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you said you were cheating because you stole it from a PBP, hence the comment.
if that caused offense... you have my sincerest aplogies
also, (now that I've had time to actually read it)
I enjoyed reading that
just how tall is the paladin anyways?
Not at all, I was just really tired last night when I posted... if I'd been more awake I would have gotten it and not spent my time going "huh? I don't get it?"
Thank you it was fun to write.
The paladin is 6'9" or 206cm for those using metric... which I am. Damn, that's taller than I thought... Lyra is 5' - roughly 150-152cm. Wow, she's a midgit... I figured as a rogue it made sense for her to be short. Didn't realise the height difference was that big...
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
This is a bit from the (non-existent) IC journal of my epic-level rogue. (Rogue 14, Fighter 6, Favored Soul 2... don't ask.) She is. Um. Dissatisfied. (Quite, QUITE different from Hakar...)
Spoiler
Dala’s Journal, Day 73
Dear Diary,
Another day, another reason to hate the south.
I mean… they’re a smarmy theocratic dictatorship that tortured me once, so yeah, there’s that. And they broke the world (and possibly all the planes, and maybe even time itself), so there’s that too. And it’s annoyingly hot, until you get into the mountains where it’s annoyingly cold. And they still haven’t updated the reward on my wanted poster. So, y’know, I thought I had plenty of reasons to hate it. But no. Found a new one.
Flesh colossi. Flesh colossi and super-mummies. With super-mummy rot.
Well, ok, technically just the one flesh colossus, but really, THAT IS ENOUGH. It’s going to take me a week to get the stench out of my armor, and that’s AFTER I finish boiling my skin enough to finally feel clean again after the whole super-powerful-mummy rot incident. Damn evil dwarven renegade necromancers. That doohickey of Seph’s had better be worth it.
Gods, I miss the north. I miss home. I just want to fix the broken world, kill the evil emperor and his pet wizard, steal all their money and go back to my impregnable fortress, IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK???
Sigh.
And it’s so stupid, y’know? I spent all my life in the southern part of the Empire, I’d never even been to the Duchy of Whyte until after it seceded, and now it’s “home”?? I mean, no place has ever been home, not even the place I grew up (gods, especially not the place I grew up, now that I think about it), so come on now… seriously?
Except it is. I miss it. I miss our stronghold, with that nifty little courtyard in the middle that we kept wanting to do something neat with, except we never got around to it because we had to fend off an invading army instead. I miss Thaylin with its stupid little dinky market where you can’t buy anything worthwhile (unless you have an in with the Thieves’ Guild) and the guards that glare at me cuz I wouldn’t stay in their jail. I miss that goblin village to the northwest, the one that owes us a favor cuz we helped evacuate them that one time. Gods, I miss living in a place where I can write a letter to the king to say “Hi” and he’ll write back!!
I miss Mordecai.
I wonder if he’s found another rakishly sexy female rogue to lie to and then get seduced by.
Meh, even if he did, I’m sure she couldn’t give him as much of a run for his money in a fair fight as I did. (And yes, I am aware that when a man coming close to killing you in battle counts as a turn-on – undercover agent or no – it has officially been Too Long. Moving on…) Anyway, that’s still one more reason to wrap this up as soon as possible.
Besides. I don’t like dragging Celia all over Hell’s half-acre. I mean, she’s a trooper, no mistake – she hasn’t complained, she pulls her own weight and she’s having Valuable Learning Experiences. Regardless, this is no way for a kid to spend her childhood. I want to get her home, let her relax, not have to worry about one of her new “family” dying every week or so. Heck, maybe even let her have some fun that doesn’t involve blowing things up or setting them on fire. I know, crazy notion, right?
Blarg. The sooner we fix the cracks in space-time and all reality, the sooner we can leave.
Edit: a new project at work is temporarily eating up a lot of my free time, so I haven't been following this thread or any other for a little while. I just now saw the request to turn the "nasty things to do to players" post into a snippet. And I gotta say... y'know, pretty much all there is to it is what was in that post. :) I mean, heck, I'm flattered at the request and I'll absolutely give it a shot, but I'm not sure how much I can expand on it!
__________________
Our Shadowrun game is pretty much one long string of bad ideas, fueled by enthusiasm.
Oh Pisha, you have a real talent for this, I love it!
The writing is just so natural, and flows so well. It reminds me of the way I write in my diary (when I actually wrote in a diary that is). It's just so very down to earth. I loved the Valuable Learning Experiences with the capitals, and the fact that it's been Too Long - I'd have to agree, almost getting killed in battle being a turn on - that's not a good sign.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pisha
Edit: a new project at work is temporarily eating up a lot of my free time, so I haven't been following this thread or any other for a little while. I just now saw the request to turn the "nasty things to do to players" post into a snippet. And I gotta say... y'know, pretty much all there is to it is what was in that post. :) I mean, heck, I'm flattered at the request and I'll absolutely give it a shot, but I'm not sure how much I can expand on it!
Ahh work, how much we hate thee
Hehe, it was just such an awesome story, it cried out to be snippeted. Or maybe it's just that I wanted to read it as such
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
Not at all, I was just really tired last night when I posted... if I'd been more awake I would have gotten it and not spent my time going "huh? I don't get it?"
Thank you it was fun to write.
The paladin is 6'9" or 206cm for those using metric... which I am. Damn, that's taller than I thought... Lyra is 5' - roughly 150-152cm. Wow, she's a midgit... I figured as a rogue it made sense for her to be short. Didn't realise the height difference was that big...
Spoiler
wow.... cog is only 6 foot 6
I now feel bad for my friends =( (most of my IRL friends are a good 6 - 8 inches shorter than me, if not more so.)
I hope they don't get cricks in their necks trying to look ME in the eyes
/ramble
__________________
my awesome knight riding a bulette avatar was made by smuchmuch
Cookie Jar: 1
teej has quotes
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Occasional Sage
big teej, you are the GitP forum with legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by McSmack
Or if you're feeling saucy you can remind him that it's not a democracy, it's a Teej-tatorship, and he'd best remember that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IthroZada
I imagine Cenobites to be what you get when you mash together the Book of Erotic Fantasy and the Book of Vile Darkness.
if I've gone quiet in a pbp we share, PM ME! this means I'm not getting updates!
