says Valanwé, approaching him, and daring to put an arm around his shoulders, his hands still spitting red magic as before. "I do not blame you, brother," he says, holding his hands out in front of him, and watching the rage sweat out from them. "But he deserves neither our prayers, nor our indignation."
Trahaearn spits on the corpse, turning to face Selm. A flash of emotion, embarrassment, frustration, and youth crosses his face, before he can calm himself. He then seems to deflate, and returns to V's side to assist with Elussien.
Selm steps back, leaving the Elves to share a moment with Elussien's body.
Kneeling once more beside the Elf's body, Valanwé cannot hep staring into it's eyes. For a few moments, he is silent, and merely sits, thinking, and praying. With a hand on Elussien's face, he closes the eyes, and says almost inaudibly: "Cormlle naa tanya tel’raa Astalder. Aa’ i’sul nora lanne’lle. Aa’ menealle nauva calen ar’ malta, e aa’ i’sul nora lanne’lle. Autuva yassen sul, aa’ menealle anlema ta arauka, e aa' aut ar' elena, Melloamin." Overcome by emotion, as he finishes, Valanwé weeps freely over the body, his face contorted with grief, and he does not move for several minutes.
Whilst the elves are occupied, Selm goes to inspect the body of the proest, hoping to find a symbol or some indication of who the man was. He pulls an ornate ivopry ring, shaped like a dragon from the man's right hand and discovers a small bag filled with diamond dust. A swift orison reveals that neither has any magical properties but the staff the man was using radiates a faint aura as a result of the spell.
Trahaearn places a hand on Valanwé's shoulder for a few moments, hoping to both give and gain strength. Unable to do more, he slowly backs away from Valanwé for a few paces, turns, and assists Selm.
Seeing Traehaearn come over, he quickly scans the elf's face, to check he is alright, and then seemingly satisfied, explains to him what he has found.
Standing, a few minutes later, having regained his composure, Valanwé somewhat angrily says, with a gesture to the dead cleric: "Get him out of my sight! And let us take down that altar of evil - let nothing remain intact!"
"Okay, okay," Selm agrees. "Trahaearn, if you would like to accompany me, I'm going outside to give this man a quick burial. There are enough dead in this place as it is, and I do not wish to simply leave his corpse in here to rot. Perhaps you and Caylith would like to deal with the altar."
Nodding silently, Caylith steps forward, and swings her longsword down on the bone altar. Taking a good chunk out of it's surface, and scorching the bone with the electrical discharges that surge from the blade, she swings again and again until the damage is near-total. Waiting for his moment, Valanwé begins an incantation, and shoots forth four cracking blue spheres from his hands, which streak across the short distance between, and shatter the altar in pieces.
A look of grim satisfaction crosses Valanwé's face, and he returns to Elussien, and ties up the blanket containing his body. |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 25 Jul 2005 16:28:06 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2005 : 17:33:50
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As the body is tied up the ghost of Aencar appears in the entrance way to the chamber. His ethereal body is battered and his robes hang in tatters.
Before the party's eyes his wounds heal and his robes return to the way they were when they first met him. "Nay don't look so shocked, this has happened many a time afore, and will happen many a time again. I promised ye all a reward for removing this vile scourge on my home, and that ye have done. Make haste! My eternal foe will return soon, doomed to repeat this misfortune of our final hours together."
Aencar beckons the adventurers to follow him and leads them back to the bare room on the west side. He speaks the words "Alt'rac, Kaldaor, Vellis, Tor" and the apparently solid wall that had earlier blocked the way, shifts just enough to allow a person to squeeze through.
Inside, the room is full of glowing magical artifacts and strange devices. There is no gold to be seen in this apparent treasure horde but many books line the walls.
Aencar halts the adventurers before they go any further.
"I promised ye reward, and reward ye shall have. I will not abandon this collection so easily however, so I will require an object from each of you to take its place. Do not touch anything in here, my wrath alone can not compare to some of the horrors buried in here. I was not idle whilst ye were clearing my home, although I could not remove the menace myself, I did observe ye at work. Wait here!"
With that warning Aencar flits to the back of the room and returns to Caylith. With surprising speed he reaches out and takes her dark sword from her and moves back out of sight. He then returns with a much larger sword, which flickers with dark energy.
"I can see your heritage, half dragon. Also can I see your role in this group. This sword will embrace the innate viciousness of your mothers race, and give you the protection your fathers race offers. It can wreak great havoc on your enemies, but the power comes at great cost. It will also warn ye with a sound when enemies prepare to strike ye"
Next he turns to Traehaearn, "Give me ye bow". He examines it for a while then beams "Fine elven craftsmanship this, I have just the thing for you"
He returns with a pair of bracers in one hand and a large bow in the other, carrying them effortlessly. "Here, draw this bow".
