Freeform Archive · Legacy archive
The Last War
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Re: The Last War
#641As the vile Voramis glided down the hallway to the stairwell, he suddenly stopped. An urgent, nearly silent message vibrated toward him in whispers, in pulses of unseen energy, from various spiders up in the tower just ahead and high above where he stood.
"the life-filled she-human with the light silk who moves like a he-human is up here with the taste-bad swamp creature. she coming down fast fast much warmth-energy-juicy-sustinence passes by we-hungry. too bad..."
Like individual humans, individual spiders know very little and accomplish even less. Their interests lie in what moves and can be trapped in a web or successfully hunted. Unlike most insects, (and like most humans), spiders speak to each other and discuss such mundane matters to no end. But until they were summoned into a single form by dark magic, they had no collective purpose. Voramis was such a summoned form, a refined 4th-level summoning; with a combined intelligence equal to most humans, and superior to many. When joined to the vast information network provided by the distributed spiders in the nearby area, his cunning and alien ways of thought made him a formidable enemy.
Kras-Minion Voramis instantly understood the message meant that Princess Holly Mayleaf was decending the tower stairs he was about to climb, and that Lord Belzar who had summoned him into this human form would be extremely interested in capturing her as well as the troll.
Perhaps even MORE than the troll.
In two seconds, the cloth covering Voramis' "body" had collapsed upon the heavy wooden floor of this level of the castle. The "body" flowed out and up the walls at a remarkable speed, then it moved into the tower. Thousands upon thousands of spinnarets spewed forth as one, creating webbing which was, ounce for ounce, stronger than steel. The billowing cloud formed across the stairwell with several feet of sticky, fibrous goo, cutting off the exit downward through the tower into the castle.
When she decended this far down, Holly Mayleaf would have to leave the tower and move across this corridor high in the castle wall toward the room where Belzar was waiting.
In only a few more seconds, the figure reformed into the clothing, and the crawling mass became man-shaped once more. Voramis. He ran as fast as possible to warn Lord Belzar that his salvation approached.
Oh, but oh... if only Lord Belzar would save a taste of this one -- this perfect she-human -- for faithful Voramis. How delicious her juices would be... -
Re: The Last War
#642Lord Belzar looked up from the collection of items he had summoned into the secret room to see Voramis burst in from the corridor. "My Lord!" the rasping inhuman voice hissed into his brain, "the princess you sought is coming this way. She will be here... in moments."
Straightening up quickly, Belzar smiled wickedly. "Excellent. Excellent. This is really so fortunate. Go now. Seal off the other end of the corridor so she must enter here. Do not be seen."
He grinned to himself. "We have much to talk about, Holly Mayleaf and I."
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Someone else was thinking about Holly Mayleaf.
On horseback, Captain Kraggis led the procession of sweaty men dragging the heavy siege engines into the now-cleared North Gate of Halbad. Under their breaths, the men cursed at him and his horse, but he did not allow any of the sturdy mounts of the Black Hand Riders to be used to drag the catapaults along. No, no, his men rode on fighting horses, not to be confused with lowly draft animals.
That was the excuse. The truth was he didn't like the way the horses were behaving. More skittery than usual. Harder and harder to control. More... independent, it seemed.
"DOWN!" he snapped at his charger, Nightstorm. "WHOA!" He yanked on the reins hard; the bit dug into the horse's soft tissue in the back of its mouth. The horse fought, then settled down, but only a little. And this was the sharpest bridle and bit set that the Equus Master had available this morning!
"D****t!" he said to himself. "What's got into the horses?" Whatever it was, it was spreading like a disease from the wild horses to the docile draft animals, and now to the cavalry mounts his men rode. If these horses became any more able to think for themselves, they'd all have to be broken again and retrained... or killed -- assuming Kraggis could find men brave enough to try.
Deep down, he knew Princess Mayberry (or whoever she called herself) was somehow to blame for the horses acting up here in Halbad. -
Re: The Last War
#643Holly jumped down the last two steps which lead to the corridor where lord belzar was but she didn't know that. In front of her was what looked like a giant spider-web blocking her path downwards Holly grunted with annoyance as she turned to go down the long corridor lit only with a few torches in brackets on the wall. She had never liked this corridor and had avoided going down it at all costs but now was a emergency. Holly ran quickly down the corridor only to come to another block at the end she was trapped. Holly spun round wildly and stared at either end of the corridor. She walked the length slowly looking for door's on either side. The only door she found was a large oak one with strange symbols carved on the outsides of the rim. Holly nervously pushed the door lightly and it swung open like a huge gust of wind had just gone past her blowing it open with a click of the finger. It was dark inside and Holly really didn't want to go in but she had no other choice. Holly pulled her sword out of it's holster and entered the room. The darkness closed in on her as the door slammed shut behind. Holly turned quickly and blindly tried to find the door handle but it seemed to of disappeared. This wasn't good thought Holly as she stood in the darkness waiting for her eye's to adjust to the light change. -
Re: The Last War
#644A low baritone voice quietly spoke in the echoing silence, sounding like it was perhaps 30 feet away. "We meet, Princess". Suddenly, without any movement, a number of lit candles appeared in holders set around the perimeter of the large room, probably 50 x 100 feet. It was sparsely furnished with a heavy chair resembling a small throne on a platform at one end. There were two heavy wooden tables and a few solid chairs against the walls at Holly's end. The heavy wooden door behind her had a tiny hole for a door-handle, but strangely, the door handle was missing.
The strangest thing was that Holly knew this room didn't belong here in Castle Halbad. It appeared to have been brought here, walls, floor, furnishings and all from her father's castle in Palaten. To be precise, from the inner Keep. Even the paneling on the walls had familiar wood grain; the tapestries were the same as well; even one of her father.