I now feel bad for my friends =( (most of my IRL friends are a good 6 - 8 inches shorter than me, if not more so.)
I hope they don't get cricks in their necks trying to look ME in the eyes
/ramble
I wouldn't stress about it The height difference here is quite significant, I don't know that 6-8 inches would make that much difference. Then again, I don't know what that is in normal measurements anyway
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
I wouldn't stress about it The height difference here is quite significant, I don't know that 6-8 inches would make that much difference. Then again, I don't know what that is in normal measurements anyway
I don't know what 'normal' is either, I DO know that I tend to be 6 - 18 inches taller than my buddies
but I digress...
the weekend is over, and tomorrow I'm going to try and write up the guardsman snippet
__________________
my awesome knight riding a bulette avatar was made by smuchmuch
Cookie Jar: 1
teej has quotes
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Occasional Sage
big teej, you are the GitP forum with legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by McSmack
Or if you're feeling saucy you can remind him that it's not a democracy, it's a Teej-tatorship, and he'd best remember that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IthroZada
I imagine Cenobites to be what you get when you mash together the Book of Erotic Fantasy and the Book of Vile Darkness.
if I've gone quiet in a pbp we share, PM ME! this means I'm not getting updates!
How Lyra met Ket'Thull or, Yes Sir, No Sir, Three Bags Full Sir
I just love this one. While the interruptions of the [hungryhungryhungry]'s made it a little confusing to read at times, I felt that they still did a good job at conveying Lyra's appetite. The part with the children was just adorable, and Ket'Thull's personality and behavior are incredible. My favorite has to be Lyra though. I just love her spunky personality and wit, and the story made me really curious to see how she got in her situation from her point of view.
Overall, the writing was excellent, and I really loved the contrasting character personalities. The way you got into their heads was incredibly well done, especially in spite of the third person narration, which doesn't tend to be as conducive for that sort of thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Moreta
Unexpected Friend or, Now What Did I Do That For?
Now this one, I really really really enjoyed. I'm a total sucker for love/hate relationships, and I really like how Lyra and Ket'thull's relationship was handled here, with Lyra's confusion and Ket'Thull's bemused reaction. I'm glad that I got to learn more about Lyra's past, and I love how I left the story feeling like there was still much more about her character that I needed to learn. Like who Garrett is, and what events actually led to up to her current lot in life. I'm very curious to see how she acts around her other party members as well. Well done!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pisha
Dala’s Journal, Day 73
Oh man! This is one is amazing! Dala's snarky and sardonic attitude is just hilarious, and I love how you managed to capture all of that in such a short diary entry. You also hinted at a lot of past adventures, plans, and other characters, which really made me curious about Dala's history and her effect on the world. This was really a great piece!
Now I have some Natalia and Varen snippets to share as well. I've been working on writing the events that followed The Other Side and In Search of Truth, but have yet to finish to them. So instead, I just have some of their past interactions with the shakers and movers of the campaign world. At the very least, they should prove revealing.
The Pride of the Father
(or Daddy's Little Princess)
Spoiler
I was finally free!
The Deathwind was dead and the Hearteater was gone. I was now the chieftain of the most bloodthirsty legion of terrorists on the continent, and they had to obey me. Not that I had planned to do anything about that. I just had to escape. And since their newly ascended leaders had to survive in the wilderness alone for three days, it would be all too easy for me to disappear. In fact, I already had. The Crownbreakers were one day behind me, and I had made good progress. By the time they realized that I wouldn’t be coming back, it would be far too late. There was no way that they could catch me now. The feelings of disgust and horror over my actions had now been replaced with joy and exhilaration. I never thought I would have escaped alive. But as I walked along and surveyed my surroundings, a strange feeling came over me. Something seemed familiar…
No… It couldn’t be… Could it?
As I finally came across the small little brook, I knew it was. The Monastery. Somehow I had found my way back to where it had all began. After all this time, I was finally home.
I ran up the hill from the creek, and there it was. Or at least, what was left of it. The charred remains of the abbey were scattered all across the grounds, and nothing was left at all save for a few pitiful walls and a strange makeshift hut in the center of the foundation. Even stranger though, was the man standing outside of it.
He was tall and sturdily built, with long, wavy auburn hair, and when he saw me, his face went pale. Almost as if he had just seen a ghost. In a way, I guess he had. But something about him was just too familiar…
“N-no… Natalia?”
That voice… That hair… Those eyes…
…Daddy…?
“Natalia!” he cried as he ran to me, catching me in a strong embrace. “Oh gods! They told me you were dead! Oh Natalia!”
“Father?” I could barely contain myself. “Father, is that you?”
“Yes, Natalia!” he was sobbing now. “Oh my dear little girl! Yes!”
“Natalia…?” I heard another voice, this one much more wary. “She’s alive?”
“Father Daugherty?”
My father released me and wiped the tears from his eyes, smiling widely. Father Daugherty cautiously approached me, his eyes wide.
“My, my, my…” he muttered as he stroked his thick blonde mustache. “It is so good to see that you are alive, Natalia,” he gave me a small smile. “But I’m afraid we have much to discuss. There is much you need to know regarding the attack,”
They led me back to the hut, my father holding me tightly. After we were all seated, Daugherty began to speak.
“It is good that you are seated for this, Natalia,” he said at last. “For there is much that we must reveal to you,”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “I have some questions for you. Father, you said that I would never see you again! Father Daugherty, why are you still here when there’s nothing left? How long have I actually been gone?”
“Patience is a virtue, my child,” Father Daugherty muttered as he gave me a disapproving look. “If you must know, it is Springfall of the year 981. You have been missing for almost two years,”
“When I heard the news, I left my hiding place in Didierros to pay my respects,” my Father said. “But I’m a wanted man, there is a large price on my head. I had to be very careful, so it took me a long time to get here. I have been here with Daugherty for a little more than a month, trying to find out what happened on the day of your kidnapping, why Daugherty was never warned, why you were the only person taken,”
“Wait! Hiding? A price on your head? Father, what is going on?”