Traehaearn attempts to draw the bow, but cannot move the string even an inch. He grunts and strains and finally gives up. Aencar chuckles and drops the bracers at his feet, "Now try."
With ease Traehaearn draws the bow back and forth, taking a few practice pulls for placing it on his back.
"That bow belonged to a human who lived in the far west of here, Lelaniel of Everlund. He was widely known to be the best archer in the town, and many others believed his bow was enchanted so that he could cheat at archery competitions. One night, under the employ of a rich merchant, a thief snuck into his room and stole the bow. The merchant wished to use this very bow to win the archery competition in a weeks time, but alas could not draw the bow. You see Lelaniel had it enchanted so that only the one who wore the bracers could use the qutie powerful bow.
That is where my knowledge of Lelaniel ends. I discovered the bow in a ghoul infested cave during my adventuring days, and quite mysteriously the bow itself apears to have adapted to it's situation and when fired would inflict great gaping wounds in the undead. I place this bow in your hands now"
"Selmwell Fletwaral, follower of Eldath. I have something for you, follow me." He leads Selm to the west hand side of the room where a simple staff leans in the corner. It is totally unremarkable, and in fact does not even look like it has been crafted at all, but if one looked closely it would appear that the bottom of the staff was similar to a waterfall.
"Selm, this staff will not harm anyone...." he peers at Selm "ye seem confused, but let me explain. This staff will cause no mortal wound to any of your foes but will allow you to subdue them. Peacebringer is it's name and it has been blessed by a high priestess of Eldath. However some of its power has waned in time. It does still have a limited amount of magic left in it, and can be used to instill such an emotion in their foe that they do not wish to take any aggresive actions for a short while."
Aencar smiles at Selms response and flits off back to the group.
"I made a promise and I intend to keep it. The dead also may take their prizes, which they can take to the grave with them or however the dead man sees fit." Aencar chuckles to himself at this little joke and seeing that no one else is laughing turns serious again. "You must excuse me, death does not mean the same to me as to what it does to those still alive"
"For the fallen assassin I bestow a dagger, perfectly designed by the Night Masks of Westgate to enhance their agents skills."
"For the fallen paladin I have a shield you may take back to his rest. It is blessed by the Morninglord and would have protected him from harm. If the shield is given time to bask in dawnlight (and only dawnlight) then it can absorb some of that energy that Lathander considers most sacred, and release it to blind any foes which would strike one of his sons or daughters. In light of the fact ye have recovered an artifact sacred to him on this journey, I see no reason to keep this down here in darkness. Let it thrive on the sunlight once again, if for only a short time before he is buried. "
The party turns to leave and only Valanwé is left in the doorway. Aencar cocks an eyebrow at him, waiting for a response.
"Aencar, I have seen your magic. I ask of no wonderous weapon or armour, just that you share some of your knowledge with me". Valanwé bows his head slightly and awaits a response.
Aencar mulls this over for a short time, and finally nods his head. "Very well, I suppose it would be a greater shame to put my work to waste, than it would be to lose it. Name your chosen school of spells, and I shall furnish you with one of my tomes. Take it with my blessing wizard." |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2005 : 20:10:23
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| "My Lord Aencar," says Valanwé with a great respect for the ghost. "I thank you for the honour and reward you have shown to us in our quest. Of The Nine, I believe I should prefer some scripts from the school of Transmutation, if that is both acceptible and possible." |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2005 : 20:25:04
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Aencar waves his hand and an old tome removes itself from the shelves and floats towards Valanwés outstretched hands, where it comes to rest.
"Very well, you now have in your hands oe of my spellbooks on transmutation. I hope you are capable of using it"
At that he fades away through one of the walls, and later on in the day a magical battle can be heard resonating throughout the manor, Aencar and his foe locked in their engagement once again. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2005 : 23:49:59
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Examining the book as Aencar speaks, Valanwé waits for him to depart before making a more thorough examination. With a few simple words and gestures, he reads the tome's cover, and is pleased to detect a strong magical aura emanating from within.
Realising that the information contained within the tome is too valuable to examine lightly, he calls to the group: "My friends - shall we complete our business here? I make no secret of the fact that I am keen to depart this place, or that I wish to examine this book further. I should like to begin our journey back to return the artefact as soon as possible."
With a smile, he turns to survey the scene, and then looks back to the group, to see if everyone has finished their business in the basement. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2005 : 00:28:04
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Slightly taken aback at Aencar's gift, Selm bows respectfully, offering thanks to both the ghost and his deity, promising to use the staff to carry out her divine will.
