Chronicle of the D War: A Story from the Playground

[Blue Ghost]

After some prompting from some friends, I've decided to relaunch this project. I will be writing a series of short vignettes about my experience from the D War. Don't expect too much in terms of quality writing or a coherent storyline.
If anyone who had participated in the events described would like to contribute a chapter, it would be greatly appreciated. Please PM me first, however.

Table of Contents:

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Prologue
No More Hugs (by Je dit Viola)
Alliance Drawn
Dark Heart
An Unexpected Visit
Parallel Preparations (by Je dit Viola)
Before the Battle
The Rage of War
One Who Knows (by ThePhantom)
Correspondence
Midnight Rendezvous

[Blue Ghost]

Prologue

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It is a beautiful day today in the Playground. The brilliant summer sun is shining overhead, bathing the land in its radiance. As I walk down the streets, I am greeted by the familiar sights and sounds of the Playground. Bards singing ballads of valor and love, young wizards showing off their magical inventions, friends and companions sharing in the laughter and joy of this magical place that I call home. When I behold the love and harmony of the Playground, it is difficult to believe that but a year ago, the Playground was ravaged by the shadow of strife and war.

I am a wizard and not a bard, and my weak and halting words cannot hope to describe the momentous days of what we now know as the D War. It was a time of sorrow and fear, when the darkest evil threatened the Playground from without and within. The days of the war brought out the worst in all of us.

But I believe that every cloud has a silver lining, that there is meaning to be found in the deepest chaos. The struggle has been a crucible for the molding of my soul, and out of the conflict friendships were forged that have stood the test of time.

Thus, with trepidation and great hope, I, Blue Ghost, take up pen and scroll to tell the story of the great War, that the redemption of those dark days will be complete.

[Lix Lorn]

(Applause)
Blue, you are AWESOME and I cannot wait for more!

[Blue Ghost]

I was hoping to get the first chapter up today, but it seems that writing narrative is more difficult for me than I thought. It will be up tomorrow, I promise.

[Je dit Viola]

*applesauce*
It was pretty good!

Ooh, ooh! Can I write one? (Of course, including some of the stuff that happened in the Kiss or Kill thread, just before it)
(('cause, y'know, I was there.))

(Note: I'm writing this in spite of how much I detest writing about myself.)
In addition, if Blue writes about this same thing, then they don't technically contradict, because of the way mine's set up. Could be falsified, or something.

No more hugs

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-"Hey, look at this. This mainframe must be ancient."
-"Sure looks like it."
-"I wonder what this button does..."
-"Hey, don't press random buttons - !"
-Suddenly, the large, dim screen flickered on, with the occasional static and discolored pixels. It seems to be the recording of something that happened in a secluded room, long ago.

The screen is pretty dark, with the dim silhouette of a teenage girl, sitting in the corner with her back to the camera. Only her right shoulder and reddish hair was onscreen. It's hard to tell what's going on, because there's no sound.
-"Hey, why's there no sound?"
-"Maybe the speakers are shorted out."
-"Or, they could just be off."
At once, the sound is turned on, showing that the teenager is crying. After closer inspection, that off-colored line on her face could be a stream of tears.

On another wall, a door opens, and a yellowish light is cast, lighting up the room on the flickering monitor. Then, a shadow so dark that it seems to absorb the light is cast over the door. A being walks into the room. "Hey," said the voice; the voice that seems to pierce hearts, even through the fuzzy speakers. "What are you crying for - What's wrong?" it asks in a lazy tone.

She sniffed, and turned her head towards the dark being. "Th-they don't like me."

"Stop crying. Please. Or else." The dark being took a gliding step towards the girl.

Trying to stop crying, she failed miserably, as proven by the hiccup. "But...but n-n-none of them like me, and they won't let me play with them."

The being in a humanlike form seems to sigh. "Tell you what. You can come with me for a while.Just get up."

She consented, and also picks up a viola as she stood. "R-really? You really mean it?" she asked in a hopeful voice, yet with fear lurking in the back that he might suddenly change his mind.

"Yes. Now hurry, I have things to do."

The girl squealed with joy, and suddenly found herself with her arms wrapped, in a hug, around the shadowy humanlike mass with glowing red eyes.

"Please do not do that again." Which is, of course, understandable. Hugging someone out of the blue like that, not to mention that she was hugging a physical embodiment of pure hatred and evil...
He forced her off of him and out of the hug.

The teenager smiled coyly. "But sometimes someone just needs a hug." Once again, she managed to embrace him.

After a stern look by the dark being, she let go once again."I'm a physical embodiment of evil. No more hugs."

The girl stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "But...but what if I need a hug?" He started to nod. Before he could finish the nod and answer, she suddenly says, "I need a hug right now. To make me feel better." One final time, she hugged him.