Up on the "throne" sat a middle-aged man, his hand on his chin, evaluating her with steely eyes. Average size. Jet-black hair with a few gray streaks showing. He wore ornate red and black robes with several pockets, but no armour, and no weapons were apparent except a knife in a sheath at his waist. There were a number of shields and weapons of various types mounted on the walls around the room. Next to the chair and around on the dias were numerous items, rather cluttered.
"I am Lord Belzar," he spoke again. "The Emperor commanded that I bring the Legion to Palaten, which I have done. As well, to Halbad, which I have done."
He shifted gently in his seat, and continued. "Halbad will fall and the surrounding country in all directions then will be under my Lordship. Your Uncle will fall as well. He is too old and stubborn to serve me. But..."
He stared even more intently into her eyes, as if trying to reach inside with his message, and smiled maliciously, "...You could rule here, as Queen. You were supposed to marry some prince or other anyway, and settle down for once in your undisciplined life. The groom was chosen to take your hand, the marriage date was set, but I understand you... spurned his "love"." Belzar chuckled.
"So impetuous. But here is your chance to redeem yourself from the wild passions of youth. You can still have the throne, and marry any one or more of the thousands who will seek your hand."
"Two conditions:
One. You will consent to be summoned by me at any time or place.
Two. You will obey my commands. I will not make them often, but you must be prepared to carry them out without question.
As a token of your wisdom and full obedience, right now, bring the troll here. As you will be mine, he will be mine. But your existence as the new Queen will be much more pleasant than his! Ha, ha! More pleasant indeed."
His eyes narrowed again. "Do not think that you can hurt me. I am hundreds of years old and have dealt with whelps such as you and your wretched rag-tag friends for centuries before you were born."
As if to prove his point, he waved his hand, and the portcullis from the castle at Halbad suddenly appeared halfway down the room between them, imbedded in the wood and stone walls sideways, cutting the room in two, and preventing her from getting any closer. Holly could see through the interlocking iron bars as he spoke from the other end.
"Go now. Bring the troll to me. Then we can, shall we say, 'work out the details'."
The door handle suddenly appeared in the door behind her and the door opened with a 'click!'
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Re: The Last War
#645"And what if i don't" Replied Holly defiantly watching the door swing open. "What do you do then? What if me and my 'Rag-Tag friends'" She said waving her hand absently through the air "are closer than you thought. I know if i do this then something will happen wether it be good or bad i do not know." Holly paused her eye's glaring "why should i serve you? What have you done for me?" Holly turned to leave the room. -
Re: The Last War
#646"Why serve me?" Belzar called out after her. "Because it is better than have your juices sucked from your body while you sleep."
"And I know where your friends are. The ones you met in the forest. The would-be wizard and the one with the glowing sword, and the others. They are here, in the castle. I know all."
"So go, and make your decision. Protect your friends and you will all die. Or decide to rule here at my command and live as a Queen. Be wise. Bring me the troll."
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After Holly left, Voramis glided into the room. "You let her go."
Belzar glanced at the dark form. "For now. Later, when I have forced her to violate every shred of conscience within her idealistic blonde head, I shall feed her to Melgrittzigym. He shall have that which he demands, but the taste will be bitter and stick in his throat. Still, by the terms of Alhambra-Zurleg, he will be forced to release me. My status will be elevated in the eyes of the demons, and I shall be greater yet."
"Prepare for the troll."
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Re: The Last War
#647If one had been observant, they would have noticed that Kethal stayed in the exact center of every room and hallway, and her expression was worried.
Odat, of course, certainly did not notice. He was busy stumbling about some more, as normal. It really did seem to defy the laws of physics that he never fell. He almost fell again and again, but never quite fell all the way down.
"Dice?" was his only word, as he brought out some intricately carved six sided dice made from what appeared to be a metal and clay mix.
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Meanwhile, outside the castle, Arthur waited. He never was able to find the door. Only moments ago he had been in a quiet rage that they had left him behind. Kethal would not have done something like that, but maybe some of the others had tricked her. He intended on finding out who.
However, he was no longer concerned with that. He was reading, completely absorbed with his new book. It was fascinating. The amount of things that Healing and Necromancy had in common were uncanny. He did not actually want to know how to practice necromancy, could never even imagine such a thing, but already he had found four different ways to improve his own weaves.
And, he could stop the undead if they ever returned. He could break the bonds that animated those corpses. The reading was slow though. He had already been at this for half an hour, and he had only got through maybe a hundred of those large, thick tomed pages with small print. And it was only slowing down... -
Re: The Last War
#648"My lord," rasped Voramis. "Someone new is in the castle. A she-human, in armour, but, she does not seem human to those who watch."
"If she is a danger, then have her bitten and be done with her. If she is not a danger, then do not bother me" Belzar replied. He had summoned a large and extremely heavy rack from some torture chamber. Its heavy leather straps and iron chains were streaked with old blood stains from prior use.
With a wave of his hand, he positioned it against one wall. It instantly winked out from where it was in the center of the room and reappeared next to a tapestry of a royal-looking man in armour with a crown and a large sword.
Concentrating, Belzar then closed his eyes, and spoke several words under his breath while holding his hands before him with the fingers in certain positions.
There was a glowing spot on the floor that grew, and then the light took shape and swelled upward, forming into a bog-shambler. It had the appearance of a huge mass of wet vegetation, dripping from its many woody limbs. Leafy vines twirled and shifted about as it turned and "saw" its surroundings. Focusing somehow on Lord Belzar, it stopped moving in place except for a few vines which continued to wave slowly.
said the wizard, speaking in the seldom-heard language of the shamblers.
