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  1. - Top - End - #391
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: Interlude: The Wanderer with Red Eyes

    Quote Originally Posted by Tenshiro View Post
    D o n e ! ! !

    Please read, enjoy and leave a comment. Sorry for the delay, hooray for the fact that it took me less that 4 hours to write!

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    ``You should really consider attempting to pick purses of more inebriated patrons.`` his tone was exactly what one would expect when they saw him: gentle, wise, nuanced. He seemed to be a lot older than his figure gave out and even though that is to be expected from those who don the robes of the casters allowed into the ranks of the faithful. He had no walking cane, no priestly staff, no discernable weapon. Without a staff, he wore the ranking sigil of his patron deity around his neck. The sigil itself was not made out of gold or silver or lavishly adorned with numerous gems and jewels. Instead, it was smaller and made entirely out of glass. And as odd as the chosen material was, even more interesting was the incredible detail of craftsmanship. As his hand tightly gripped my wrist, I could do nothing but remain frozen, with my eyes fixed on his sigil.

    Like most of such stories, this too starts in a Tavern. Well, truth be told, this chapter does anyway. I could also say that it starts with a recurring blurry dream I had had many nights in a row. It involved rain, lightning, blood and a voice thanking me. The only clear detail of the dream is my response after which the dream ends.

    He had entered the tavern and moved like a man exhausted from walking. Slow steps that dragged his body along. He ate a moderate meal and drank two mugs of ale. Most men would be sleeping while standing after such a menu. Not him.

    I crept behind him and reached for his money purse. I had done it dozens of times before on more sober and cautious victims. I reached out with a steady hand and in an instant he had seized it. This was the first time I had been caught since my training as a Thief had ended. This wanderer… had caught me.

    ``Unhand me if you value your life, Priest!`` I hissed a whisper under my breath. A howling fear roared at the gates of my heart and my mind, trying to overcome me. This was not the time. The slightest hesitation, the slightest tremble in my voice, any acceleration in my pulse, any of these would show this man that I was terrified. And that would be my doom ``My dagger has fell more worthy of an opponent, it would be a shame to stain its blade and your robes with the blood of a clergy man.``

    ``Heh, you`ve a sharp tongue, too bad your wits are dull. I wonder which of the two the blade of your dagger resembles.`` he spoke, neither softly nor loudly. His hood covered most of his face but his chin, his mouth and especially the almost taunting arrogant smile fixed on the latter were visible.

    ``Wouldn`t the dull wit be suited more for a tired old priest that would challenge one such as I, especially since my blade is sharper than my tongue and it`s practically screaming to cut. Should I quench its thirst with your blood? How badly do you want to die, old man?``

    ``So without any hesitation or remorse you`ll strike down an unarmed old man, a herald of the gods nonetheless?``

    ``I will if he doesn`t shut up. And I`ll enjoy it too!``

    ``As threatening as that may sound… I`ll stick to my opinion that your all bark and no bite.`` he said and released my wrist from his grip. For a moment we both stood there, looking at each other. ``Well? Aren`t you going to run away?``

    ``No.`` I calmly answered.

    ``Have a shot at me?``

    ``No.``

    ``Good.`` he said and smiled again, this time a bit more friendly. ``Have a seat, I `ll get some food for us.``

    ``Us?`` I said while pulling up a chair ``You just ate!``

    ``Mael, trust me I can eat for three people and still have room for desert.`` he said and smiled.

    ``You… you know my name.``

    ``I know a lot more than your name, Mael. I know YOU.``

    ``You`re not a regular old Human, are you?`` I asked and moved my hands under the table. They were white and cold and slightly shaking. This wanderer… was very creepy.

    ``Mael, you should know very well what I am because I am exactly what you are as well.`` he spoke and through the darkness of his hood, his eyes seemed to flare red for a moment.``

    A long moment of silence slowly crawled by. Plates of food were brought for us along with drinks.

    ``Have you come for me? Have you come to take me back?`` I asked, looking down at my food. It smelled heavenly.

    ``Isn`t that why you ran away? To see if somebody will come for you?`` he simply spoke between mouthfuls of roasted piglet and potato salad. I had no reply to this, so much time had passed, so many events had occurred, I no longer knew the true answer to that question.

    ``I`m not going back with you.`` was my reply.

    ``Of course you`re not. I`m not here for that… I`m here for something else. And by the time I am done talking, you`ll wish I was here to take you back. You have spent the last three years of your life, running away, haunted and hunted by your memories, evading those of your own kind. You saw life as a jungle and small villages, towns and taverns as your only source of survival. You always took what you needed and then moved on. But Mael, while this was ensuring survival at a minimal, I assure it has stumped your growth. I say this because I can see a part of your destiny`s aura. However… this night, this hour is a crossroads for you. I am here because I am the one meant to give you your choices.`` he told me and then sighed.

    ``A choice? Destiny? Do you actually think I believe in dumb abstracts like that?``

    ``Yes, Mael, I`m sure of it.``

    ``Damn it! Can`t you just not call one of my bluffs?``

    ``Not this time.`` he replied and took off his sigil ``This is your first choice: honing your skills to the maximum. You take this Sigil and after a 40 day and 40 night journey you shall find the cathedral. Inside, people will be waiting for you.`` he then reached into his inner robes and pulled out a quite large bag of what seemed to contain gold coins ``This is your second choice: remain a wanderer. There is enough gold there to allow you travel further East. This sum will also last you for 40 days and 40 nights.`` and finally, he reached into his sleeves and drew out two very beautifully crafted daggers. Their blades gleamed in the lighting. ``This is your third choice: altruism. Outside this tavern there is a young girl who is an epitome of innocence. However, tonight that will all change. A man is following her and his thoughts are all but innocent. He has done this to many other girls he found. Take the daggers, run, wait for him to make his move and then kill him and thus, helping somebody else for the first time in your whole life.``

    As soon as he finished talking I grabbed the bag of gold and weighted it with my hand.