Seeing the ghost engaging in yet another battle, he nods to Trahaearn and they pick up the fallen cleric once more and head back out of the cellar.
Looking back at Valanwé, he adds, "I agree, we have accomplished what we set out to do here, let us finish our business and be on our way."
Once outside, the two men choose a spot with some soft soil at the foot of a tree a short distance outside the manor's gardens. Digging swiftly, they make a shallow pit to put the body in and gently lay it to rest.
Seeing the hardened look on Trahaearn's face, Selm rests his hand on the Elf's shoulder and they stand there for a second before covering the body with soil. Selm then reaches into his pocket and removes a vial of Holy water.
Sprinkling it atop the grave, he whispers, "May you find the peace in death you never found in life. Eldath's blessing upon you."
With that, the two descend back into the manor to rejoin Valanwé and Caylith
Meanwhile, still in the basement, Valanwé looks over the dragon's corpse. Fearful that some other evil creature might try again to raise the dragon to the distortion of life it once posessed, Valanwé removes several of the creature's vertebrae at random, including one from the neck, and places them in his bag. He also removes the dragon's tailbone, not as a somewhat morbid souvenir of the kill, but that he might research any magical properties or uses it has later.
Looking to Caylith, he says: "I hope this will prevent anyone from attempting to raise the dragon once more in future. I will discard these vertebrae outside, and scatter them - might I ask a lady to be so kind as to smash this evil being's skull also? I am not unaware of your heritage however - if it is against your principle to destroy the remains of one of your own kin, be it evil or not, say so, and I will not ask again, but for your forgiveness."
Awaiting a response from Caylith, Valanwé turns, and looks to see if Selm and Trahaearn are returned. Seeing that they are not, he turns to Caylith again, and speaks: "I leave it to you. I will go now, and scatter these bones." So saying, he returns along the way from which they had come, and climbs out into the light. Basking for a moment in the warmth of the sun, which he observes seems to be somewhat brighter than usual, he looks around for Selmwell and Trahaearn.
"It is not," Caylith replies as Valanwé departs. She takes the new weapon bequeathed her and proceeds to smash into little pieces the evil dragons head.
Seeing Trahaearn and Selmwell digging a grave for the dead cleric, Valanwé walks away from the mansion, and into the woods a short distance. Finding some simillarly soft soil, he kneels, and digs a small pit with his hands, and places the first vertebra into it, before covering it over, and uttering a short prayer to corellon that no-one discover the location. Repeating the process at two other points in the wood, he circles around, and finds himself emerging into the clearing close to Selm and Trahaearn. With the tailbone still in his pack, and the last of the vertebra in his hands, he approaches them, and says: "I have dismantled the dragon, in the hope of preventing any other evil creature from raising or animating it again."
"Smart thing, my friend. Let us go and retrieve our remaining companions and be on our way." With that, the three return to the cellar, Valanwé discarding the last backbone into the dense undergrowth around the trapdoor.
"Aye," nods Valanwé. "Peradventure we should bring the horses closer?"
Trahaearn nods and goes to tend the horses.
Returning down the ladder to the basement, Valanwé walks slowly through the long corridor to the former epicentre of combat, and approaches Elussien's body. Pausing again, he takes the dagger which was Aencar's reward from the floor next to the body where it has been left, and slides it into the belt of his robe. He then places his arms under the blanket covering the corpse, and lifts it to waist height, before turning to leave.
Upon returning to the basement, Selm sees that Caylith has retrieved the artefact, it's insisten glow betraying it's position below her belt. With a nod of acknowledgement, he approaches her, and the two pick up the fallen Champion of the Sun and bear him out of the manor back to the light of day.
Following behind, Valanwé carries Elussien's body behind Selm and Caylith, and raises him onto his shoulder to ascend the ladder. The change of position causes some blood to seep through the blanket, and onto his cheek, but he ignores it, and continues to the surface. Pausing, once they are away from the trapdoor, he sees Trahaearn leading the horses towards them, and as they meet, he hauls Elussien's body onto one of the horses, before approaching Arcanen, his own horse, and patting the side of his face. He removes the dragon's tailbone from his backpack, and places it into one of the saddle bags, before taking a handful of feed from the same pack, and giving it to the horse. He pauses for a moment, when he finishes, and touches a hand to his face, wiping the blood away.