“My dear, if you just let us tell you the story, you would hear for yourself,” Daugherty mumbled, mainly to himself.
“You see, Natalia, my brother, your uncle, is none other than Acton Sen’Gowran! The Emperor of Geridia himself! I am his elder and only brother, and fifteen years ago, I was the heir to the throne! But your uncle, that blackheart, wanted the throne for himself. He secretly had a bounty put on all of our heads, yours, mine, and your mother’s, so that no one but him could lay claim to the throne! Your mother, gods bless her, was killed in our own home,” he dropped his head into his hands and began to sob uncontrollably. “So I brought you to Daugherty; he’s an old friend. I thought you would be safe! Never did I expect though, what your evil uncle would be willing to do to finish you off,”
“You see, through the many contacts I have maintained from my time as heir, I learned that Acton, gods curse him, had specific information planted within the Fear Legion’s ranks that pointed to this very monastery as the perfect target for an attack! Not only that, but the king made sure no information would be passed to warn Daugherty about the impending doom of the monastery! All of your friends, comrades, and teachers were killed by the Crownbreakers, just so that you would be killed as well. They were condemned for merely being near you!”
I was shocked. I was confused. I was frightened. But most of all, I was angry as hell.
“The Emperor was behind this? Behind everything that we had to go through…?” I was seething with rage. “He doesn’t deserve to live, much less lead!”
“Indeed,” Daugherty said solemnly. “But first tell me, Natalia, why are you dressed like a Crownbreaker?”
“I managed to escape by killing their chieftain-”
“You killed the Deathwind?” my father interjected. “That means you’re their leader! This gives me a wonderful idea!”
Daugherty looked dumbstruck.
“Natalia, you see, the world thinks that I am dead. But you! You are the next in line for the throne! As my child, you take precedence over Acton! You can take over, and you and I can lead this country into peace and prosperity! You said it yourself, Acton does not deserve to lead! Well we can stop him! We can save this country!” He was so excited he could barely contain himself. “And you’re controlling the Crownbreakers! This is perfect! You see, the Crownbreakers have already shaken the people’s faith in Acton. You can lead them with my directions, to keep the pressure up on him! And then, when the people begin to revolt, you can step in, separate from your Crownbreaker identity! The people will flock to you as their savior! Then, when the time is right, you as the leader of the Crownbreakers will lead them against the Empire’s forces, purposefully feeding them faulty commands! They will fall and will be forever destroyed, and we will be able to restore Geridia to a time before Acton Sen’Gowran! And best of all, the people never need know what you did in order to get there!”
I went cold. What my father was saying frightened me. I had to go back to the Crownbreakers, then I would have to lead them, to assist them in spreading terror.
“Father, no,” I said, worried about alienating him. “What you’re saying is crazy! You’re asking that I harm innocent people to scare them into action! I cannot agree to this!”
“Natalia, I thought you would understand. It is for the greater good! More people will be harmed by both the Crownbreakers and my brother if we don’t act! Don’t you see? If he was willing to have a whole monastery of the Eight-Pointed Star destroyed just to kill you, imagine what else he would do out of pettiness or spite! Would you just allow your country to fall into chaos? We need to stop him, and this is the only way!”
Daugherty gazed at me solemnly, a sad expression on his face.
“I am afraid that I must agree. Natalia, you must do this. If the Emperor learns that you yet live, then you shall be killed as well, and more people will be harmed. While people will die no matter what you choose, if you side with your father, then you shall at the very least prevent the loss of more life in the long run,”
My father just stared at me, an agonized expression on his face.
“Natalia…” he said, his voice choked. “Don’t you trust me…?”
“All right,” I finally said. “I will do as you ask,”
Mr. Varen
(or Someone Needs a Better Babysitter)
Spoiler
There were people everywhere. My ears were assaulted by the roar of the masses as they went about their daily lives. The thick scents of spices, fish, hay, potions, animals, and alcohol clogged the air. The sun beat down hot across the plaza, and the air was thick with humidity. I could scarcely believe my senses. I was finally in the capitol city.
It had been weeks since the attack on the monastery, and I was still searching for the Crownbreakers. Unfortunately, I was falling farther and farther behind, and I had finally run out of supplies. This was only supposed to be a quick stop, but I had already become lost.
As I stumbled through the throngs of people, one sound stood out above all the others. A shrill scream of fear. I watched in horrified disgust as the masses parted to reveal a massive, darkly-clad figure sprinting through their midst, carrying something slumped over his shoulder. A small child.
Without thinking, I gave chase. The kidnapper was fast though, and my armor slowed me down. But nothing would stop me. He tried as hard as he could to throw me off, but although he had speed, I had stamina. Soon the figure began to tire, and that was when I struck. I tensed, and somehow managed to launch myself at him, despite the weight of my armor. To both my surprise and his, I caught him and pulled him to the ground. He dropped the child, who fell and remained stock-still in fear as I pummeled the kidnapper. Unfortunately, he wriggled free and escaped into the crowd. But the child was still there. I turned to her and smiled, intending to be reassuring.
“Are you alright?” I asked. The poor thing. She couldn’t have been more than five years old. I shuddered to think about what could have happened to her if I hadn’t intervened. It seemed like no one else would have done anything.
“Y-yeah,” she started crying.
“Oh! Hey, it’s alright! Don’t worry! Don’t be scared! You’re safe now!” I cooed as I gave her a hug. She started to calm down, much to my relief. “There we go. Now don’t worry, okay? I’m here to help you now, alright? My name’s Varen,” I smiled at her again, and this time she smiled back. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Sadia, Mr. Varen,” she said that as though it had been rehearsed a thousand times.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Sadia,” I said. “Where are your mommy and daddy? Were they with you when that bad man came and grabbed you?”
“No, Mr. Varen,” she shook her head. “They were busy. I was with Adalyn,” This kid had some really good manners…
“Okay, and do you know where Adalyn is?” I asked.
“No, Mr. Varen,” She shook her head again, then stopped, a frightened expression on her face. “Do you think a bad man took her too, Mr. Varen?”