This time, he didn't halt the hug. It was for her, to make her feel better. However, he did sigh audibly, close his eyes, and shake his head.

"Okay. That's enough," he said after a long pause.

She let go, and they both walked towards the door, out of the room. "So what's the name of my new friend?" she asked, shifting the viola from her right hand to her left hand.

"Dark Lord."

The speakers suddenly went out once again, and the monitor flickered madly. The computer started sparking, before it shorted out in an explosion of smoke and the smell of burning plastic, and the screen went dark.

Dun dun duuuuuuunnnnnnn! ()

Okay, now back to your regularly scheduled stories.

[Lix Lorn]

...
I want to hug a physical embodiment of evil. The irony is delicious...

Oh, and nice chapter. ^_^

[Saint Nil]

Awesome work both of you! It might be interesting for others to add their own experiences to the work, while the main story would be conveyed by Blue. Anyway, glad to have this back.

[Blue Ghost]

Ooh, thanks, Viola! That was excellent. Just what I was looking for. But now I cannot possibly outdo that...
But I would like to ask that any further chapters that others would like to contribute be PMed to me, so that this thread would not have to be closed.

[Blue Ghost]

Okay, I have finally completed the first chapter.

Alliance Drawn

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Two black-hooded guards carrying spears met us at the door of the Brethren sanctum. Without a word, they beckoned us inside. As we stepped out of the sunlight into the cold underground base, my companion, a stocky, heavyset dwarf, gave an involuntary shudder. I don't like this. I don't trust this Brethren gang one bit.

I grimaced as I whispered back. Neither do I, Fred. But we have to do what we have to do. There is much at stake here.

Without a further word, we let the two guards march us through the labyrinthine corridors of the Brethren base. The torches cast flickering shadows on the walls covered with murals depicting bloody scenes of conquest and warfare. After what seemed like hours, the guards led us to a grand doorway carved with a dragon sigil. They ushered us in and took their leave.

We entered to the sight of a number of figures seated around a conference table. One of them, a tall, grim-faced man in a black cloak, clenched his jaws at the sight of Fred, his hand slipping to the hilt of his sword.

The figure at the head of the table, a kobold clad in ornate black robes, rose to greet us. His presence was intense and commanding despite his small stature. Raising his arms in a magnanimous gesture, the kobold greeted us. Blue Ghost! Fred the Fighter! How wonderful it is for you to join us today! As you know, I am Lord of Kobolds, leader and chairman of the Brethren of Spells and Stabbities. Come, take a seat.

I gave the Lord of Kobolds a taut smile and took my seat, and Fred did likewise. Now, let us dispense with the formalities. There is an urgent matter that must be dealt with today. You are aware of D_Lord's recent activities, are you not?

The kobold smiled and nodded. Yes. My men have been carefully monitoring his activities. The D Clones have been on the march, and are rapidly spreading through the Playground. There has not been any overt aggression, beyond what is normal and accepted.

That is what worries me. The Dark Lord is clever and ruthless. Your Brethren were not here to witness it, but this man, or whatever he is, came within inches of singlehandedly conquering the entire Playground. Should he decide to strike again, as he inevitably will, we must not be caught unawares. Yet we cannot risk open war. D_Lord is far too powerful, and even if we should defeat him, much bloodshed will be inevitable.

But war is upon us, whether we wish it or not. D_Lord is already at work, seizing every opportunity he can get to weaken and destroy the Brethren. Action must be taken.

The grim-faced swordsman spoke up. My lord, what is to prevent us from entering a truce or even an alliance with the Dark Lord? To fight against him will severely deplete our resources, and may well destroy the Brethren. But if we can get him to support us…

I’ll tell you why, Grim Ranger! Fred stood quivering from the table. D_Lord’s evil knows no bounds. You think you will get anything from working with him? Your little Brethren gang will be the first to be destroyed when he gets what he wants. And what does he want? Nothing less than the total destruction of the world! To seek any cooperation with that fiend is utter madness.

Lord of Kobolds nodded. Well spoken, friend Fred. A lasting peace with D_Lord is not an option. To ensure the lasting survival and dominance of the Brethren, the threat must be eradicated.

To speak of eradicating D_Lord is foolish, Lord of Kobolds. He is much too powerful. We have little hope of containing his power, much less of destroying him.

The kobold turned to me, giving me an amused smile. But surely you wish to see your most hated foe destroyed?

What I desire is of little consequence. I act for the good of the Playground, Lord of Kobolds. But you are correct. War is upon us, whether we desire it or not. Action must be taken. We must rally the Playground to our cause, and be prepared to fight.

Then we agree. Let us then stand together against our common foe.

That day, a treaty was drawn up, and I entered into an alliance with the Brethren. Though it was a necessary step, I knew that it had moved us one step closer to war.