    ``40 days and nights, you say? That`s not that bad. How about you take your sigil and those nice daggers back and you go kill the stalker. You`re the one who probably fixed this whole thing up anyway.``

    ``Oh, I won`t interfere with the girl. I don`t care if she lives or dies, in the end, it won`t make much of a difference. However, if you do plan to take the gold, might I suggest buying a very heavy and water proof travelling cloak? It`s going to start raining in a few minutes… and it`s not going to stop very soon.``

    ``Rain, huh?``

    ``Oh yes, worst lightning storm in over 70 years.``

    I never had a déjà vu before. I had heard about them before but never gave it too much thought. I had heard that some déjà vus are so intense that they act like a voice in the back of your head and that you`re overtaken with an unreal feeling that what your doing is exactly what you should be doing. That`s what I felt anyway when I put down the gold and grabbed the daggers. The wanderer was as surprised as I was about this and tried to run after me. A pure white bolt of lightning made the black night sky seem like dark marble breaking into pieces. The blanket of rain that followed furthered the feeling. The large drops were horribly loud as the smashed against the ground, the trees, the tavern`s roof and the roofs of all the nearby houses. My feet ran guided by the voice of the déjà vu, my hands armed themselves with the daggers, heeding the same voice.

    ``Mael! Her name is Lizzie! Call out to her if you get lost!`` the wanderer`s muffled voice came from behind me. But how could I get lost when my feet seemed to know exactly where they were going.

    A few buildings later down, I heard her scream for help. I called out her name and she screamed louder. In order to gain better momentum, I found myself jumping from the street unto the lamppost and then unto the alley wall. The wet wall was slippery, but somehow felt more stable than the muddy ground. I wall walked and leapt plunging a dagger into his right shoulder. I felt his body react and I instantly withdrew the dagger and stabbed him right in the middle of his back. As I felt his spine shatter, I pulled him away from her and used the second blade to cut his throat.

    As I threw both daggers unto the ground, another web of lightning lighted the entire scene: a beautiful blond girl in the alley corner, a corpse, rain mixed with blood.

    ``Thank you! Thank you so much!`` she said and as I looked at her, I could indeed see all her innocence. For the first time ever since I first dreamed the recurrent dream , my response made sense. Looking up at the rain, I began to laugh. I looked at her and smiled, a true sincere smile.

    ``I can`t believe I gave up all that money!`` I told her and I laughed.

    The déjà vu ended. The wanderer… gave me my choice and I took the right one.

    ``Well done, Mael!`` his voice came from behind me ``To tell you the truth, this was not what we had expected.`` he added and picked up his daggers from the alley floor. He wiped them clean on the corpse`s clothes and returned them to his sleeves ``I`m going to bend the rules here and tell you that there will come a time in the future when you will need us. Whenever the two of you are truly ready for this, seek out the Cathedral.`` he finished and then bowed. Turning around, he raised his hands to the sky, letting the rain come down on him. He took off his hood and in the darkness I could see that his head was either entirely bald or shaved that way ``Oh, and Mael…`` he half turned his head to the right as he spoke and as he did so another arc of lightning shone half of his face and revealed a raging red right eye and an odd dragonmark that covered his entire scalp and spread towards his right ear and his spine ``Until you are TRULY ready, it would be best to avoid us altogether, we tend to be vicious.``


    <<< >>>


    ``And then he ran off.`` Mael said sitting down on the bed. All the time he told his story, Krop did not speak. He just listened ``Back then, I thought he meant Lizzie and me. But after more current events, I actually he spoke of me and…``

    ``… and me!`` a red-eyed version instantly continued talking ``He said `the two of you` and I for one am pretty sure that`s what he meant. Mael has doubts about it but you know him…``

    Krop smiled. He never expected to see Mael`s Savage side social and friendly. He considered it being a trick but for the time being, he didn`t mind.

    ``Thanks for trusting me with this story, Mael. Er… guys. Of course, I`ll try to help you as best as I can whenever you ask me to.``

    ``Thanks, Krop.`` said Mael as the red rage in his eyes washed away ``Erm, if you don`t mind I`d really REALLY appreciate it if you kept all of this hush-hush and confidential. I don`t plan on running away to find the Cathedral anytime soon, not alone anyway.``

    ``Er… I dunno…``

    ``Other me promises not to stabby-stabby at you while you sleep as long as you keep your mouth shut.`` Mael added and grinned.

    ``A secret it is. We`ll just tell them that your other you hugged me and said that he`s friendly.`` Krop smiled.