About a ton of rustling greens and browns shook with agreement.
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Re: The Last War
#649Lieutenant Abraxos had been assigned to personal orderly duty in service to General (Centurian) Fellstrom. "Sir! I mean, Your Honor, I mean, Your Centurionship!... he stammered.
"Shut up, you idiot." said General Fellstrom quietly, but firmly. Lieutenant Abraxos bit his lip.
"Where is Lord Belzar? Why haven't we heard from him?" the commander of a Legion thought out loud to himself. "I was supposed to meet with him today to coordinate the final assault on the castle." It was already 5:00 in the afternoon.
"Lieutenant Abraxos, here is an order. Set twenty men to build an enormous bonfire outside of the castle's main gates, outside of bowshot. Make sure these men are very muscular and good looking. Hmmm. Yes. Have them wear red and black. And, oh, yes! Have them stake twenty beautiful young girls from Halbad rather close to the fire so that they twist and squirm in the darkness tonight. Make sure they're virgins -- assuming any virgins above the age of three exist in this godforsaken dung-heap. If the men get frisky with the captives, so much the better. Make sure there are lots of soldiers about to cheer them on."
"That should bring out Lord Belzar. Don't you think?" He suddenly looked at Abraxos.
Lieutenant Abraxos stammered out, "Sir, Yes Sir, I mean, Right, Sir!" He bit his lip again so hard that it bled and practically ran from the room to carry out the order.
Centurion Fellstrom sat in the balcony of his "appropriated" manor-house, staring upward at the enormous castle gates. Without looking down at all, he stroked the long, razor-sharp broadsword he held across his lap. With a "Zzzzinggg!" he repeatedly slid an oil-soaked sharpening stone along it until the blade could -- without any damage whatsoever -- shave an errant whisker like soft butter from a freckled face.
"Zzzzinggg!"
"Zzzzinggg!"
"Zzzzinggg!"
"Where Are you, Balfors Belzar?" he murmured to himself between strokes. "Where are you, thou "Dark Lord" of the unholy "Rictus of Excratian"?
"Show yourself. We have business to attend to, you and I."
The absent-minded sharpening continued... "Zzzzinggg!"
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Re: The Last War
#650Holly walked slowly from the chamber. The thought of becoming queen creeping up on her like a thief in the black of night. But the thought of betraying her friends haunted her even worse. Holly thought quickly staring blankly ahead as she walked through the castle. Suddenly there came a bump as Tigra jumped down from one of the upper stairs "Holly there you are been looking for you everywhere" Holly didn't listen. She carried on walking silently up the stairs towards the highest tower. Tigra looked at the floor "whats wrong Holly?" She asked pulling along side her and turning her light brown eye's towards Holly. Holly stopped and looked at Tigra "I'm so confused" Came Holly's voice small and timid. "I have met with lord Belzar and he has asked me to do something! And if i don't do it then the others will be killed is it selfish of me not to do it?" Holly looked up thoughts flooding her brain. Tigra looked wisely at holly and began to talk "It is only selfish if you are doing the thing for yourself! if you are helping another and are not getting anything for yourself then no it's not selfish. You have to look in your heart Holly and ask yourself what should you do! Always trust the instinct of your heart not your head!" Holly glanced down at the floor and smiled slightly to herself. she knew her friends words were true. And she knew what she needed to do. -
Re: The Last War
#651The dark and shifting form called Voramis looked through several hundred eyes at Lord Belzar as the summoner prepared for the troll. Voramis constantly thrilled within himself from the combined intelligence he possessed, which no single spider had never known. Only the fantastic power of this wizard had brought together thousands of arachnids into a collective consciousness. Voramis would do anything, ANYthing at all, to be allowed to continue in this form, understanding the world, having an endless existence in full awareness and control. It was a fantastic gift; beyond priceless.
Voramis thought of the millions of humans who also have the same gift of sentience and intelligence... but squander it away in useless and self-destructive pursuits. Voramis vowed within thousands upon thousands of tiny hearts that he would do all he could to keep Lord Belzar alive and strong, so that he might also continue alive and strong.
Silently, Voramis commanded several spiders in various parts of the castle to secretly drop down upon Holly if she got near to them. "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer" came to mind. Voramis would keep Holly "close" at all times.
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He tried to get the spiders near Grumple to hang onto him, but soon after they landed, they usually just squeaked out a teeny-weeny "YUCK!", curled up and died.
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Re: The Last War
#652Belzar looked at his hand carefully. It was noticeably more wrinkly than an hour ago. The veins stood out more clearly; a few gray hairs were showing on his arm.