[Lix Lorn]

Ooooh. Tension and drama. <3

[Je dit Viola]

((Oops. My bad. I promise I won't do it again.))

That's a nice first chapter! It's pretty great. And it has lots of dialogue, too!

[ThePhantom]

I'm confused. Is this the second D War, or the first? I thought the brethen were only in the second.

[Blue Ghost]

((Oops. My bad. I promise I won't do it again.))

That's a nice first chapter! It's pretty great. And it has lots of dialogue, too!

Sorry, it's my fault. I should have told you earlier. I really appreciate your contribution, Viola.

I'm confused. Is this the second D War, or the first? I thought the brethen were only in the second.

The Brethren were in the first as well. They were on our side, fighting against D_Lord. Remember?

[ThePhantom]

Oh. Things got mixed together. My mistake.

[Saint Nil]

Ah, so its the clone wars. Good, because I felt the second D War was a little too much like kids on (ironically) a playground.

I stab you with my sword!
No, I'm immune!
You said you were immune to fireballs!
I'm immune to those too!

The first D-War had a little bit more..stability..in my opinion.

Anyway, very nice first chapter, and you did a good job introducing several of the sides. Will the next one focus on D Lord, or will all the stories you write come from your view point, while someone like Viola could write ones about her and D-Lord while Grim could write the sneakyness of the Brethren.

[Lix Lorn]

I wasn't even there. This is all new to me. XD

[Blue Ghost]

Ah, so its the clone wars. Good, because I felt the second D War was a little too much like kids on (ironically) a playground.

I stab you with my sword!
No, I'm immune!
You said you were immune to fireballs!
I'm immune to those too!

The first D-War had a little bit more..stability..in my opinion.

Anyway, very nice first chapter, and you did a good job introducing several of the sides. Will the next one focus on D Lord, or will all the stories you write come from your view point, while someone like Viola could write ones about her and D-Lord while Grim could write the sneakyness of the Brethren.

I believe the Clone War was another event, which happened even earlier. I alluded to it in that last chapter. I'm going to be writing about the D War, which, unfortunately, was just what you said. I'm going to dread writing the battle scenes (maybe someone else will write them for me), but there were several interesting and very significant things that happened in between the battles that I'm eager to address.
The next chapter will be dealing with D_Lord and Viola. Viola may not like writing about Viola, but I do.

[Lix Lorn]

Viola may not like writing about Viola, but I do.

Ship. (Shot)
...well, it's a perfectly logical response!

[Blue Ghost]

Another chapter completed. It shares some themes with Viola's chapter, which is to be expected, since we're describing essentially the same event.
I found the multicolored chaos that characterizes D_Lord's speech difficult to follow, so I just used a shade of DimGray instead. I hope you don't mind, D_Lord.

Dark Heart

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On the border of the Playground, indeed on the very fringes of reality itself, perpetually shrouded in clouds of black mist, stood the fortress in which the Dark Lord dwelt. Inside, vile machines turned day and night, and hordes of mindless, emotionless gray clones, mockeries of humanity, worked tirelessly on the manufacture of instruments of war. Deep in the heart of the fortress, D_Lord sat on his throne, plots of terror and destruction ever turning in his dark mind.

An eerie and beautiful melody drifted through the room, a viola solo in A minor. The haunting beauty of the music sharpened D_Lord’s mind, spurring his thoughts to new heights. Ever since that girl had decided to tag along with him, his rise to power had been proceeding more rapidly than ever before. His clone legions, powered by the Dark Lord’s thoughts, were working at astounding rates.

The Dark Lord mused aloud, half to himself, half to the girl standing beside him. My enemies have begun to rally against me. Let them do so. It will make their despair all the sweeter when I destroy them. Tomorrow, we make our move, and all the Playground shall be consumed by the Dark Lord.

Viola ceased her song and looked up. Ooh, can I come with you, D_Lord? Please?

D_Lord focused his gaze on Viola. She did not shrink. Why are you still following me, girl?

Viola shrugged. Because you’re my friend. You’ve been nicer to me than anyone else I’ve met. And besides, you need a friend too. It’s not healthy for you to live out here all by yourself.

The Dark Lord’s eyes narrowed, trying to pierce through any deception that Viola may be throwing up. You are not an agent of that wizard, are you?

She laughed, a cheery, guileless laugh that sent shivers down the Dark Lord’s spine. Who, Blue Ghost? Why would I be working for him? I hardly know him. No, you can trust me. After all, that’s what friends are for, right?

D_Lord could see plainly that the girl was sincere, that there was no deception in her heart. Yet there was something about her that he could not fathom, something that shook him to the core. Here she was, a young girl with no malice in her, choosing to stay with the lord of all evil from her own volition. This had never happened before.

So, can I come with you?

Yes, yes, I suppose you can. Make yourself useful.