“No! No,” I smiled at her again. Poor thing. I really hoped that wasn’t the case, but even if it was, I had to get poor little Sadia back home before I could do anything about it. “I bet she went back home to get some help to find you! So if we go back to your home, we can save Adalyn a whole lot of trouble, right?”
Sadia smiled and nodded her head.
“Alrighty then!” I patted her shoulder. “Do you know where your house is?”
“Yeah!” she grinned excitedly. “It’s the biggest house in the whole city!” she looked shocked and appalled immediately after she said that. “Oh no! It’s bad manners to say that!”
“Sadia,” I said. “You don’t need to worry about manners with me, alright? No need for the Mr. Varens or anything! Okay?”
“Okay Mr. Varen,” she said. She still looked a little worried and embarrassed. Poor thing. I just wanted to cheer her up.
“Hey, if your house really is the biggest, then I might not be able to see it from all the way down here,” I said. “But I bet if you ride on my shoulders you could see it, and then you could lead me to it!”
Her smile was immense. I bent down, and she excitedly scrambled up onto my shoulders, piggy-back. It didn’t take long at all before I had received a multitude of directions and instructions.
So we wandered throughout the city for a while, with her pulling on my ponytail and excitedly pointing out her favorite sites the entire time. I wasn’t sure if she actually knew where she was going, but at least it was a great way to get to know the capitol. But when night fell and I had about given up hope for finding it, she shrieked in delight!
“There it is Mr. Varen!” she pointed. “I told you it was the biggest house in the city!”
It wasn’t just the biggest house in the city. It barely qualified as a house. It was a palace. And not even just any palace. The Royal Castle stood right in front of me, the home of the Emperor himself.
With Sadia still sitting on my shoulders, I made my way to the gatehouse. Before I knew what was happening, I was surrounded by the Emperor’s personal guards. Sadia waved to them happily.
“Don’t worry you guys! Mr. Varen saved me!”
“Oh! Sadia! I was so worried!”
“Oh thank the gods!”
A blonde teenaged girl and a mousy-haired middle-aged woman ran to me from the castle grounds, pushing past the guards. I carefully lifted Sadia from my shoulders and handed her to the woman.
“Adalyn,” she asked warily. “This isn’t the man who took her, is it?”
“No, mother,” the girl shook her head. “He is far too short… No offense,” she added hastily.
“None taken,” I smiled at them. “I’m just glad that I could get my new friend home safe and sound,”
“You are truly a saint!” the woman said as she embraced me. The guards shifted nervously, unsure of what to do. “Don’t mind them,” the woman laughed. “Come in, come in, I’m sure Sadia’s father would love to have a word with you,” Before I had a chance to protest, she dragged me through the courtyard into the keep.
“I’m Elvira, by the way,” she smiled at me. “I do apologize! In all the excitement, I forgot to have us introduce ourselves! Pardon my terrible manners! My step-daughter here is Adalyn,”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Varen,“ Something about Adalyn seemed strange to me. She looked eerily familiar. But before I could dwell on it further we were already in the Great Hall.
“Acton! Sadia is safe! We have her savior here with us right now!” Elvira shouted, her voice echoing throughout the castle halls. Oh gods. This was really the royal family. I was in Emperor Acton Sen’Gowran’s home, being praised by his wife, the Queen. I felt incredibly awkward and out of place. “ACTON! GET DOWN HERE AND THANK THE MAN WHO SAVED YOUR DAUGHTER!”
“Coming, dearest,” I heard a deep but tired voice from across the hall. And there he was. The Emperor himself strode across the hall, until finally, we were face to face.
He was much shorter than I had expected, but it was undoubtedly him. The short-cropped auburn hair, the dark green eyes, the sturdy build, the royal fineries and all.
“You must be the man who saved my daughter,” he smiled pleasantly. “You are a good man, but I am ashamed to say that I am not aware of your name,”
“Varen Castellos, your highness,”
“Varen Castellos,” he smiled as he seated himself at the long table. “It’s a good name. I imagine I’ll be hearing it much more in the future,” His family gathered around him.
“Please Varen, come join us,” Elvira said. “We’ve had to postpone dinner for fear of Sadia’s safety. Now that she’s here, the least we can do is feed you as well,”
I simply wasn’t allowed to say no. The dinner was fantastic, and the royal family was more than accommodating. They were incredibly easy to talk to, and soon I found that I had told them my entire story. It seemed that all too quickly, it was over. Soon, I found myself sitting at the table alone with the King.
“You know, Varen,” the King said, half talking to me, half talking to himself. “I always strive to be the best I can possibly be. The best ruler, the best commander, the best husband, the best father…” He patted me on the shoulder. “But you are a much better man than I. In just the span of several hours, you have done more for my daughter than I feel I have managed to my whole life. She just wouldn’t stop talking about riding you around the city,” he chuckled warmly.
“My lord,” I said. “You obviously love your daughter, which makes you a far better father to Sadia than I could ever be. You are always going to be there for her because of that. Your love is what really matters,”
He patted me heavily on the shoulder, a huge smile on his face.
“You are a good man, Varen,” the King shook his head. “This Natalia of yours is incredibly lucky to have someone like you,” He stood. “I am a busy man, Varen. So please forgive me for not being able to stay and talk longer. But you have saved my child. So for that you have my eternal thanks, but even that feels like it is not enough. If there are any favors you would ask of me, I would be all too happy to try and grant them,”
“My lord,” I was shocked. “Please, there is no need-”
“Perhaps not,” he cut me off. “But if you ever truly need my assistance, never hesitate to call upon me,” With that, he began to walk away.
“Good luck, Varen Castellos,” his voice echoed throughout the hall even after he had left.
“You will need it,”
Last edited by Machuchang : 12-06-2010 at 09:08 PM.
Awwwww, (there I go with that word again) thanks They were lots of fun to write. I've already told Ket'Thull's player that I think the character is just adorable. He's playing him as just a little naive, which at the moment is showing up in him taking everything Lyra says seriously. I find it hilarious I had actually thought about taking that first one and re-writing it as a first person through Lyra's eyes. I think I will now
Oh, and I'm curious to see how she is around the others too! there hasn't been much interaction yet (we only just started playing).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Machuchang
The Pride of the Father
(or Daddy's Little Princess)
Wow. Excellent as always. Very revealing, and extremely thought-provoking as well. I can't help but wonder if Varen really did the right thing, and you raised my hackles quite nicely with the whole "you'll need it" bit at the end. In fact, those have to be two of the best endings I've ever read. Both are perfectly reasonable things for each of them to say, and yet, having read the previous ones, I find myself suspicious and mistrustful at the same time.