"Come, friends," he says, looking at the bright red liquid on his palm. "I have had the blood of my kinsman on my hands for too long already today. Let us depart this place at once, and find somewhere to rest for a while." |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2005 : 12:22:13
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From the edge of the woods around the manor a slender female appears. She is dressed in soft leathers, carries a shield in one hand and a has a wicked curved sword at her hip.
She moves around the area, inspecting the fallen shambling mound, and trying to unearth what Valanwé had just buried to get a better look at it. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2005 : 11:36:17
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Rhiannon walks slowly towards the fallen shambling mound, she slowly
leans down and gently strokes what used to be one of the creatures
tentacles.
Moveing away from the fallen mound she slowly approches the site where
one of the adventurers she had seen had buried some items, unsure of
herself, she bends down over the site and then looks back up to try
and see the group that had buried something there. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2005 : 14:30:16
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| "Hey!" Caylith calls out. "I think we'd prefer it if you didn't unearth what we just took the time to bury!" |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2005 : 11:51:25
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Rhiannon stands up slowly
"What was it? I'm investigating strange behaviour from the local
wildlife in this area"
Rhiannon nods to the shambling mound "Did you see who destroyed this
creature? Was it responcable for the deaths of those people on the
road? I'm called Rhiannon by the way" |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2005 : 18:31:06
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| "Greetings Rhiannon. I am Caylith." she nods to the woman. "It was a priest. Our party destroyed the mound. I do not know if it was responsible for the deaths of the people on the road." She turns to Valanwe and the other and looks questioningly at them. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2005 : 23:46:18
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| "Vedui', Rhiannon," says Valanwé solemnly, "my greetings to you. My friend is right - we would that what you uncovered remains buried. From where have you come, and what brings you this way?" |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2005 : 23:47:41
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Rhiannon moves away from the buried items towards the group
"I am investigating strange behaviour from the local animal and.."
Rhiannon looks over at the shambling mound "..plant life. Its very odd
to see one of those so far from a swamp. I traced a line of
disturbances to this castle. You wouldn't happen to have any idea
whats causing it would you?"
Valanwé merely glances toward Selmwell, and waits to see if an explanation
is forthcoming.
Selm responds to Valanwé's questioning look with a wry smile, "Do your lips
no longer work, master Valanwé, that you can give no answer?"
Turning to face the newcomer, he steps forward to introduce himself, "Well
met, good lady, Selmwell Fletwaral at your service." He pauses a second,
taking in her appearance, before continuing, "As to the answer to your
query, I'm afraid we can only guess as to what was affecting that creature.
Whilst we have dealt with the threat within the mansion, which was our aim
in coming here, I can see no real link between the priest causing problems
here and the shambler. I put myself at your disposal if you wish to ask
further questions, but to my mind it was simply living in the undergrowth;
you find anomalies in all species." |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2005 : 23:49:10
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"Yes I suppose so, but that doesn't explain the other disturbances."
Rhiannon looks down at the symbol of Eldath Selm is wearing and smiles
"So what was this cleric up to?"
"Well," Selm pauses a little, wondering how much to disclose, then again
noting the unicorn shaped pendant Rhiannon was wearing over her heart, he
decides to tell the truth. "That cleric had stolen an artifact sacred to
Lathander from the village of Hap. We traced him here, where he had
disturbed the dead, including what was once a dragon. It was our quest to
retrieve the artifact, which we have now done, though sadly at the expense
of two of our colleagues' lives, may Eldath watch over their spirits." As he
says this, he bows his head silently. After a few moments, he continues, "We
buried the priest and sanctified his grave, so hopefully the dead may now
rest quietly. I think that is all we really have to say. We need to be
heading back sooner rather than later, though if you are travelling in our
direction and wish for some company, you are very welcome to join us." |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2005 : 23:50:12
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Rhiannon smiled again, pleased that Selmwell was willing to tell the truth
"This artifact could explain a lot, but I lack the skills necessary to
tell, and this castle was my last possible link, so I have no where
else to look. I would gladly accompany you if you will let me"
"Of course, we'll be glad of your company," smiles Selm. "I'm sure once we
get back, somebody more knowledgeable than I may be able to tell you more
about the artifact and it's properties. That it was responsible for such a
disturbance is, I suppose possible, though I wouldn't like to guess how."
With a screech and a rutle of branches, Venterus flies toward the group, and lands as Valanwé raises his arm. Looking quizzically at the eagle, Valanwé speaks in private murmurings, and appears to recieve a reply of some sort, before turning to Rhiannon. Laughing as the bird speaks again, he looks to her saying: "Venterus - ever the impetuous Aquillan - wishes it to be known that he would be particularly pleased to travel with you, for whatever mischiefs he may imagine. I too would welcome your company on the road, Arwen en amin. I am Valanwé, son of Icthalién."