"Where is that girl with that troll!" he muttered. "She had better hurry up!" -
Re: The Last War
#653Holly smiled to herself as she ran down the stairs the block had gone know so Holly just kept running down. holly jumped the last three steps and skidded to a halt at Odats feet "Where are the others" Holly panted. She looked around the hallway and saw standing not far off all of the others apart from Grumple, Arthur and herself. holly ran over and looked at them all in turn "I have to leave for a while! I will see you again one day hopefully. Find yourself safe and don't get to much trouble" Holly had ran off before the others had a chance of getting a word in edge ways. Holly ran up the same steps she had run up to get to the tallest tower and the torture chamber Tigra was still standing where Holly left her. Tigra bowed down and Holly flipped herself onto her back. Tigra whinnied and began bolting it up the stairs towards the chamber "Tigra get your fellows to get the others out of here as fast as you can" Tigra nodded her head as she ran and again whinnied as loud as she could. Gradually they came to the top tower. Holly jumped down and walked over to Grumple "Grumple my love you must come with me." Holly knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder "Please you must trust me. Come" Holly's smile had faded and she was looking deadly serious. "there is nothing we can do for him know we must turn to looking after ourselves He would of wanted us to do that" Holly smiled slightly and placed her other hand on Grumples shoulder and hugged him from behind "We will see him again soon i promise" Holly nodded and shuffled round letting her hands wrap tightly around the Trolls middle hugging him tightly "Please come" -
Re: The Last War
#654Rory looked at Holly then his brother. He pulled a face, then stepped forward. "Holly, what aren't you telling us?" Baldwin had Final Judgment bared and, the swords blur glow was nearly pulling him in Belzar's direction. Tantus had been a friend, blood would answer the question of the bugbear's death ere he found rest. Baldwin twined calloused fingers in Tigra's mane and echoed his brother's question. "What's going on?"... -
Re: The Last War
#655Grumple released Tantus' mutilated hand, and pulled out the icon clenched within. He put it back into the pocket inside his tunic, now stained with the blood of the monk.
Hol-lee was right. There was nothing to do for Tantus now. Trolls (and most bugbears for that matter) are too pragmatic to conduct funeral services. A person lives. A person dies. The body is not important at that point. Scavengers should have it now. That was the way of things; the circle would close.
Grumple took one last moment to wipe the blood from his hands on Tantus furry face, closing the eyes. Then he wiped some on his own face, as a sign of shared brotherhood. Finally, he stood. The chain mail clinked into place; he picked up the battle axe.
Go with Hol-lee. Grumple trusted Hol-lee. Grumple failed Tantus, but Grumple would not fail Hol-lee.
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A hundred yards away, Voramis stopped listening, and spoke. "My Lord. The woman is coming back down the tower. She has the troll with her."
"Excellent" said Lord Belzar. "A queen she shall be. Every silly girl's dream." -
Re: The Last War
#656Rory touched Baldwin's arm, "Attend me brother. Let's see what we can see." He began to hum from deep within his body, falling into stillness. Magik was here in the tower as it was everywhere. Mage sight revealed lines, currents and swirling eddies of energy that were invisible to those who knew not what to look for. The Wilder pulled the strands to him draping them about he and his brother, in intricate layers that overlapped and bent the vision, displacing light. Rory and Baldwin were not rendered invisible, but camaflouged in such a way that one would not see them unless they knew exactly what they were looking for.
Slowly, they followed Holly and Grumple... -
Re: The Last War
#657Kethal prayed silently, asking herself for yet one more time why people did such acts of vil, and wondered yet once more how such evils were justified.
As she looked on at this corpse, now stiff from rigamortis, with purple covering the bugbear, she prayed her silent prayer for the dead who had not been killed cleanly, for those who would find their sould trapped in the world of men, corrupted by an unclean death.
She did not weep. No, many years of hard lessons had taught her how not to weep...at least not openly. But she felt pain at his death, and silently mourned him.
Enough waiting. She was no Gaurdian of the forest, living an eternity before death. Life had to be lived now, or it would never be lived. But she had no knowledge of where the others had gone, and no knowledge of how to get out. This place was like a catacombs to her.
For the first time, she noticed the drunk. The smell emanating from him was astounding. You could set the room ablaze with the fumes from his breath. An exageration perhaps, but by how much?
He had no qualms about his direction. He was already stumbling down the hall...with his eyes closed!. He should have run into the walls several times by now.
With a great sigh, she followed him... -
Re: The Last War
#658OCC: Com'n Callista. Don't keep us guessing any longer. Will Holly betray her friends to become a queen? Or will she, hopelessly overmatched, fight Belzar? We're waiting to see what your character decides...
Also OCC: For everyone, I didn't describe the bog shambler very well. I got the idea from "Dungeon Hack"; an old PC game from the 80's. The shambler is basically 2000 pounds of vegetation such as you might find in the deepest and most ancient swamps. It's primitive, basically immune to fire (so wet), and cold because it's so thick (Water really takes a long time to freeze, if you understand the freezing process), while at the same time it moves pretty fast. Since it has a lot of solid Cypress wood in it, it hits really hard. Then, it grabs its enemies with its many fast-moving, stick-to-anything vines and pulls them inside to crush and digest. Extra protein, for a crunchy snack.
Few know the primitive language of bog-shamblers. Its thought processes would be quite alien to most flesh-and-blood creatures. (Being one of those, I have no idea what they would be.) However, this one serves Belzar when summoned. Belzar gives him/it the aforementioned "crunchy snacks" and sends him/it safely back. It does not feel pain, per se, but does not like being damaged either. It has no eyes, but senses light, heat, sound, and like all plants has extraordinary chemical sense. Sort of like smell/taste.
Belzar has quite a number of willing subjects available for various reasons. Some, like the paladin, serve in an unwilling fashion. Some, like Melgrittizgym, are summoned at great risk. It's always easier to summon someone than to control them; especially if they're intelligent and have their own ambitions.
The bog-shambler Atta-frema-vernus really likes to order out from L.B. Belzar's All-Night Deli and Hero Sandwich Delivery Service, since the shamblers have cleaned out most of the big game from their swamp, and they can't move out of it. With consideration of the above guidance, you can use him to fight your guys if you want. Have fun!
If you need to use Belzar for something, remember some rules (I just made them up, but hey):
1) Summoned beings who are willing (minions) come easily, and after a moment's confusion, are ready to help Belzar.
2) Unwilling summoned take lots of effort to summon. Even more to control.