Very well done I still love Varen, and Natalia is turning into a wonderful anti-heroine.
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
Also, Machuchang, I meant to thank you for your kind words about the use of third person in the first of the Lyra/Ket'Thull snippets It was actually incredibly hard to write. I struggled switching back between the two. I had intended it to be entirely as if we were hovering over Lyra's shoulder, but when I got to the point where she flips because he's a paladin (and yes, there is a reason for that), it just wasn't working. I had to switch it to Ket'Thull. Which I was really nervous about, because I tend to struggle with using too many PoV's at a time. So I'm extremely glad to hear it worked
Oh, and here's another snippet:
The Buddy or, Next Time - A Cleric
Spoiler
This isn’t going well.
You might wonder why I’m saying that, when in fact, nothing has gone wrong. They call me suspicious. They call me superstitious. But I don’t trust a job where nothing goes wrong.
I breathe out a near-silent sigh. The house is quiet, the way is clear. It’s time.
Moving with the silence only halflings can manage; I make my way back to the room where Lyra waits. I was surprised at how quietly she can move; she tells me it’s the result of being small. I laughed in her face the first time she said that, but I have to admit for a human – she is pretty short.
The first thing I see upon entering the room are Lyra’s eyes. The barest hint of moonlight coming through the curtained window is reflecting off Lyra’s dark blue eyes. As my eyes adjust, I can see that she is grinning at me. Her thieves tools are dangling from her fingers.
“Garret! I think we’ve hit the jackpot with this one. The boss will be pleased.” She bowed low and gestured grandly, sweeping her hands out to encompass the whole room. I cast my own eyes around the room, taking it all in. By Yondalla! The girl is right! This is a find. It would appear that the new neighbours are rather well off.
The entire room is barely big enough for the two of us, but it’s full of – well – the sort of things that make people like us start to drool. This couple have only been in [City] for a short time, but the wife has been walking around with some very expensive jewellery. The sort of gems that encourage people like us to pay them an unscheduled visit.
And so here we are, Lyra and I. Standing in a veritable treasure trove of precious metals and gems. Lyra is still grinning like an idiot, as I find my eyes caught by an ornately carved wooden box.
“Shall I?” I ask, tugging my own tools out of the pouch at my waist. Carefully I lean over and study the box, it is really very pretty. I wonder how much it’s worth? A couple of minutes of examination and I can tell it’s not trapped, but it is locked.
“Garret, hurry up” Lyra has come up and is now peering over my shoulder. She’s stuffing a ruby necklace into her belt pouch and she looks nervous. It’s never a good sign when Lyra gets nervous. I knew this was going too well. I stopped what I was doing – if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s don’t ignore Lyra’s instincts.
“What is it?” My voice was a little tense, I’ll admit, but this is a delicate procedure.
“I don’t know” she said, going towards the door. “I just get the feeling...” Her voice trailed off. “I think there’s someone out there.”
“Where?” I stop in the middle of lock-picking.
“Somewhere out...” Her voice trailed off and she seemed to be staring right through the walls. It made me nervous, I’ve seen Lyra like this before – makes me nervous.
“Hang on, I’ll go check” she grinned at me. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
I lunged and grabbed the bottom of her tunic before she could leave.
“Lyra – are you okay?” She turns around to look at me and I can see her eyes have dilated.
“I’ve got this” she assures me. Lyra and I have worked together for years; she knows what I’m really saying. I trust her.
“Good. Be careful.” An answering grin and she’s gone – out the door and left down the hallway. I promptly turn my attention back to the elegantly engraved wooden box.
The box is gorgeous, I think I’ll ask Ronal if I can keep it. Lock’s not very good though. Not that that bothers me much. Not under the present circumstances at least. I realise I’m grinning – probably like an idiot – as the lock gives way with a soft click and I can lift the lid.
Oh my. Well now.
This is a surprise. A diamond – not very large, but flawlessly cut.
Well now indeed.
I reach into the box and lift out the diamond, a soft cloth ready in my other hand to wrap it. As soon as I touch the gem –
“AAHHHHHIIIIEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”
Pure shock has me falling from my perch to land unceremoniously on the floor. Instinct means I keep my hold on the diamond, but the box has gone flying. I watch helplessly as it spins through the air and smashes into the small window.
BARK. BARK.
What the hell? Oh great. Some fancy-pants wizard goes and sets up an alarm spell. And what do they use to sound the alarm? The sound of dogs barking. Just peachy.
But I have bigger problems. That scream is still ringing in my ears, and I know exactly where it came from. Lyra.
Shoving the diamond hastily into my belt pouch, I hightail it out of the room and into the corridor. Quick and cautious, I head in the same direction Lyra took, and before long – I find her.
Sure enough, she’s on the floor – out cold. Silly little idiot. I knew this was too easy. The damn girl’s gone and overextended herself and now she’s unconscious. It’d be funny if it hadn’t happened so often. I wish she’d let me kidnap her a cleric.
Ah well, no use crying over tripped alarm spells now. No robbery is complete until you’ve got away; and we can’t get away until I can get sense back into Lyra.
I drop down next to her and fumble for a few seconds in her belt pouch until I find what I’m looking for. Good girl. She replaced the last vial we had to use. She might be prone to – whatever it is she’s prone to – but she takes care of herself. We discovered quite by accident that magical healing will bring her back, and ever since that night, she’s made sure she has some handy.
Hastily I pull the stopper and pour the potion down her throat, pinching her nose to make her swallow. A few seconds later and she’s coughing and groaning. I clap a hand over her mouth. They know we’re here, but there’s no point making it easy for them.
“Lyra! Lyra it’s me. It’s Garret!” I hiss into her ear, waiting until I see recognition in her eyes. They’re still massively dilated and definitely not focused. She’s staring at the ceiling, and last time I checked, I wasn’t that tall.