Viola squealed with delight. Thanks, D_Lord! You’re the best!
And she threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. The Dark Lord did not resist, but let a drop of her warmth trickle into his dark heart.

[Lix Lorn]

Will I be smitten by a mighty and evil being if I ship ViolaD_Lord?

(Not that that would stop me.)

[ThePhantom]

On D_Lord's behalf, I will tell you the answer to that question.

YES.

(Besides, he didn't give his permission for that.)

[Blue Ghost]

On D_Lord's behalf, I will tell you the answer to that question.

YES.

(Besides, he didn't give his permission for that.)

That was in response to Lix and not me, right?
It probably is best if we lay off the shipping for now.

[ThePhantom]

To Lix. We don't want this thread closed, so no shipping.

[D_Lord]

Lets see, love it Blue, Nice Viola, and to Lix Lorn

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NO SHIPPING MEEEE!!!!!!!

also if you do

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and for evil messor.

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Also remenber that Dark Lord is insane and maybe can get to you through the fourth wall Lix.

[Lix Lorn]

I think just saying it is fine, otherwise I wouldn't have done.

That'd be awesome if he did. I'd just keep dodging and offer to stop if he made me his Dragon.

[Je dit Viola]

It's good, that part is. And, you're right. Doing a single color looks a whole lot easier than planning out when to switch colors, and what to.

One odd quirky suggestion, though. Every time you do speaking, you always put action text before, then speech text after. There's nothing wrong with that. However, to me, it seems really repetitive.
Maybe you could try putting the speech text between action text or the speech text before the action text once in a while? That way, it won't look so
Stuff happens here, "Stuff gets said here"
More stuff happens, "Text starts to blend into spoiler box and is easily skipped over."
Again, more stuff happens here, and then, "This is said."

(Confusing enough, or do you need more clarification about what I'm trying to say?)

[Blue Ghost]

Hmm, I will consider that. Thanks!

[Blue Ghost]

An Unexpected Visit

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Reports had reached me of the Dark Lord’s forces mobilizing. The battle lines were drawn, and the war had begun. I took up my staff and prepared to meet my longtime foe on the battlefield once again.

Going so soon?

I turned, startled. There before me stood an eldritch being, a vaguely humanoid form composed of raw arcane energy. It was a presence that was all too familiar to me. Randomizer. I clenched my staff tightly. What do you want from me?

No need to get testy. I come in peace.

Peace? I stared at the Randomizer. Images flashed through my head, of villages set ablaze in a mad fit of rage, of meaningless carnage and destruction, of the time that he forced me into a duel to the death. Peace and the Randomizer did not exactly go together.

Ever the suspicious one, eh, Blue Ghost? The Randomizer laughed, a crackling of arcane energy. I thought you would welcome another helping hand in destroying the Dark Lord. You do wish to see D_Lord destroyed, do you not?

To destroy D_Lord is out of the question. He is much too powerful, as you well know.

That is not what I asked, Blue Ghost. Randomizer leaned in closer, his eyes glowing dangerously. I asked if you wished to see him destroyed. Do not lie to me, Blue Ghost. I know how much you long for your hated foe’s destruction. He let the word “destruction” echo in the air with malicious glee.

I am making you an offer, Blue Ghost. I will not only fight alongside you in the war, but I will lend you some of my own power, power enough to destroy even the greatest elder being. The Dark Lord has been a thorn in my side too long, and I hunger for his destruction as much as you do. The Randomizer sneered. Of course, even if you refuse, I am not missing a good war for anything. But I cannot guarantee that we will be fighting on the same side… So, will you accept my offer?

My mind reeled. Here was the Randomizer, perhaps the only being in the Playground whose power could match that of the Dark Lord. Here was a possible opportunity for me to be rid of D_Lord and his evil forever. All I had to do was reach out and accept the Randomizer’s eldritch power…

Very well. Let us put our differences behind us, and fight together against our common foe.

The eldritch being smiled. I knew you would see things my way.

I shook his hand. I felt a sharp tingle in my flesh, as an infusion of terrible magic began flowing through my veins. It was a strong, heady sensation that gave me confidence. I felt a spark of hatred kindled inside of me, hatred for D_Lord and all that he stood for.

Today, D_Lord shall be destroyed.

My staff in hand, I slipped through space-time to the battlefield. Soon the battle for the Playground would begin.

Sorry about the delay, as well as the slip in quality. This piece didn't come as naturally to me as the ones before. I'm still not sure where the developments here will be going.

[Je dit Viola]

Joining up with Randomizer? Oh no!

Delays are alright, in my opinion. It just means you were busy.

(I see you took my suggestion! It looks better. But if that was the cause of the lack of flow, then you don't have to do it.)

[Lix Lorn]

Blue and... the Randomiser? Working together?

Watch out, Blue... you're on a slippery slope, and the moral event horizons only half way down.