    ``Good plan!``
    That was a fun book chapter read.keep up the great job.Yes words failed to tell how great this is.as long as you keep updating i will keep reading this from the shadows of the night. so when is the book coming out?
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    now i will go back in to the shadows hiding,waiting and reading this comic.
    Last edited by Sir Dar; 2009-09-14 at 05:13 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #392
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    I'm back... Never ride the Romanian railway!!! EVER. Our train left on time and then had a 50 minute delay arriving in Bucharest .. we traveled 255 Km in 6 FREAKIN` Hours... that's got to be a record... anyway I'm back and I'm armed with a week's worth of intricate plots and ideas for some new NPCs and their relationship to the characters. Also I intend to work on the due comic tomorrow after work and each subsequent day until at least I am satisfied with the number of comics out.

    Last but by no means least: Tenshiro casts `wall of text`; and the aura of overwhelming awesome combined with the fact that I have not slept in 30`something hours will make me read it tomorrow... I can't wait to devour the masterpiece in all it's huge size and will post a reply soon.

    In other news i shall now post the saga on the main page...

    See you tomorrow guys and gals

  3. - Top - End - #393
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Holly Chihuahua on a stick... That rocked. I feel it opening untold passageways of potential stories.'

    Tenshiro my good man. You rock!

  4. - Top - End - #394
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    [DRUMROLL PELASE]...

  5. - Top - End - #395
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Tenshiro's Avatar

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    smile X X X I I I

    Yes, we`ve reached the third of the legendary hundred. The fact that we`re still trying should be proof enough that we will not get the obstacles of real life get us down.
    As ideas, plot-lines, catchphrases and cliff-hangers all whoosh within our heads we soon come to the conclusion that we`re gonna need a lot of writing and drawing to do so they can catch up with the storyline that`s in our heads.
    Stick around, lads and lasses, for we promise to give our best in the work of an original storyline, original character background and yes, we will try to give them, in a world that has seen it all, an original character evolution.
    And even though we now seem to post with the speed of raging snail trying to catch up to an athletic turtle... erm... hmmm, well I guess that all I can say about that is that we`re working on it and that it`s the good things that are worth waiting.
    Tenshiro out!

    I`ll probably post when we have #34.

  6. - Top - End - #396
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    memnarch's Avatar

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Dude. That was terrible. So terrible.


    Kind of wonder why she'd be carrying that around though....
    If you want a OotS style Touhou avatar, send me a request.

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  7. - Top - End - #397
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Quote Originally Posted by memnarch View Post
    Dude. That was terrible. So terrible.

    Kind of wonder why she'd be carrying that around though....
    If you found the opportunity to gather a legendary aphrodisiac would you not do it?

  8. - Top - End - #398
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    We are currently restructuring the first post... bear with us. With this new look we will introduce some new and exciting changes to the comic. (the updates are a work in progress and will keep changing as soon as we finish.)

    Have fun while we draw these and #34. Feels nice to change stuff as it reignites our love for the comic... I promise you will like these.

  9. - Top - End - #399
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Tenshiro's Avatar

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    tongue Ignore the man behind the curtain, there is nothing he can tell you

    Well, as promised I`m back with the post introducing #34. I hope our loyal recurrent fan base of 5 people (Hacktor and myself not included) will appreciate our new layout. Brand new package same ol` excruciatingly pun-ful content.

    Putting play on words aside, along with the new format, the recent eXPerience points Hacktor and yours truly gained in this Summer downtime will be finally spent into purchasing grand artistic Feats and Skills. Prestige Class coming soon! (or so the monkey in my sock drawer tells me)

    Yes, both the master and myself have leveled up!
    Enjoy the #34 and feel free to leave us some feedback.

  10. - Top - End - #400
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Kobold

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    OOH, shiny new effects. MMMMMMMmmmmm...effecs.

    **** Photobucket ; RIP avatars

  11. - Top - End - #401
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    I don't really like what you did with the first post. Beyond Wonderland is my favorite font, but it seems a little too dark for this comic. (And you sort of overused it)

    It makes you expect something grim or edgy, and then you open the spoiler boxes to see your comic, which is neither.

    That might give a bad first impression to a new reader me thinks.
    Last edited by Tiffanie Lirle; 2009-09-17 at 03:37 PM.

  12. - Top - End - #402
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Tenshiro's Avatar

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    wink Hmmm...

    ``I don't really like what you did with the first post.``
    Awww.

    ``Beyond Wonderland is my favorite font [...] (And you sort of overused it)``
    I like it quite a lot and the over-using comes from the excitement of getting my hands on it.

    ``[...] it seems a little too dark [...] makes you expect something grim or edgy``
    Do I actually strike you people as a non-dark character? And the new awesome-looking panel is sort of grim and edgy. Two new (dark and grim I might add) characters are introduced and as you could see from their first panels they`ll be quite the `stiff` competition for our regular cast.

    Hacktor allowed me to go wild and free (and that just means go nuts! ) when writing the Lore pieces and if you couldn`t tell from the first one, their general atmosphere (at least the first four) is going to be quite dark-ish.

    We`re also planning add the new layout to all of the previous strips. We`re planning to do this in our spare time, bear with us, it may take a while.

    As a sidenote: I`ll be away from civilization tomorrow (and very sadly quite possibly the day after... Sorry dude, it`s past midnight, didn`t want to wake you up). If I have a phone signal, it`s all going to be cool but from what I`ve heard, there`s a slim chance. Also, no signal means no internet for me.
    I shall return Monday the latest, Saturday morning the earliest and fret not 5-reader-loyal-fanbase, I shall bombard the forum with the heralding of my return.
    Last edited by Tenshiro; 2009-09-17 at 04:58 PM. Reason: Sidenote =(

  13. - Top - End - #403
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Nageto004's Avatar

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    wow this is even more amazing than before
    Nageto004: your residential paranormal exterminator.