“Lyra. Lyra c’m on! We’ve been made. We gotta go.” Ah the magic words “we’ve been made”. I could raise the dead with those words. As long as the dead was a thief.
And sure enough, she responds. She struggles to get her hands and feet coordinated, and her eyes still won’t focus, but she’s up. Or at least, partly up.
“Garret…”
“Yeah girl, I’m right here. Let’s go. Gotta get out of here.” I grab her arm and start tugging. She’s not a heavy girl, but the difference in our heights makes things awkward. Eventually I get her on her feet and start us both moving towards the exit. In this case, the same window we broke in by.
I can’t hear anything – yet. But I don’t want to be around that long. Lyra is struggling to keep up with me. She’s trying, bless her little human heart, but she’s not doing so well. I need to get her back to the guildhouse before she passes out on me again. She’s not normally this bad.
She staggers and falls, dragging me down with her before I can catch our balance. Damn it! I should never have let her go off. I knew she wasn’t right.
“Garret?” I turn my head sharply. She’s looking right at me, her eyes are (thankfully!) more focused than they were.
“What?” I am rather more abrupt than I mean to be. She’s frowning, and I can tell she’s hurting. Nausea and headaches always accompany these little episodes. She flinches at my response.
“’m sorry…” she’s mumbling, another bad sign. I heave a sigh. I cannot stay angry with her. Not that I was really angry to begin with. Another sigh, and I get up and start tugging again.
‘”It’s not your fault” I tell her. Ah, there is the doorway, and just through that is the window. Excellent. I stumble and stagger us both towards the window. Lyra has a hand trailing on the wall, trying to help keep herself upright. I can hear her breathing harsh just above my head. I hope she doesn’t throw up on me…
We’ve made it. I forcibly shove Lyra out the window, then scramble out after her. I can guide us both down. Nothing I haven’t done before. We reach the street at the same time voices start yelling above our heads. Gods they don’t pay much attention do they. Still I should be grateful. Lyra has collapsed in a heap at my feet, clutching her head.
I grab the cloak she abandoned outside before we broke in and shove it over her shoulders and take her hand in mine. Now we’re just a mother and child hurrying home.
“Come on,” I tell her, “let’s get out of here.”
We hurry down the street, Lyra is weaving on her feet, but she stays upright. I keep a close eye out, just in case. And as we leave the shouts and screams behind us, I mutter
“Next time, I’m kidnapping a cleric…”
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
That was great! I enjoyed finally getting to meet Garrett. Couple of minor grammatical nitpicks, though. Lots of dialogue without punctuation; most of these needed a comma before the quotation mark. The other was this sentence:
Spoiler
Moving with the silence only halflings can manage; I make my way back to the room where Lyra waits.
The first part is only a fragment, so the semicolon should be a comma instead.
Other than that, though, it was fantastic; the storytelling element seemed flawless.
__________________
Duty is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less. -Robert E. Lee
I am afraid I haven't had time to read the new snippets, nor even think about the guardsmen...
real live is kicking my butt...
griping follows, ye have been warned
Spoiler
I have to creat a 20 minute powerpoint presentation for a group project that is due thursday.
I have a take home exam due next tuesday (all essay questions)
I have to read at least another chapter in my sociology (and maybe psycology) textbook by tomorrow
and best for last
my workload from art class jumped from "I can show up a half hour early and get this done" to "I need to devote SIX HOURS to this out of class"
and, on top of all of this, I have to figure out what to run for dnd sunday!
tl;dr - homework, lots.
ugh....
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teej has quotes
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Occasional Sage
big teej, you are the GitP forum with legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by McSmack
Or if you're feeling saucy you can remind him that it's not a democracy, it's a Teej-tatorship, and he'd best remember that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IthroZada
I imagine Cenobites to be what you get when you mash together the Book of Erotic Fantasy and the Book of Vile Darkness.
if I've gone quiet in a pbp we share, PM ME! this means I'm not getting updates!
can't really help with the rest, teej, but as to the DnD? join the dark side, run Dark Sun... the only way to do unmentionable things to your players' characters with perfect fluff and crunch justification!
speaking of which, I might write a Thri-Kreen story at some point after I've struggled with cleaning the flat and photoshop woes. I've always had a soft spot for them since "Thri-Kreen of Athas" came out all those years ago!
__________________
Pembrokeshire: A place where madness is an aid, not only to gainful employment, but continued existence.
"Wizards... the class everyone whines about, but I destroy whenever I feel like it"
- Darkpuppy, on Wizards in his DnD games.
can't really help with the rest, teej, but as to the DnD? join the dark side, run Dark Sun... the only way to do unmentionable things to your players' characters with perfect fluff and crunch justification!
explain please?
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my awesome knight riding a bulette avatar was made by smuchmuch
Cookie Jar: 1
teej has quotes
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Occasional Sage
big teej, you are the GitP forum with legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by McSmack
Or if you're feeling saucy you can remind him that it's not a democracy, it's a Teej-tatorship, and he'd best remember that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IthroZada
I imagine Cenobites to be what you get when you mash together the Book of Erotic Fantasy and the Book of Vile Darkness.
if I've gone quiet in a pbp we share, PM ME! this means I'm not getting updates!
That was great! I enjoyed finally getting to meet Garrett. Couple of minor grammatical nitpicks, though. Lots of dialogue without punctuation; most of these needed a comma before the quotation mark. The other was this sentence:
Spoiler
Moving with the silence only halflings can manage; I make my way back to the room where Lyra waits.
The first part is only a fragment, so the semicolon should be a comma instead.
Other than that, though, it was fantastic; the storytelling element seemed flawless.
Stupid Word. It was giving me grammar grief and kept insisting that was a mistake and should be a semicolon. Now that I read it again, you're quite right. Should know better than to listen to Word.
Commas are the bane of my existence, I always forget about them. I'll go back and fix it - some time. Eventually
Quote:
Originally Posted by big teej
I am afraid I haven't had time to read the new snippets, nor even think about the guardsmen...
real live is kicking my butt...
Real life is so rude, isn't it?