3) Summoned inanimate objects are things Belzar has seen before (if they're small) or marked in the past (if they're large). He inscribes his mark on almost everything he can get his hands on.
4) It is much easier to summon an inanimate object if the summoner sends back an equivalent amount of similar mass that is near at hand. Distance doesn't matter much. Of course, that can create a big hole... which makes an exceptionally useful thing to summon!
Belzar can also do the usual wizard tricks in a pinch, but he is at heart an Arch-Summoner. -
Re: The Last War
#659Something strange had begun. Rory could see it first, a subtle warping of the whorls of power that flowed through the personal fortress of Belzar. They lines drew in on themselves, folding into tiny intricate symbols.
Odat could feel the looping of the aether, the flow of power was being shifted much the same way that he avoided attackers, or sent them crashing into one another. Everything was being tied into knots. Of course such looping is a very rare and disconcerting phenominon to thse sensitive enough to percieve it.
Holly and Grumple felt it more than saw it, and in the trolls case, he rather smelled it more than anything else. There was a feeling of hope that buoyed them, though Grumple's misshapen nose smelled of all things the green hoppers.
The Bog Shambler felt it. Though it knew not lines of power or symbols etched from living aether, it did know some thing that humans cannot. With its mass of leaves and waving fronds the creature felt around it, sensing. It was in danger, danger from the burning of the light, the light that turned swamps into deserts, cracked dry leaves, and left only woody bones in its wake. The beast shivvered, making a grinding noise deep in its bulk. It had to escape, had to find safety, shelter...
Belzar lastly felt it, for the weaving was done away from him, and worked its way inward until the weaves were ready. The net was cast... -
Re: The Last War
#660OCC: Nice posting, folks. Always a treat to log in.
IC: Balfors Belzar looked up. The bog-shambler towered over him, waving its vines and making a grinding, groaning noise, like that of a large tree that rubs against another during a strong storm.
"What?!" Belzar started, then switched to Shambler. He muttered to himself, "I thought trees are supposed to be patient."
The shambler went on, grinding and waving. Lord Belzar understood. "NO. I mean..."
"Voramis! Where is that stripling mage-boy?! Is he causing the nether-twist?"
"My Lord," the dark one hissed. "We cannot see him. Nor the other one with the Desecrator."
"D***!" thought Belzar fast. "I'd better prepare a portal." He summoned a metallic staff to hand seemingly from out of nowhere, and started scribing a large geometric shape on the floor.
"Maybe more than one... just in case..."
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Re: The Last War
#661Outside the castle, but within the walls of Halbad, Captain Kraggis dropped the black spear. Threw it down, actually.
"D***!" he cursed. He looked at it lying on the ground, and shook his hand suddenly. It throbbed with pain.
"What is it, Sir?" asked his orderly, who stared at Kraggis who was removing his chainmail gauntlet from his right hand; rubbing the fingers.
"That feels like... like a G**D***** Toothache!" Kraggis replied. He looked down at the spear again, and rubbed his hand again. A toothache? In his hand? What was going on?
"Stop staring at me, you fool! Tell the teams to get those catapaults up to the castle gates!" -
Re: The Last War
#662Holly whispered silently into Tigras ear as they moved towards Belzars room. Holly jumped down and looked at grumple "Do you trust me?" She asked bowing her head down at the thought of what she was about to do. Holly walked by the side of Tigra. they arrived at the door and it swung open just like before. "I have arrived" Said holly loudly into the darkness. Tigra began to rear up and whinnie as the darkness faded once again. Holly turned quickly to tigra and whispered "Go. Run and don't you stop running intill he is safe" The horse bolted. Charging it's way down the hall and out of sight. "You were wrong to ask this of me" Holly's voice came loud and proud as she entered the room "The troll has gone he is out of your reach. Know all you have is me." Holly took a long stride into the room and the door closed with a clang. -
Re: The Last War
#663From the throne, Belzar regarded her for long seconds, staring at her across the room separated by the iron portcullis. "Then you shall have to do," he stated flatly.
" -
Re: The Last War
#664Rory and Baldwin were already in the room. The stout iron of the portculis bars were separated by yawning expanses of open space, at least that's how it seemed to Baldwin. He would never be able to get to Belzar and slay him with the Final Judgment sword before the shambler reached Holly.
The sword was sheathed...
The familiar press of the bowstring was against Baldwin's lip and the caress of fletching on his cheek was reassuring...
His heartbeat slowed...
The room fell away...
All that existed was the arrow and the target...
He waited... -
Re: The Last War
#665Several things happened, almost at once.
Atta-Freema could not see the intruders, but like any vegetation did not rely on sight for sensation. It went after the subtle chemical traces floating on the air; the tiny electrical signals grounded from any living animal's feet. Atta-Freema-Vernus pivoted suddenly, and focused on the area between Holly's back and the door. "" the shambler creaked out in warning, and lunged in the direction of the beings it smelled in the room other than Holly. The ones it could devour.
The warning was heard by Lord Belzar barely in time. He hurled himself out of his chair and waved his hand as he jerked to one side. A rock wall 6 feet high instantly materialized around the throne he sat upon. Instantly, yes, but still too late.
The arrow had already leaped from the powerful longbow, and flew flat through the iron portcullis to the throne across the room in only half the time it took for the sound from the bowstring to get there. But thanks only to the warning a half-second before, Belzar's head had jerked aside two inches, just far enough to the left to avoid taking the razor-sharp iron point in his right eye. Instead, it struck the bone of his skull to the right of his eye and laid open the flesh with the edge, crumpling as it hit the rock wall behind the throne with a "ching!"