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2005 : 19:04:06
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As the companions travel back towards Hap, the adventurers take the time to get to know their new aquaintance, as well as mourn the death of two of their old ones.
The first day and night passes quietly, Valanwé erecting another cottage for the party to spend the night in comfort and privacy.
Late in the second day, Traehaearn signals for the party to stop. A medium sized humanoid figure can be seen walking towards them upon the road. As it gets closer it his clear that they are dressed poorly for the road. Voluminous and heavy robes are draped about the (now apparent) attractive female form. Additionally she seems to carry nothing that would aid her survival in the wilderness such as food supplies, or a simple shelter. She approaches the party with neither a smile nor a frown, she simply continues to walk.
Caylith moves out of the way to let her pass unimpeded.
"Hail good lady!" calls Valanwé as she hurries past, "how goes the road?"
"Fine" She calls back. |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 12 Aug 2005 01:51:41 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2005 : 10:44:36
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"Are you sure?" asks Rhiannon " There are few resting place's on this
road and it is unwise to travel without food or water"
The woman carries on unconcerned and walks past the party |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 12 Aug 2005 10:45:25 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2005 : 11:58:19
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| With a silent hand gesture to Venterus, Valanwé indicates that he should follow the woman from within and above the trees for a short distance. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2005 : 08:47:05
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Wending their way along the road, the companions continue their journey to Hap largely uninterrupted, and entirely untroubled. Resting for the final night of the journey in and around Valanwé's latest cottage, the occupants are sombre, but content, and find some humour in Selmwell's sharp conversation.
As most of the others turn in, or out to their resting places, Valanwé sets himself down at the desk, and considers his spellbook's contents, before following suit.
The night passes uneventfully, and soon, with the aid of horses, breakfast, and a very little magic, the party are back on their way. Riding at the front for the first time, Valanwé tows the bodies of Daleson and Elussien, as he has since leaving the manor, atop a horizontally aligned, magical disc of force, which floats along behind Arcanen.
A few miles outside Hap, with the sun directly overhead, Trahaearn, now in front of the group raises his arm to stop, and as the other riders draw alongside him, he points, and indicates the presence of a lone apple tree on one side of the road.
"We have ridden all morning," he says. "Shall we rest for a moment, and then push on?"
With happier, but nonetheless weary nods of affirmation, the group dismounts, and walks the horses to the side of the track. The floating disc follows Valanwé automatically, and Venterus perches on the flat part of Arcanen's saddle.
"Let us not stay long," says Valanwé to the others, "but we should perhaps rest here half an hour. I believe it will do no harm, and I require rest from riding."
The group sits beneath the trees, and for a few moments at least, the company of nature lifts their spirits. Selmwell picks some of the best fruit on the ground, and hands the apples around. Valanwé stands once more, picks several apples up in his hands, and feeds them to the horses, before returning to the group. With a word and a gesture noticed only by himself, he takes the last apple in his hand, sits back comfortably against the tree, and bites into it.
"Hmm," he murmurs, faking slight revulsion, and pulling the apple from his mouth to look at it carefully. "Tastes like an onion," he observes, adding a second "hmm" for effect. Trahaearn reaches forward, and takes the apple from him, and bites tentatively into it. Chewing the flesh slightly, Trahaearn then projects the contents of his mouth into the undergrowth at some substantial velocity, before confirming Valanwé's suspicions.
Now recovered, Trahaearn passes Valanwé another apple from the grassy floor around them, and places it onto his outstreched palm. Loosely grasping the apple, Valanwé takes it, mishandles it, and leaves it exactly where it was - floating in mid air, about six inches above his palm.
"I apologise," he says, chuckling to himself. "The art of magic requires constant study, and I have not cast more than a single spell these three days past. Forgive me, and have an apple," he continues, passing a hand over the now bright blue and orange fruit, before returning it to Trahaearn. "Some music perhaps?"
Tolerating the Wizard's foibles and forrays into The Art, the group is soon well rested, and continues on to the village of Hap, returning soon after the hour of two in the afternoon. As they enter the village, the inhabitants stop and turn toward them, most of all toward the three non-humans. A whisper passes among the crowd, that these are the adventurers who set out from the temple a week ago, and it is soon followed by another - that five had left, and yet four return. Soon, the town is in uproar, and a small crowd begins to clamour about the temple entranceway, awaiting news of Daleson.
Seeing the commotion ahead, Valanwé dismounts some distance from the temple, and hands his reigns to Selmwell: "Take the side entrance," he says to Selm and the others. "We'll never fight through this crowd, and there'll be hell to pay if they hear their Paladin has fallen. I'll keep them distracted for a few minutes - maybe put some of my inane tricks into good use."