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
This was great! I'm really curious as to the exact nature of Lyra's condition, and I just love Garret's attitude, just paranoid and cynical enough to survive in his profession, but also quite clever and caring. He seems a little bit like too much of a nice guy to be a thief, so that made me really curious about his backstory as well. He also reminds me a lot of a halfling rogue of my own, named Garrett, so I keep imagining him as mine.
Plus, I just love the mental image of an average-sized halfling hefting a 5 ft human woman and dragging her to a window. While dramatic in context, I just find the mental image very entertaining.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Moreta
Wow. Excellent as always. Very revealing, and extremely thought-provoking as well. I can't help but wonder if Varen really did the right thing, and you raised my hackles quite nicely with the whole "you'll need it" bit at the end. In fact, those have to be two of the best endings I've ever read. Both are perfectly reasonable things for each of them to say, and yet, having read the previous ones, I find myself suspicious and mistrustful at the same time.
Very well done I still love Varen, and Natalia is turning into a wonderful anti-heroine.
Wow! You are far too kind! Thank you very much!
Quote:
Originally Posted by big teej
*snip*
Sorry to hear about all that craziness you have going on in real life. Sounds like you've got a lot of work on your hands, and I hope that it doesn't get too overwhelming for you. You're making me scared of college now!
And since I just can't seem to post without including a snippet, here you all go! It's another one of the early tales of Varen, taking place in the first year of his quest a few weeks after his encounter with the King.
The Blue Bard
(or Everything Seems Like A Much Better Idea Than It Really Is When You're Tired)
Spoiler
Night fell as I wandered through the streets. I needed a place to sleep. Badly.
I had been on the road for weeks, and I was certainly feeling it. It had been a rough day for sure, my money was getting low, and I was starting to get worried. I had only been side-tracked in Konne for a few days, but the trail had already gone dead. How could such a large and destructive force of barbarians just vanish like that?
Natalia…
I could only hope that she was still alright. I cursed myself for letting them get away as I slammed my fist into a wall. But even that seemed half-hearted. I was just too tired…
“Everything alright over there, good sir?” a voice called out from behind me. I turned around in shock and saw a short, thin man sitting across the street from me, his back to the wall. I was surprised that I hadn’t noticed him until he spoke; he was certainly not a common figure. He wore a sparkling blue outfit, with a massive blue hat and blue leather boots. His eyes were lined with blue make-up, as were his lips, and even his hair had been dyed a deep azure. It seemed as though only his eyes remained untouched by the color blue, instead exhibiting a dark brown color. In his lap, he strummed a small, four-stringed lute-like instrument, which was, of course, blue.
“No…” I admitted sadly.
“Well, things haven’t been going so great for me either, friend,” he chuckled. “Care to sit with me? I have been told that misery loves company, after all,” he patted the sidewalk, indicating a seat next to him. I don’t why, but for some reason I ended up taking his offer. Maybe I had just needed somebody to talk to.
“There we go!” he said happily. “I am the Blue Bard, though some know me as Julian Barowitz,” he strummed a chord on his instrument to emphasize his epithet. “And you would be?”
“Varen Castellos,” I said. “So, what’s your story?” I asked him. He shook his head and smiled sadly.
“Ah, where to start my good man? I was laughed out of my gig at the Broken Bottle, I can’t write a song, my fiancé slept with my biggest rival, the Maroon Minstrel! Then she kicked me out of my own home onto the streets, and she won’t let me back in! Not just that, but the Maroon Minstrel stole my theme on purpose! Now he’s calling himself the Cyan Siren, that bastard! I had the color blue first, but he stole it! I mean really-” he kept getting more and more agitated as he went on, only to be interrupted by a growl from his stomach.
“Oh dear! Do excuse me!” he chuckled awkwardly.
“How long has it been since you’ve eaten, Julian?” I asked, alarmed.
“Oh no need to worry! It’s only been but a few days!” he tried to laugh it off, only to be met once again by his stomach’s protestations.
“Come on,” I said as I stood. “Let’s get you some food. You’ve been having such a bad time lately, it’s the least I could do,” To my surprise, he started to get choked up. I swore I could see him starting to cry.
“That is the most kind thing anyone has said to me in such a long time!” he sobbed as I helped him up. “You are a saint! An angel! Truly a paragon of goodness and compassion!”
I was starting to get embarrassed. People passing by were starting to stare. I ushered him out of the street, looking to find some place to get him some food. It wasn’t long before he stopped crying and started to jabber on again, but I was so tired that I didn’t really hear most of it. Eventually, we found a small little restaurant, where the Blue Bard proceeded to order practically everything on the menu. As he ate, he continued to talk and talk and talk. After a while, he finally asked me a question.
“Oh goodness! I almost forgot, Varen!” he said between mouthfuls of food. “Why are you so unhappy? I had become so enthralled by my stroke of good fortune that I completely forgot to indulge you, my benefactor! Please, do tell!”
“Well,” I said. “My friend Natalia has been kidnapped by the Crownbreakers,” his jaw dropped. “And I’ve been trying to find her for weeks now, but I just can’t find them anywhere! I’m just hoping that she’s okay… That she’s still alive…”
“By the gods!” Julian exclaimed. “How long have you known her?”
“Twelve years,” I said. “Since we were six,”
“BY THE GODS!” he practically shouted in excitement. “Is she beautiful?” He continued to question me about Natalia, about my life, and about my quest, and for some reason, I continued to answer. This seemed to go on and on, until finally, Julian had run out of questions.
“Varen, my dear fellow!” he said once the last question had been answered. “You have given me much inspiration this night! Your story is truly magnificent, and as such, it must be shared with the masses! They must learn of your glorious tale, and I will be the one to educate them! I shall create my masterpiece, my magnum opus, my tour de force, if you will, around this story! Please, my dear friend, allow me to use your tale! I know it will help to take me out of this wretched state of existence!”
“Sure,” I said. If it really would end up helping him, I couldn’t see the harm in letting him tell my story. It’s not like I had some pressing use for it. I just couldn’t see people getting that interested in it, though of course I wouldn’t tell him that.
“Varen, you are truly the greatest! Even the celestials must envy your goodness!” he kissed both my cheeks, crying tears of joy. Once again, people were starting to look.