The mage fell at the floor of the throne heavily, and felt his temple. It was laid open to the bone and half his right ear was missing. The blood suddenly started to stream profusely down the side of his face from the scalp wound. He summoned a bandage firmly over the wound.
Belzar stood, and concentrated for a second. Only a second... then his robes were suddenly encased in a glittering black coating of ebony armour. It was exquisite, shimmering from millions of tiny dimpled studs made from the hardest of metalized obsidian. He knew this plate mail was light and fantastically strong. Even the joints were covered with fine mesh.
The wizard looked out through the metalized obsidian mesh that covered his face. The helmet bore the angry visage of Dagor, the demon-god of the Krulltas people.
Just briefly, the thought crossed through Belzar's mind that it would be prudent to send himself to safe place. Crossed, yes, but was then discarded. That arrow had struck deeper than a flesh wound and an ear. It had struck his pride, and he wanted to see these intruders dead. Quickly, or slowly; painfully, or instantly. But dead. He flexed his fingers in the shining black gauntlets. -
Re: The Last War
#666Baldwin maintained the discipline to keep silent when the arrow did not end Belzar's threat. He fired two more in rapid succession the missiles impacted Belzar's glittering armor but did not strike hard enough to do him harm. He was then flinging himself to the ground, warrior reflexes honed to a fine edge through years of fighting, coming into play. Atta-Freema-Vernus' club like appendage smashed into the wall with power that shook the stones of the floor. Baldwin scrambled forward attempting to sling his bow, stand up and draw his sword at the same time: a mistake. The shambler was faster than it looked. Baldwin couldn't avoid the backswing of the club. It hit him in the back, the impact making him yell out. The force of the strike lifted him, as if he was borne by an ocean wave, and threw him into the iron bars of the portcullis at a high rate of speed. His skull struck the bars and sparks filled his vision. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.
Rory stepped forward summoning from deep reserves he grabbed at the weaves of magik to throw up a wall of force between the shambler and his brother...
He couldn't touch the weaves!
Over the course of the last few days Rory had cast many powerful spells, with little time for rest.
It had finally caught up to him. He drew deeper into himself his stomach churning with the effort. A wave of dizziness hit him and he dropped to his knees, vomiting violently.
With no thoughts to his own survival, and armed with only his staff and long knife, Rory walked towards Atta-Freema-Vernus, knowing the futility of the effort, knowing he must protect his fallen brother or die with him... -
Re: The Last War
#667Who is to say what lies beyond the final door? The shades of the restless dead do not know for they have forsaken that in favor of lingering over their petty squables and impotent desires. Those clerics blessed enough to touch the pulse of the Divine have had a glimpse of that yonder summer country, but only a glimpse. Yet, sometimes, when all seems to be at its darkest, the lights of the distant shore shine bright...
Light filled the chamber, its piercing beams dazzling even through closed eyes, or visored helms. The brilliance was dimished as a form brew shape in the middle of the room, forming arms, legs, flowing robes of pure light. Holly could barely believe her own eyes, and the Royal Inquisitor lost his nerve, and dropped his sword at the sight of the bugbear. There was a sad look on his face, a seaching look, for Grumple...his very dear friend.
Atta-Freema-Vernus recoiled from the brilliance of the apparition. Its photoreceptors and chemical sensors singing a melody of fire into the cluster of matter that drove the shambler, and could very loosely be called a brain. The tendril and woody limbs curled in, drawing the shambler into the smallest possible form. In such a defensive position, it could hope to weather a decent sized fire with only minimal to moderate injury.
"THAT MADMAN IS IN MY KEEP! I'LL HAVE HIS BLOODY HEAD!" The King bellowed, bearing the sword that ended the bugbear's life. "Out of my way Mayleaf." The king snarled, half shoving, half clubbing Holly as he passed. It seemed that the King could not see the glowing bugbear as the man charged through him, trailing his dirty royal cloak like the tail of a comet. A sort of light, a spectral fire danced around the blade of the king. The blade fell once, twice. The roiling mass of Atta-Freema-Vernus surged to escape the king, the gashes gut in its hide spurting out a thick syrupy goo.
"Belzar, you bastard. I'll have your damned head for this!" The King snarl, spittle flecking his lip as he swung the hammer blow... -
Re: The Last War
#668Grumple hung onto the charging horse's neck without knowing why. The animal (that is, the horse, not the troll) galloped down the open hallway, slid as much as ran down the narrow stairs into the lower level, and then exploded into the castle barracks cook shack. Now THAT got Grumple's attention. He let go, fell off, and rolled to a bruising stop with a clatter in a pile of pots and pats. The soldiers' cook and several footmen took one look at a maniacal horse and the ugliest knight they EVER did see, and scrambled to get out of the way.
Grumple grabbed a long roll of sausages and without pausing for the niceities of such things as chewing, proceeded to down several dozen.
"How dare you defile the sacred temple of your body with the flesh of dead animals!? You are disgusting," challenged the smart-mouth horse. "Re-mount! We must make haste. Mistress Holly has given me a charge to keep you safe!"
"Safe here" mumbled Grumple through a huge mouthful of sausage. He reached for a small barrel of ale to properly lubricate the mass in his mouth.
"Nay (neigh?) it is NOT!" argued the horse, as he aimed a well-placed kick at a soldier who entered, placing the unfortunate man a dozen yards outside on his back, unconscious. "Come now!"
That's when the light hit Grumple. At first he thought it might be the effect of several gallons of strong ale, but then realized that wouldn't be nearly enough to achieve such a lovely, rosy glow. No, this was different. Besides, this light was calling him.
Grumple said to the smart-mouth horse, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Tantus want Grumple. Grumple go."