Nodding, Selm and the others take the bodies from the floating disc, which Valanwé then dispells, and lay them over Arcanen's back. Dismounting, and leading the horses to the side entrance of the temple, Valanwé heads to the front entrance, and stands at one edge of the crowd. Opening his palm, and holding it flat, he evokes a blue sphere of energy, crackling slightly, and floating several inches above his hand. Rather than draw attention to himself, he merely waits for someone to notice, and stands facing forward toward the temple entrance.
After a few moments, he senses that every eye nearby is watching him - indeed - some distance had opened up between him and the onlookers, every one of whom was now facing in his direction. Raising the sphere of energy, he alters its colour, before expanding it and 'popping' it when it reached the size of his hand.
Seeing that the crowd would not be content with such a minor performance, nor that his companions would do well to be interrupted as they moved quietly round the front of the building, between the crowd and the entrance evidently having not discovered the side entryway, if one existed, Valanwé continues the routine with several, many-coloured apples taken from his pocket, and ends after ten minutes or so to some looks of disbelief, some applause, and some derision. Caring about none of them particularly, but modestly accepting the applause, and thanking the crowd for their interest, he lowers his hands, confident that the rest of the party will be inside the temple, and walks in to join them, unimpeded by the audience, who return to their previous commotion.
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Edited by - Kaladorm on 13 Aug 2005 08:47:59 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2005 : 23:18:45
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The companions find an entrance at the side of the chapel, which takes them into a preparation area. They come out of the room, still bearing Dalesons body, and end up at the head of the church. As they lay Daleson down a cry of anguish emanates from towards the front door of the now empty church, and Cathalandra rushes towards her fallen champion. She makes no effort to hide her tear streaked face and, in her grief, gives no regard to the material of her soft white dress which catches and rips on one of the benches.
She kneels over the body of Daleson, cradling his head in her arms and weeping. Burying her head into his neck she sobs "My brave brave champion. How could this have happened to you, sweet son of Lathander".
As she sobs quietly, gently rocking his body as she holds him close, the Blood of Lathander pulses a rose colour and slips from his body, before coming to rest in front of Cathalandras eyes.
Hope sparkles in her tear filled eyes and she gazes deep into the four drops of blood encased within the amber. She lays Daleson gently to the ground and stands up, the artifact floating up with her to remain at the same relative height.
"If you will give me some time alone with Daleson, there is something I must do" she says, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Stay in the temple, you will be looked after, I thank you brave adventurers, we will speak more of this another time".
With the help of a young but muscular man, Cathalandra takes the body of Daleson Morningstar into her chambers, and locks the door behind her. The guardian sits down on a chair by the door, and silently keeps vigil. |
Edited by - Kaladorm on 14 Aug 2005 23:31:14 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2005 : 00:24:29
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| Sensing that the party might remain in the temple some time, Valanwé moves to the side of the church, and sits down in one of the alcoves along the main wall. Keen to have another look at his prize, he pulls Aencar's tome from his pack, and is pleasantly surprised to find that the book will now open. Whispering an incantation to allow him to read magic, he opens the first page, and begins to read. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2005 : 00:26:31
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Rhiannon sits nerveously in one of the alcoves, unsure if she should
even be here, this was all personal to those that had known Daleson.
She felt like a stranger or pretender. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2005 : 10:49:49
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After watching Cathalandra and another priest carry Daleson through to her
chambers, Selm starts to pace about, anxious that things go smoothly. 'I
suppose this may take a while, we need to leave them to it, but I hope it
works out alright. Daleson was a man of admirable talent with a character
worthy of it, I feel so bad for what happened,' he thought. Unusually
restless, he continues to pace for a minute or so, before looking up, almost
surprised to see the others there. Valanwé seems to have settled himself
down with a spellbook, but Rhiannon looks about as nervous as Selm feels.
Moving over, he settles himself down next to the half-elf and puts his hand
gently on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Rhiannon?" he enquires.
Rhiannon looks at Selm and smiles slowly "I feel somewhat... out of place
here. I didn't know Daleson and I fear people might think I have no right to
be here."
Selm forces a smile, more for her sake than what he was really feeling.
"None of us here knew Daleson very well, we've only known him for a few
short days. If I'm honest, I feel slightly out of place here too and I'm
quite glad we haven't gone back there with them. The villagers probably knew
him better than us but in the limited time I knew him, I thought him a
decent man, honest, bold and true. He would have no problem with you being
here, and neither did Cathalandra so don't worry about it."