    I can make you an avi.

    IA AWARDS
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    Im a True Neutral Human Wizard (1st Level)

    Ability Scores:
    Strength- 10
    Dexterity- 15
    Constitution- 10
    Intelligence- 14
    Wisdom- 13
    Charisma- 10

    Quote Originally Posted by Deca View Post
    Wow...Epic Ninjaing. Thanks Nageto! And by ninja'ing, I mean me failing a Spot check and somehow not seeing a post that had been there for quarter of an hour.

  14. - Top - End - #404
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    * Don't worry Tenshiro... it just leaves me time to remake the last 33 strips and work on my art a little bit more.

    And I'm happy that (mostly) you guys like the new image. It's hard to get it so everyone likes everything but if it's just bearable then our job is done.

    Also #34 was just the right amount of dark and edgy to try to introduce this... If we had done it in a gag comic (like he previous 8-10 were) it would not have been the best choice.

    All in all I think we're going to be just fine

  15. - Top - End - #405
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    I have some good news. I have remade strips 1,2,3,4 all day today. And I have #35 almost done. Tomorrow morning I'll upload the remake's and will finish 35 because right now I don't have the energy to deal with photobucket...

    Hope you like them, I asked Tenshiro to change the text a little (okay a lot...) so even if you've read them it's worth checking them out again.

    I did this because first of all I wanted to see how Tenshiro would have made them (I found his approach funny). And because they are the first thing a new reader sees when he whats to read the comic.

    Good night and see you in (at most) 10hours with 1 through 4.
    Last edited by Hacktor; 2009-09-19 at 02:34 PM.

  16. - Top - End - #406
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    okay. 1, 2, 3 and4 remakes are up . gotta get cracking on 35. You'll see why I insisted to upload them before 35 soon.

  17. - Top - End - #407
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    ... Still working on #35, finished 09 and 10 remakes but will post them only after 5-8.

    Wish me luck on actually having time to finish them...

    ALSO:

    This has got to be done:

    People. check out this other Oots fancomic right here on our forums.
    I am doing this advertising because I believe in the authours and whant to help them get started. (with what I understand is MethosHazara 3'rd comic on the forums)
    - Knack -

    did I mention it looks great.
    Last edited by Hacktor; 2009-09-20 at 11:43 PM.

  18. - Top - End - #408
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Btw .. I just found out I got this A promising bronze medal in what will be a long line of Iron avatarist medals.

    Best Rookie Entry

    "Miss Explosive Runes" by Hacktor
    Last edited by Hacktor; 2009-09-21 at 12:16 PM.

  19. - Top - End - #409
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    Tenshiro's Avatar

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    Thumbs up =]

    Sorry for the late reply, I thought I wrote one last night...
    I think I did but forgot to press Submit Reply...
    Sincere and maxed out CONGRATULATIONS!!! for a job well done. I cannot actually say how happy and proud I am for you. Seriously, I really can`t, I`m too busy re-writing all those stuff.
    Anyway...

    C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! !

    Oh, and by the way...
    Where`s mine?

  20. - Top - End - #410
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: =]

    Quote Originally Posted by Tenshiro View Post
    Oh, and by the way...
    Where`s mine?
    Yours is waiting for you at the "Iron Writer's section" :D go get it :D

  21. - Top - End - #411
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    #35 is up... have fun with it...

  22. - Top - End - #412
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    memnarch's Avatar

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    I don't get it. There seems to be little continuity between the comic panels except for the guy impaled on the sword.
    If you want a OotS style Touhou avatar, send me a request.

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  23. - Top - End - #413
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Quote Originally Posted by memnarch View Post
    I don't get it. There seems to be little continuity between the comic panels except for the guy impaled on the sword.
    Gonna have to agree with Memnarch here.
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  24. - Top - End - #414
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    There's no continuity because it's suppose to have none.. It's called weekend activities...

    I wanted to have the Impaled guy (almost gave out his name) to get free... but meanwhile I wnated to show what everybody else is doing at the time... (and get some gags in while I'm at it )

    All in all... I solemnly promise these will make sense soon.

    [just think of 35 as "Where everybody is at the moment"]
    Last edited by Hacktor; 2009-09-22 at 02:05 PM.

  25. - Top - End - #415
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    AssassinGuy

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Would someone tell Olde English guy that "phat" is a compliment, and fat is an insult?

    By the way, what's in that bottle that Lizzie is holding? Salt water? She seems to have a mischievous look on her face.
    Last edited by RdMarquis; 2009-09-22 at 03:34 PM.

  26. - Top - End - #416
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    Tenshiro's Avatar

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    frown So very tired...

    I made the fat/phat thing on purpose since Dummies will be Dummies.

    And Lizzie is holding a Swear Jar.

    I finally started writing the real piece of Lore II at about 19:15. I had been gathering ideas for quite a while now. I finished at about 00:50 and damnit, my eyes are burning. It`s 8 pages long on the default Vista Office Word (no trademark, feel free to sue me Microsoft, I`m broke anyway (no trademark on the firm either)) and I`ve reached the following conclusions:
    - I am sick and need some sort of therapy;
    - I just wrote on freakishly dark piece of Lore;
    - When Hacktor sees this, I`m going to have to re-write the Teletubbies version (no trademark on that one either);
    - It took me SIX goddamn hours to write just EIGHT goddamn pages! I am one retarded goddamn writer!