Then the animal (the troll, not the horse) started running back up through the castle, his rapid pace slowed not at all by the four loaves of bread he had stuffed into the top of his tunic.
-
Re: The Last War
#669OOC: Honestly guys, I don't know what my characters can do. Neither have the ability to contribute anything to this particular battle.
IC:
Odat was drawn to the room. As he reached the door, he saw the shimmering form. It was not like everything else. This was clear. It was as if the intoxication that clouded his mind rolled off of the shimmering form of light like water rolled off of a patch of oil.
As Kethal reached the room, she felt confined. So many things in such a small space. It would be like suffocating in there. She waited. Maybe she wouldn't need to go in there at all... -
Re: The Last War
#670Rory squinted into the brilliant light. "Tantus?"
Rory never had the faith of a holy man but he was begining to see things in a new light. He avoided the shambler as it crumpled, running to his brother. Dizzy from his vain attempt at spellcasting he grasped the cold iron of the portcullis separating him from Belzar...they were too real... -
Re: The Last War
#671Holly fell backwards into the room as everything happened at once. Where had Rory and baldwin come from? why was there a big tree thing in the middle of the room attacking them? Wasn't Tantus dead? and when did the king get here? Holly's head span as she looked around her. Without thinking she pulled her bow out and took aim. The invisible arrow flew through the air at the speed of 10 galloping horses and hit Belzar in the arm piercing through the armour. Holly's mouth fell open there was no way her arrow could of broken through the armour but it had. Holly shook her head vigorously and walked forward drawing her sword. Nobody told her what to do and got away with it. And nobody threatend her friends.
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"Stupid troll" Tigra said aloud to herself "It's going to get itself killed one of theses days" Tigra turned and ran full speed back to the castle. knocking over the same guard she had kicked before who had just woken and was getting up toppiling each way and that. Tigra again burst through the castle gates and back up the stairs towards the room. -
Re: The Last War
#672OCC: Remember, my friends, there is an iron portcullis (a huge metal grid made of iron bars) lying sideways imbedded in the stone walls, dividing the large room in half. It came from Paladen's castle entrance. Everyone besides Belzar is on the south end. Belzar is on the north end standing by the throne he usurped. Paladen's throne, to be specific. The entire room, throne, tapestries, portcullis and all were transported from the other city here to Halbad's castle. Belzar likes doing that sort of thing. He knew Holly would recognize it and be impressed.
And he, and the throne, was surrounded by a rock wall he summoned to block arrows. (I guess I failed to describe that 6 ft rock wall very well in my post yesterday, since both POG and Callista have let off arrows at him since he summoned the wall. I'll get rid of it somehow.)
I don't know how the king of Halbad got into the keep summoned from Paladen by Belzar, (which is, by the way, the same one from much earlier in the game when we first met the bad guy) but since the king hacked the shambler, I can only assume he, too, is on the south end of this magically-materialized room. The only entrance/exit is through a heavy door with no latch or doorknob. The one that closed behind Holly. You're all locked in the south end, until the door is somehow opened (or until you somehow squeeze through 4" holes in the portcullis). I assume all of Nobody's characters are outside the closed door.
Just trying to keep things straight. As you would expect, Belzar didn't get to be hundreds of years old by getting up close to his enemies' arrows and swords. He's alone in his half of the room at this point. Thanks for listening, and I hope this helped. -
Re: The Last War
#673IC: Outside the castle gates, a large group of soldiers from the Legion were congregating, out of range of arrows from the castle walls. A large bonfire had been built, and more wood pulled from various town structures was being tossed on.
Drums were beating a primal rhythm, "Boom-boom, Boom-boom, Boom-boom..." as the buglers accented the rising level of sound with sharp notes from their horns. Lieutenant Abraxos had even organized a growing group of chanting men he had "recruited" from pretty much anyone he met. They seemed relatively eager to join... at least they did after the Lieutenant told them it was either sing, or join the parties trying to re-capture the horses.
Recruiting virgins, as predicted, had been more troublesome. Halbad wasn't known for its high standards of morality to begin with, and younger girls had been mostly hidden away by their families from being found by the Legionaires. When such girls were found, they swore they had been defiled long ago in some of the most remarkable ways.
Abraxos stroked his chin thoughtfully. He had no idea it was possible to have one's purity spoiled like that family down Baker street claimed happened to their daughter...
"LIEUTENANT!" General Fellstrom barked. "Quit daydreaming! Get more girls!"
"Yes, Centurion!" Abraxos responded. "Now where should we look this time?" he thought to himself, as he grabbed a squad and trooped off.
Fellstrom surveyed the display of sound and light, and muttered, "That should get your attention, eh, Belzar?" -
Re: The Last War
#674Lord Belzar was a bit too busy to attend a party, even one so entertaining as Centurion Fellstrom had thrown in his honor. He was attending to business.
The first order of attention was to summon a large fishing net over Holly's head. It materialized, wide open, and instantly dropped onto her. When the center touched her head, the lead weights sewn into its perimeter fell and wrapped around her feet, entangling her in the mesh. Holly staggered, and began to fall. "That will slow down the brat", he grimaced to himself, as the pain from the arrow was starting to be felt in his arm. "Where the H*** did she get that bow?" he thought. No time to deal with that now, however.
With a wave of the other hand, followed by specific movements of each finger in sequence, he dematerialized the large stones from the wall by the throne he had summoned moments before, and flicked them directly above the area he thought her unseen friends were. The stones in the wall were each about one cubic foot in size, and weighed close to 200 pounds each. The rock wall around the throne shrunk rapidly. As the stones were summoned from one end of the room to the other, they dropped from ceiling-height, well, like a stone, crashing to the floor 20 feet below. Any living thing caught below would be crushed into bloody pulp. He grinned in spite of the pain.