"Amen to that," mutters Valanwé to himself, overhearing Selmwell's
description from his vantage point at the side of the church, before
returning to his reading.
"Thank you for saying that, I don't feel so bad now" Rhiannon glances down
at her symbol of Mielikki "I will stay with you for a while if you don't
mind, if nothing else I owe you for discovering the cause of the
disturbances for me."
"I for one would be welcome of your company," replies Selm, his more usual
genuine smile lighting up his face. "What we are going to do next is
undecided, however. We have to make arrangements for Elussien, not to
mention the matter going on as we speak, but after that..." he holds up his
hands, palms facing up, fingers spread wide and leaves the sentence hanging.
"Master Valanwé, what *are* you and Traehaern planning on doing with
Elussien?"
Once again, Valanwé glances up from his book, and looks to Selmwell for a
moment. Sighing, and turning away briefly that the sadness in his eyes might
not further worry Rhiannon, he places his book on the seat, composes himself
momentarily, and returns his glance to Selm. "Elussien," he says, pausing a
moment to swallow, before continuing: "Elussien made it clear to me that his
wish was to remain in Arvandor, should our Lord Corellon call him home. He
asked that were he so called, that he be laid to rest under a particular
tree in the forests around Evereska, and thus I intend to bear him there. I
will do so alone, or in company, but I have a specific idea about how it
might be achieved, from which I am loath to turn."
"There is no shame in remaining in Arvandor, we can only hope he finds more
peace there than he seemed to know in life. Not all spirits are willing to
return and not everyone can be saved. It is sad but part of the great cycle,
and a hard lesson I have only learned through experience." Selm pauses,
looking down at the floor as he says this. Looking up, he continues,
"Evereska is a long way from here, my friend, I would be glad to accompany
you, should you be willing to accept my company, even though I am aware I
would not be able to enter the Fortress Home myself."
"I would be grateful of your company, melloamin," replies Valanwé. "I should
say that it will make the road easier to bear, but I confess I had not
intended to go on foot. My father, Icthalién, is a wizard of far greater
skill than my own, and his loyalty to our people is, as mine, strong and
enduring. I had intended to petition the temple for a Sending, that he might
join us for a short while, before using means of teleportation to briefly
return myself, Trahaearn and Elussien to the great city, and perform the
necessary rites. I have no doubt that he would be willing to aid us in this,
but if it is the group's wish to travel into the forests, I am prepared to
make the journey by road."
"Teleporting would certainly be quicker," Rhiannon says softly. "I did not
want to travel across Anauroch, so I took the long way around from the High
Forest, which took me past Evereska; it is a very long way to travel."
"Indeed, I rather expected you to say something like that. In which case, I
would be perfectly willing to wait here, it would make little sense for us
all to go when not all of us will be permitted to enter Evereska. Besides, I
have no wish to intrude on your grief. However," adds Selm, after a moment,
"I would like to hear more about your father."
"My father..." says Valanwé, musing on the pictures of home that sprang into
his mind. "My father is the man for whom I have the most respect in the
world, though I doubt that that fact requires explaining. In our homelands,
he is a senior researcher at the Academy of Magic, and was largely
responsible for the training in The Art that I have recieved thus far; he
tutored me himself, rather than send me to any particular school, and his
magic knows few limits - his specialisation is in the school of Evocation.
Through him, I have been lucky enough to gain limited access to tomes and
manuscripts held at the Academy, and they too, have furthered my learning. I
digress however - as a man, he is four hundred and sixty-one years of age,
and of simillar appearance to myself, accounting for his age, and a slight
difference in height and build. He is kind and generous, but just, and it is
my own wish to follow in his footsteps, should my power grow that far. I
need not remind you that my opinion is biased, but I suspect that if you
meet him, you will not be displeased with him. He is very personable, moreso
than myself I suspect, but his principles still guide him. For me to say
more is difficult - I find that describing one's relatives to strangers is
an interesting endeavour. Most often, expectation and reality do not match
from mere descriptions, but I should be very happy to introduce him to you,
should it be possible for him to join us whilst you are all here."
Selm sees clearly the love and respect in Valanwé's eyes as he talks about
his father and mentor. Smiling, he says, "If your father is half the elf you
have just described to us, and I don't doubt that he is everything you said,
I would be honoured to meet him."
"As would I" Rhiannon added softly.
Nodding in thankful acknowledgement to Selmwell, before turning to Rhinanon,
Valanwé says: "You are very kind. Rhinannon - I regret I did not speak to
you for long on our journey here. Are you prepared to tell us of your
background or experience? I should be pleased to hear it if so; I suspect
Dawnmaster Calathandra's vigil may be of some duration."