    That`s all from me for now. Hacktor will have to read it, re-read it and then tell me what to remove because it might be too disturbing for a normal audience.

    I`m too tired to sleep, and way too sickened to eat... And it`s night time here so all the shops are closed! I think I`m willing to sell my soul for a never-ending supply of chilled Mountain Dew.
    Beelz, if you`re reading this, call me. We`ll talk!

  27. - Top - End - #417
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

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    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Remember Ten, even though people 12 and over inhabit these forums most of them are way past that age. I'm on it and I'll try to keep it as is.

    Beelzebub told me to tell you to lose his number (and as far as chilled MD, our souls together could probably net us 5-6 cans :D)

    Brb with the lore.

  28. - Top - End - #418
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    wink Lore II - the Daughter of the Witch of Bones

    It`s here and a lot less darker after you get some sleep and re-read it in the day. I guess I give myself too much credit if it`s night-times and I`m tired. Enjoy and please leave a comment.

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    ``So, you`re finally here.`` Seran spoke in his regular arrogant tone ``Welcome to the `Lucky Horseshoe`! he laughed and some spittle flew across the square wooden table and unto my tunic ``And you`re still wearing your dark leather uniform… Ha ha ha hah, you`ll never change will you, Glai?`` he then shouted. Noise was all around us but not enough for him to have to shout. He seemed drunk… Very, very drunk ``Look towards the bar for a second, will you? The man with the waxed moustache and the gigantic gut is the chef, he makes an awesome dish of pork, fit for a king! That mesmerizing maiden to his right is his daughter and our current innkeeper. Go ask her for a room, I don`t want your luggage cluttering our table! It`s not… dignified.``

    Seran was indeed drunk but that did not improve or diminish his personality. Vulgar, barbaric, rash, reckless, he was all these things. It was this charismatic demeanor of his along with his insatiable bloodlust that got him the position of leader of the Rusty Whore, the most ill-reputed mercenary squad any military had the pleasure of hearing of. My mercenary squad. Conscripts, bounty hunters, pirates, we were all of this and Seran was the worst and vilest of us all. But wars came and wars passed and the skirmishes that now occurred were rare and far away from each other. The Whore quickly came apart, ripped into shreds by greed and what skeptics would call un-natural deaths. We were once nine. One by one we all fell prey to the shadows and from the nine we quickly became the two. I had vanished for years, while Seran disposed of anyone sent after him. Rumors of his cannibalism were more often these days and they all stated that he ate alive those that dared hunt him down. Those rumors were so innocent…

    The `Lucky Horseshoe` was one of those places that had its own history. Once, it had been a small farmer`s house placed at the center of a crossroads, its crops not too far away from here. As trade amplified, a merchant bought the house and expanded it into his manor. He expanded the crops, adding orchards, a vineyard and even livestock. The merchant`s sons and daughters soon transformed the large grand floor into a tavern, the basement into a meat and wine cellar, and the above two floors into lodging for weary travelers or artists looking for a secluded place. Times passed and the inn`s popularity grew. In a matter of decades, the entire landscape became populated by small houses which grew in inhabitants and size each year. The inn gave birth to an entire town in a matter of a few centuries. The story of the `Lucky Horseshoe`, however, is too old… to be remembered. As I make my way back to him, Seran is surrounded by color, by noise, by smells.

    ``I still don`t understand how you managed to track me down, Warglaive. Don`t get me wrong, we`ve known each other for years but I never thought of you as the seeker type.`` he shouted and then sank his teeth into what looked as a roasted boar`s hind leg. I took my seat on the chair across from his own and said nothing ``When the innkeeper in the last town told me a letter was left for me, I thought another dumb assassin was trying his luck… Still, I could barely recognize your hand writing, Glai. It was all wavy and circley. Well, I came all the way here so can you tell me what this is all about?`` his spittle, mixed with drops of blood from his meal, was hitting my face now and the only way to stop that was by stopping him from talking.

    ``Do you like stories, Seran? Because in the years I`ve vanished from the face of Eberron I`ve lived a quite interesting story. I wished to meet with you here today because I wish to share that story…``

    ~ ~ ~

    Soon after the Rusty Whore disbanded I went on my merry way. The name of Warglaive had enough bloody reputation to stop any amateurish treasure hunters to come after me. After all, the squad would have been nothing without me and you. I travelled from village to village, from town to town and I soon discovered that I had no place to call my own.

    In a small village, very far from where we are now, I heard two local children talk about a century old house on top of a hill that was haunted by the spirit of its last inhabitant. As cliché as that sounds, places like this do exist. Not one soul in the village dared go 60 yards near that house and when asked why they all told ghost stories and other rural superstitious tales. The house was visible from any point in the village and it seemed to mysteriously leer over the fears of everybody. However, it also seemed to beckon me to it.
    In the middle of the night, I left the village and darted straight for the house. Of course I would find no haunting spirit there. Of course there wouldn`t be any curse. And of course, finders keepers! I would have a whole house all to myself. The hill was quite far off from the village and the more I neared it, the more I came to see that the house was in fact a very large and sumptuous and old mansion. My satisfaction had never been this great. I had found my pot of gold.