"Invisible, are you? I like your game!" Belzar cried out with joy. "Do you like mine?!!"
"And don't go anywhere, king. I'll get to you next!"
OCC: There. I said I'd get rid of the wall around the throne!
-
Re: The Last War
#675OOC: My bad about the wall. I was in a hurry to get into the fight and missed it.
IC: Rory and Baldwin were visible as the heavy stones slammed into the floor about them. Rory stepped quickly dragging his unconscious brother backwards amidst the deadly hail. Rory screamed out in pain! The large stone splintered bones in his left leg, crushing it and pinning it to the floor. He wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness. Another stone was dropping towards his head with the inevitability of certain death. He frantically clutched at the magik that eluded him. His stomach churned acid. Rory spat blood as his vision fogged and went white.
Rory and Baldwin disappeared under the massive crush of stone... -
Re: The Last War
#676OOC: sorry likewise didn't really pay much attention just wanted to get in there! my apologizes.
IC: Holly fell backwards onto her back the net making it very hard to do anything. The huge stones began to drop all around. Holly round this way and that trying her best to get away from them. There were hundreds of them dropping out of the sky. Holly fumbled around in a pocket that she could reach within the net and managed to pull out a small pen knife which she started hacking at the net with as much as she possibly could. Gradually after rolling sidewards five more times she managed to cut through the mesh and could pull herself free the only thing was that the lead weights were still wrapped round her ankles and were determined not to budge an inch. Holly rolled again to avoid another huge stone. She fought vigorously with the weights at her ankles trying to cut the rope tying them together. But it was to close to her skin. Each time she managed to fray a bit of the rope more blood started to pour down her leg. She looked up just in time to roll out of the way of another huge stone. But this stone caught the lead weights underneath it. Holly tugged and tugged at them to break them free but it wasn't working. Holly looked above her and curled into a little ball as another huge stone came crashing down above her head. -
Re: The Last War
#677The stone dropped inexorably from the height of the high ceiling above. Silently it fell toward Holly's unprotected head. But Lord Belzar smiled and waved his index finger once more. The stone disappeared just as it touched her skull, and then reappeared behind him, landing with a "thud" at his end of the room. He called across to the woman who struggled in the net, "Not yet, child. Not yet. I have some friends, too, that I want you to meet!"
He sat down heavily on the rock, not smiling now. He pulled off one gauntlet, and carefully undid the metal latch on his plate mail over the other arm and examined the wound. Grimacing with pain, he probed the bleeding hole where the arrow had entered.
"What sort of arrow penetrates Krulltas plate-mail?" he wondered. "Stranger yet, to where did it disappear?" He summoned a healing bandage to hand, and pressed it carefully into place over his arm. Then, a healing potion, which he drank after pulling back the scowling helmet and mesh screen. Exhaling heavily, he replaced the headgear.
Belzar stood up and noted with satisfaction that the two intruders were gone. Utterly crushed under a pile of heavy rubble. He looked across at the king of Halbad.
"Now, your highness, if you are done trimming the shrubbery, we should talk."
Belzar touched the throne, then swept his hand in a dramatic gesture. The throne disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the portcullis next to the king. The summoner smiled wickedly under his mask and spoke again, "You seem rather... tense. Perhaps you would like to sit on your dead brother's throne to help you... relax." -
Re: The Last War
#678The King of Halbad was unmoved, his face bore the stormy countenance of a winter storm brewing over the cold depths of the ocean. "Belzar, I should have expected such boorish behavior from you, pretended to the throne." The king said. "But in all of your precautions, and all of your plans you have overlooked one important fact, one fact so important that all of your magic can do nothing to erase it. I am the King, installed by the people and by rites both divine and arcane. I wouldnt expect a petty usurper to know about such things." The King said. The sword languished by his side.
The King waved the stones away from the others, sending the great blocks of masonry into the walls. "Petty tyrant, pretender, usurper, thief. you shame all of those guilty of such acts Belzar. Summong the Black Wind? For that you will find no forgiveness. I shall leave your corpse not even fit for carrion birds and rats." All the while a strange lambent glow, almost a flame danced around the king and the spectre of the bugbear was gone from sight. -
Re: The Last War
#679OCC: Hmmm. The king has magic, too. Hope to find out more...
IC: Upstairs, Grumple found the big door. Door wouldn't open. The door latch thingie was gone. Tall man was there, and smelled... well, highly flammable, as usual. The armoured lady was there, too, but she didn't seem very happy. Grumple paid them no attention. Tantus was inside. Grumple knew it. He threw himself mightily against the door. 250 pounds of agitated troll wearing 50 pounds of steel struck the iron-reinforced oak. "SLAM".
Nothing happened.
Grumple knew he had to get to Tantus. He raised the heavy battle-axe, then paused. Tantus was not calling; not now. Grumple listened carefully for a moment, even though it wasn't his ears that had heard Tantus before.
Instead, Grumple heard Hol-lee cry out quietly. Grumple's friend was struggling with something behind the door.
With a roar of rage, Grumple swung the axe into the heavy timbers. A huge chunk of wood flew away from the door, not even falling to the ground before the axe swung again. This was no longer just an agitated troll, ordinary or not... Oh, no. -
Re: The Last War
#680The king hurled the stones aside revealing a translucent shield of energy covering Rory and Baldwin. It was only inches away from their bodies and the shapes of their bodies could be seen within. It was the color of eggshells and if any touched it they would find it smooth to the touch with the hardness of steel...