Rhiannon smiles: "Certainly. I was born in the High Forest near the Silver
Marches; my mother was a druid there so I was raised in the forest itself.
Beautiful place, so long as you avoid the orcs. For as long as I can
remember I've always known I wanted to follow in my mothers footsteps and
become a druid. I chose to serve Mielikki rather than my mothers patron
Silvanus as I agreed with Meilikki's vision that the cities and the forests
need to co-exist."
At Rhiannon's description of her mother, Selm chuckles. At the questioning
looks shot at him, he waves his hand and quickly says, "Oh, it's nothing,
I'll explain in a minute."
Continuing, Rhiannon says: "After I became a druid I became invovled with
diplomatic missions between the leaders of the Silver Marches and a powerful
Treant named Turlang. I like Turlang a lot; you'd think someone with his age
power and wisdom would be very up on himself, but hes not like that at all,
he's really down to earth." She pauses for a moments reflection, and
continues: "Sorry, I have kind of drifted off the point a bit here, I do
that sometimes. So anyway, after a few years of this I decided I wanted to
see more of Faerûn, which was expected - apprantly lots of druids decide
this. I didn't really have a plan of where to go, I explored the Silver
Marches for a bit and then headed south, past Evereska, through Comyr and up
into the Dalelands. Once here, a local druid asked me to help look into the
odd actions of local animal and plant life which brings us up to where we
are..." Rhiannon looks around and blushes: "Sorry I do tend to go on a bit
once I get going."
"Ahh," says Valanwé, smiling. "You needn't worry about going on - I knew a
bard once who was determined to recite the entirety of Reaseman's Epics from
start to finish. That was seven years ago, and last I heard, he's still
going...."
"Not a problem, my dear, thank you for sharing. Anyway," adds Selm, "my
somewhat rude interruption there was not meant to cause offence, it is
merely that I have observed an interesting irony."
"Oh? What irony is that?" Rhiannon asks quizzicaly.
Selm cracks a grin, "Isn't it funny how everybody really does turn into
their parents? Valanwé here is walking in his father's footsteps, you have
dedicated yourself to nature in the same way as your mother, and it was my
mother who first taught me the ways of Eldath."
"I believe the question that should be asked at this point," observes
Valanwé, "is whether - having chosen to follow the paths trod by our
parents - we can resign ourselves to being as they are now, in years to
come? I know many an Elf who would that he turned into his father, though
how it is in other cultures I am less sure."
Rhiannon smiles "I plan to return to the High Forest some day, and although
I'd never tell her this, I would be proud to end up like her."
"Very true," agrees Selm, "if I attain even a small degree of her wisdom, I
will be a happy man. I just hope my time on Faerûn is not cut so cruelly
short," he adds in a soft whisper, a tear rising in his eye.
"I wonder," says Valanwé. "Shall we perhaps take a walk around the village?
I would welcome the exercise, and I am sure that I could be persuaded to
provide suitable lodgings for the night, should we not return till
eventide."
"Not yet, I will wait here until they have finished in the Dawnmaster's
chambers - my conscience will not permit me to go elsewhere," says Selm,
still in a somewhat hushed voice.
"I am ashamed," said Valanwé, taken aback by the cleric's comment, and
embarrassed at his own faux pas. "I had not considered that, and I
apologise. I will remain also."
"Don't be," says Selm, "it could be minutes or it could be hours. Either
way, I am content to wait here under Lathander's dominion until we receive
some news about Master Daleson." Bringing the conversation back to what was
going on while they sat and talked seemed to have killed the mood, the
suspense hung thick in the air, almost as if it was tangible. Quietly
adjusting his sitting position, Selm bowed his head slightly and prepared to
wait.
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Edited by - Kaladorm on 15 Aug 2005 10:50:17 |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2005 : 18:22:00
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Caylith stood quietly off to the side. She had been very quiet during most of the journey and the return to the town. The sudden violence and loss of life was something new to her and she still wasn't certain what to expect.
Listening to Selm and Valanwe talk to the Rhiannan, she approached quietly. Softly laying a hand on Valanwe's shoulder she spoke quietly.
"If you would have me, I would like to continue to travel with you," she said. "Elussien was a true fighter. I would like to see him laid to rest." She paused. "I have heard nothing of Evereska save that it is the land of elves. If I would be permitted to...I would like to assist in whatever way I can." She looked around the temple. "Though I would like to know what the temple will do with Lord Daleson? I don't quite understand." |
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Kaladorm's Campaign Journal