    I had spent what was left of the first night there sleeping with one eye open. Every nook and cranny cracked and moaned like many old houses do but of course there was no ghost to spook me out. The mansion a total of 20 rooms, most of which were individual sleeping quarters. It seemed to have been the house of a very large family. The library was also very impressive, hosting a large number of old and arcane tomes. I soon came to the conclusion that the former owners were not magic users but collectors of an odd sort. I spent my days in that library and each of my nights sleeping in a different room. It was all perfect… until my ninth night…

    I had just prepared to sleep in one of the rooms on the above floor when a strange sound seemed to echo throughout the entire house. At first I ignored it thinking it was some sort of dying animal outside but only a few moments later a similar and amplified sound echoed again and the entire house seemed to go along with it.

    For a second I actually considered there was a spirit. I got on my feet and slowly went downstairs. The odd thing was that the entire house seemed to slowly shiver. I got downstairs and I saw that the main doors were opened wide. The wind was howling from outside and it was cloudy night. No moon. No stars. Perhaps rain would soon come as well. How silly of me to believe that the howling wind could be mistook for a wailing spirit. As I shut the doors, I could see small rain spots on the ground. It was time to see how this house acted during bad weather. I used the old locks as best as I could to make sure the wind won`t open the doors again and as I was turning away from the entrance with the thought of going back to bed, lightning struck and instantly thunder shook the house`s old walls. And in that exact heartbeat or, better said, half of heartbeat… I came face to face with the ghost…

    ~ ~ ~

    ``Who are you and what are you doing in my home?`` her voice boomed into my ears. Whenever her mouth opened the entire house seemed to speak along with her ``I know you`re there, don`t pretend that you`re not! I can feel you`re there.`` she then said and I couldn`t understand why she said that. Her voice was old and the dark silhouette that stood in front of me was skeletal thin. But the night was so oddly dark that I could not in fact see that the woman in front of me had empty eye sockets.

    ``Y-your home? What are you talking about? Nobody has lived here for years!`` I replied ``How is this your home?``

    ``This… This is my home! I`ve… lived… here! I`ve built this home so very long ago and you… you are not welcome here!`` the old woman said and her voice echoed ``Leave… leave you! I can see you have a good soul so if you leave now, I… I won`t harm you. So leave! Leave and let me be… and tell no one what you saw and heard here…`` she went on and her voice kept trembling, kept losing strength as if she…

    ``Are you alright, granny? Are you crying?`` I asked. As odd as the situation was, I wasn`t about to leave and there was something about this woman that was supernatural. Was I really talking to a ghost?

    ``What is it to you if I am? Who are you to care?``

    ``You say you built this house? This mansion is at least a century old? How old does that make you granny? And for how long have you been here, all alone?`` I asked the woman, genuinely interested in every answer ``I mean you no harm, I promise. I came here because I thought this house was empty. I didn`t take anything and I didn`t break anything. I was just looking for a place to live. Nobody knows you`re alive anymore and if I knew the truth, I wouldn`t have come here.``

    ``Well… Now, you know… So get out! Leave!``

    ``But… But it`s raining outside. I have no money, I have nowhere to go! No family, no friends. Everybody I ever knew is probably dead by now, killed in the Last War. I have nobody.``

    ``You… You`re saying the truth! You`re alone… Alone… I know what it is to feel alone. You may spend the night here. And… And tomorrow, we`ll see what the dawn brings. Forgive me for my outburst, I have lost the track of time, caged in this house all alone. I`ve forgotten all about hospitality and how it is to have guests. You are welcome for the night and no harm shall come to you.``

    ``I sincerely thank you for your hospitality. I will humbly accept it and hope to be able to somehow repay you tomorrow.``

    ``Repay me? You can start by telling me your name, stranger.``

    ``My name is Warglaive, but those that knew me called me Glai. May I ask what is my host`s name?``

    ``My, that`s an unusual name… My name… It`s been so long since anyone has said it that I`ve forgotten it. The only name I can still remember is… is… that of my daughter`` she said and began to cry.

    ~ ~ ~

    ``So, let me get this straight. The old lady, that by the way is so old she can`t even remember her own name, confronts you and you talk her into letting you stay the night there? What kind of a Whore are you, Glai? I`d have split that biddy in two the moment I`d have laid eyes on her and ate her tender parts medium rare, just like this succulent boar here.``

    ``Well, Seran, you do tend to slay and devour and ask questions later. Or at least that`s what I hear you`ve been doing.``

    ``You don`t know the half of it!`` he smiled with two rows of teeth, natural and metallic, all bloody.

    ``Anyway, as scaaary as the whole little ghost tale was… I`m bored and I feel awfully tired, must be all the booze and swine, he he he! So make the story short. I`ll retreat to my quarters and sleep soon. Heck, if not for the great food, I`d even be tempted to kill you for dragging me all the way out here. Please make the rest of your story somewhat shorter, will you?``

    ``My apologies, young Master Seran. I did not know my story was boring. You want the short story? Fine, here it is. I saw for myself the very next morning that the old lady was blind. I convinced her through honesty and diplomacy alone to let me stay. I offered to repay her by repairing the older and ore crooked parts of the house but all she really needed was somebody to talk to. Days passed. They turned into weeks, that turned into months which became years. I spent all this time at that old woman`s house, sleeping in a room, reading books in the library and chatting with her. A few months ago she finally passed away and I left the house and came looking for you. The end.``

    ``Why?``

    ``Why what, Seran?``

    ``Why did you leave? Why did you come looking for me after all this time? Why didn`t you kill her?``

    ``Well, now you see. To answer that, I need to retell the story.``

    ``Oh, for the love of-``

    ``You could say that I did in fact kill her. You could say she was really a ghost. You see, she couldn`t remember her name and her age, she could only remember a few things about her past and the only clear thing she did remember was her daughter`s name and how she died. There were some nights in which she would sigh, or sob and weep. There were nights in which she would cry her daughter`s name in her sleep. She would always apologize the second morning… One day, I found her daughter`s room. It was a normal room with a normal door, I just never felt like going inside. But that day I thought I heard something in that room. Inside, I found nobody. Some very beautiful clothes, a wooden staff and some magic books. And her Journal. And I read it. And that`s how I learned who, or better said what, the old woman really was and how the house was built…``

    ``Heeere we go.``

    ``Don`t worry, Seran, I don`t have much time left so I`ll keep this short. The Journal was written in a beautiful handwriting. That handwriting is the reason I actually read it. I liked it and wanted to make it my own. It was too beautiful to go to waste after all. But I digress… ``

    ~ ~ ~

    Over a century ago, a necromancer had died on that hill by the hands of his very daughter, then by the age of twelve. She killed her father because he ate her mother. However, strangely enough, the moment she delivered the killing blow, her father cursed her to inherit all his powers tenfold. This, to many of a magician was no curse but to her it was, because his powers fed on evil and death.

    The girl however learned to use the curse for its better part. She learned to commune with the earth and to use all the death and decay within it instead of creating new death to feed her powers. She could cleanse the earth of all death within it and by doing so, the earth would sprout something similar to large dark bones. She called herself an Ossumancer or a Bonecrafter because she could actually shape the way the dark bones grew from the ground. The idea of making a house for her to live in came soon after and what was at first a modest abode grew over the years into a large manor and then an entire mansion.

    Soon after, she fell in love and got married to one of the young men from a village nearby. They had a daughter. As the daughter grew older she lacked nothing. She was never spoiled but instead quite bright and educated. She desired to pursue a career in magic and so her parents began to get her all the books they could find on the subject. They were a very happy family.

    ~ ~ ~

    ``I… I don`t feel so well… `` Seran interrupted me all of a sudden with an almost whispered, shaky voice. His face looked white as flour, his lips were black and dry, a small trickles of blood pouring out of his mouth from either side.

    ``Oh dear…`` I sighed looking straight into his eyes ``It seems that the illusion is starting to wear off…``

    ~ ~ ~

    ``Granny, I hope you don`t mind… I found your girl`s Journal and when I opened it I saw what beautiful handwriting she had.``

    ``My… My daughter`s Journal…``

    ``So… I read it and she wrote of the powers you had when you were young. I`m sorry to say it doesn`t say your name at least once… but it did say how much she loved-``

    ``My daughter… My powers... I… I remember. I was the daughter of an evil man and then I did… a bad thing and he punished me.`` she wailed ``Hooo, I am an evil, evil woman. I have… raised death from the earth…``

    ``You`re not evil, granny! Well, I don`t think you are. And neither did your daughter and neither did your husband I`m sure! They both loved you very much, I just know it!``

    ``Both… Loved…`` she sighed and panted for air. She could never cry only wail and sob and make weeping sounds. Ever since I got to live there, she covered the lack of her eyes with a white satin blindfold and it was the fact that she no longer had eyes, that stopped her for shedding tears ``Poor, poor Bill.``

    ``Bill?!?`` I shouted ``Granny, you… you remember!``

    ``I told him, to lock the doors at night. I told him. Not all strangers have a good heart, Bill. I always told him that. He never had my instinct. I never had my instinct either, it came with all of daddy`s powers. And then that man came in the middle of the day. He pretended to be wounded so Bill would take him in… Poor Bill! The bastard stabbed him, so, so many times. Countless times. He didn`t steal anything, he killed my poor Bill just because he wanted to kill… And then we girls got home. I saw Bill on the floor… He was in a dark red puddle with this monster of a man. Oh, the red look in his eyes… And I, I screamed! Oh, how stupid I was… I could have ran away, I could have called a dead bone from the earth and kill that beast! But I screamed and he looked our way…``

    ``Oh no…`` I sighed and helped granny sit down on a chair. She was trembling from all her skinny joints.

    ``He caught us easily. He tied me to a tree outside and he made me watch… He… He…`` she paused and took a deep breath ``When he was done with her, he took a knife and cut a piece of her skin. He looked at me and smiled and said that my baby was… that she looked good enough to eat… And… And so he did. And the monster, the monster made me watch, while he cut every bit and piece of my baby and ate her raw!`` silence… I dared not break it. I didn`t want to hear more. The house echoed each of her words, just like always. The house wouldn`t be silent. The house wouldn`t let me forget what I had just heard ``When he was done with her, he came to me. My hands were covered in blood, the rope had dug bone deep… When he was done with me, he said my eyes had seen enough of his beauty and that he liked them too much to not take them… He charred the blade of his knife and stabbed me in each of my eyes and then ate them… And then… I died.``

    ``What?``

    ``He took the knife and I felt the burning cut on my chest and I felt his monstrous claw grab my heart and rip it out… And I died… But the earth wouldn`t let me die. The house wouldn`t let me die. Daddy wouldn`t let me die. Bit by bit my heart grew back, slowly. The house wouldn`t let me die. But now I remember… and you, you`re here… and I can die now.`` she said and embraced me ``These few years have been a second life and I love you as I did my daughter. I know you have a good heart but I know you have spilled blood. I cannot do this for her but you must. I beg you! After I am gone, take a bit of my skin, take my blood and take my heart. I will tell you where to go and what to do. But please, swear that you will find the monster. Swear that you will find the beast. Swear that I shall at last find justice and peace… Swear that you will find Seran Rynn!``

    ~ ~ ~

    ``Illusion...`` Seran could barely speak ``Whaaat illusion?``

    ``Do you know the story of this place, Seran? Do you know the real story?``

    ``I…``

    ``Yes, I think I`ll tell you one last story before you go, Seran…

    ~ ~ ~

    Once, this was nothing but a small farmer`s house placed at the center of a crossroads, its crops not too far away from here.
    As trade amplified, a merchant offered to buy the house for his own but the peasant said no. The merchant was greedy and selfish and so he killed the peasant in his sleep with just a sharp rock. Imagine the merchant`s surprise when in a small wooden dresser he found a very old book. It was a spellbook that held several ancient and forbidden spells that could raise the dead and force them to do anything you wanted them to, including telling you where their riches were buried.

    The peasant used it to find fertile plots of land because he wasn`t greedy, he just wanted to grow his crops. The merchant used it to his fullest, raiding graveyard after graveyard. He expanded the house into his manor and he expanded the crops, adding orchards, a vineyard and even livestock.

    The merchant`s sons and daughters also found the book and saw its potential. The killed the merchant and then used his corpse to find out where he had buried the rest of his treasures. It was also his sons and daughters that, just like you, developed a fondness for the flesh of their own species. They soon transformed the large grand floor into a tavern, the basement into a meat and wine cellar, and the above two floors into lodging for weary travelers or artists looking for a secluded place. Some of these people would disappear mysteriously never to be heard from again.

    Times passed and the inn`s popularity grew. Its owners form a necromantic and cannibalistic cult. In a matter of decades, the entire landscape became populated by small houses which grew in inhabitants and size each year. The inn gave birth to an entire town in a matter of a few centuries and all its inhabitants were cultists.

    A couple of years before the Rusty Whore was formed, a group of Silver Flame Paladins learned of this place and burned it all to the ground. When I say all, I also mean all the people that were living here. The smell of burning flesh was so wide spread that all the carnivorous wildlife was lured here. After the fire dosed, they devoured the remains of the cultists. This story of the `Lucky Horseshoe`, however, is too old and much too ghastly to be remembered.

    One cultist escaped and took the book with him, learned its secrets and had a daughter… I think you already know that story though…

    ~ ~ ~

    ``I… You…`` Seran tried to talk but he couldn`t.

    ``Save your energies for the few moments of life you have. I didn`t tell you all these stories because I wanted to. I told you all these stories because THEY wanted me to!`` the tavern was entirely silent and everyone present stared at Seran. The playful candlelight was waning and everything was slowly becoming translucent. The illusion would dispell soon ``Don`t you recognize them, Seran? Not even one of them? All these people are the people you`ve killed, murdered, slain, assassinated. Don`t you know what happens in places like this? Places cleansed and purged by Paladins? All their evil dies and only the redeemable souls remain. This is where granny sent me. The letter I sent you was not a parchment but her skin, the ink was her blood and her heart… her heart was powerful enough to power an illusion that started from that moment and is waning just about now!``

    ``Don`t you remember me, Seran?`` the woman Seran said was the innkeeper spoke from behind me ``Don`t you remember what you did to my daughter? TO MY BABY?`` she wailed and ground seemed to echo. Granny`s ghost retained a younger persona but her power in this forsaken place was just the same ``Well, even so… I do hope you enjoyed your meal. You of all people should have enjoyed eating yourself!`` she screamed.

    The inn and its people were gone. Instead of it were burnt ruins. A black and ashen version of the table now separated me from an armless legless stump with Seran`s head. The Illusion had numbed all his senses while the ghosts slowly removed his arms and his legs. Most of his abdomen had also been sliced in a horrifying manner. In their mad revenge, they had served Seran his own body, raw bit by raw bit. He would soon be dead.

    ``Whyyy?`` he barely whimpered.

    ``Because I hate you!`` I answered ``Because they hate you! Because you are a murderer! You killed all of them and desecrated them just because you liked it. You are a monster!``

    ``A-and… you`re… li-ike… me-e… Gla-ai``

    ``How dare you say that about her?`` the younger ghost of granny said giving it her all not to disappear like everything else ``She is NOTHING like you! I know because I can see her soul, and I can see that you have none! She is like my daughter to me, I love her just as much! Warglaive died with the Last War and the last bits of her will die now, with you. She… She will have my daughter`s name: Amber.`` granny`s ghost said and one of her half-ethereal

    As Seran took his last breath I couldn`t help but hate me for the part I took in his demise. He was a monster, but this revenge had made me feel like one myself. As I rose from the chair and looked behind me, I could see my mother disappear, tears flooding her face. Warglaive was the monster, not Amber. And Warglaive was dead.

    My life had just begun. A whole chance to prove Seran that he was wrong. Warforged or not, I am more Human than he would have ever been.

  29. - Top - End - #419
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

    Join Date
    Aug 2006

    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    Just in case you missed it, the second Chronicle is up ..check the Lore Archive section

  30. - Top - End - #420
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGirl

    Join Date
    Aug 2006

    Default Re: Shards of Siberys - An Eberron webcomic

    really guys. nothing? no opinons, no arguments? nothing

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