“To thank you for your kindness, I have a little information that may help you find Natalia! You see, legend has it that deep within the Crystal Cairns of the Edinar Mire, there lies a unique crystal containing the soul of the Soothsayer Iara! They say that she told a truth that was so powerful and frightening to her king that he had her soul trapped within a crystal as punishment! But if one can find her, she will answer any question asked to her with perfect truth! Perhaps she could lead you to Natalia!”
“Thank you for your assistance,” I smiled at him. I had never heard of Edinar Mire, nor the Crystal Cairns, but it was my only lead. If I were to find Natalia, I would have to use every resource available to me.
“But I must go at once!” Julian interrupted my train of thought. “I need to find a quiet place to write while the inspiration of your story is still fresh! Thank you for everything, my wonderful friend!” And with that, he bolted out of the store, plucking furiously at his strange little instrument.
I ended up spending what was left of my money on his meal, but for some reason, that didn’t bother me. I had helped a starving man, if only for one night, and hopefully, I had given him some way to escape his sadness and actually make his way in the world. If I had faith in Natalia being alive, why couldn’t I have a little faith in his success?
Now if only I could have that much faith in myself…
Bonus points or a cookie if anyone can figure out what instrument the Blue Bard is using.
Last edited by Machuchang : 04-17-2011 at 12:16 PM.
He seems a little bit like too much of a nice guy to be a thief, so that made me really curious about his backstory as well.
Heh, me too I just made him up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Machuchang
Plus, I just love the mental image of an average-sized halfling hefting a 5 ft human woman and dragging her to a window. While dramatic in context, I just find the mental image very entertaining.
Oh, I'm sure they looked funny. I'm sure Garret would have found it funny too, if it hadn't been so dire.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Machuchang
Bonus points or a cookie if anyone can figure out what instrument the Blue Bard is using.
Loved this! The Blue Bard is quite the character Very entertaining and nicely light-hearted.
Is it a... harp? that's the only stringed lute-like instrument I can think of right now...
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
Dark Sun, when run properly, can be one of the nastiest settings ever for DnD. Water gets tracked, arcane magic screws things up, and the wildlife's so nasty, they don't advise you to make one character, they advise you to make a set of around four... :)
__________________
Pembrokeshire: A place where madness is an aid, not only to gainful employment, but continued existence.
"Wizards... the class everyone whines about, but I destroy whenever I feel like it"
- Darkpuppy, on Wizards in his DnD games.
Sorry to hear about all that craziness you have going on in real life. Sounds like you've got a lot of work on your hands, and I hope that it doesn't get too overwhelming for you. You're making me scared of college now!
just don't volunteer to do the whole 15 minute group presentation yourself and you should be good to go.
(I made a deal with my group members that I would do the whole powerpoint if I didn't have to talk )
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Cookie Jar: 1
teej has quotes
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Occasional Sage
big teej, you are the GitP forum with legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by McSmack
Or if you're feeling saucy you can remind him that it's not a democracy, it's a Teej-tatorship, and he'd best remember that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IthroZada
I imagine Cenobites to be what you get when you mash together the Book of Erotic Fantasy and the Book of Vile Darkness.
if I've gone quiet in a pbp we share, PM ME! this means I'm not getting updates!
Okay, just trying to fit a random speech into a character for now, just as an exercise, but I think I've got it. Lemme know what you guys and gals think! The character's a Spring courtier/gangster in the WoD 2.0, St. Nikki (I couldn't resist...)
Bringin' Back The Joy
Or, St. Nikki is not happy
Spoiler
Slimy Pete's jaw seemed to ricochet under the fist that was connecting with it. This would seem unsual, except that Slimy Pete lived up to his name, owing more of his looks to frogs than people. Of course, this is not to say that it didn't hurt. Just that, no matter how much you hit Slimy Pete, he always bounced back. Which wasn't pleasing St. Nikki at all.
"Pete, I have this intellectual quandary." Pete, not the most intellectual of the Spring Court's shadier side, wasn't the most qualified to answer questions involving thinking, but then, St. Nikki wasn't interested in answers. He was too angry for that. He paced on his paws, his canines gnashing as he spoke, his eyes flared with rage.
"See, not that long ago, I was saying to my friends, 'Hey, Slimy Pete, he wouldn't try and sell me out to the Winter Court, spoil my little racket', but not only does he prove me wrong, he tries to have my ass hauled off by our thankfully absent ex-Lords and Ladies." Pete paused in his constant pacing to glare at Pete once more, who gulped. "Now this, as you might expect, makes me real unhappy. And normally, when I'm unhappy," his fist lashed out, and Slimy Pete's jaw bounced once more ", I hit something."
St. Nikki grabbed Pete's copious cheeks, and stretched them "Of course, the magnitude of what you did doesn't just make me angry," a kick this time ", it makes me furious, and even if I hit you" (a fist) "again" (an elbow) ", and again" (a knee) ", and again" (another fist) ", it's not going to make me any happier, because the sight of your face is making me angrier and angrier."
He gestured round, at the factory below them, where workers had earlier been busy making toys "See, this is what spring, to me, is all about. Pleasure, but transient pleasure. These toys," he continued, picking up a teddy bear ", are nice, they make kids happy, but" he paused to rip an arm off, a leg, and finally a head ", like all pleasures, they don't last. But they're dirt cheap, because we make 'em, and we want kids happy. But you, Pete. You don't want anyone happy, and this shows, because you broke the biggest rule in our lovely group, the one to which we all nominally belong."
St. Nikki pushed his slavering fangs in front of Slimy Pete's face for emphasis, and barked out every word, his fur bristling with rage "YOU DON'T SELL YOUR BROTHERS OUT, AND YOU DEFINITELY DON'T DO IT TO OUR SLAVEMASTERS!"
Panting with rage and effort, Nikki pulled himself back, straightened his suit, and sighed. Pete, normally just slimy, was now literally slick with fear.
"Pete, you could make all the excuses in the world, you could sweet talk me, but that still wouldn't get over the intellectual problem that, every time I saw your face, I'd get so mad I'd have to rearrange your face a few times just to be merely seething. So..." he pulled out a silenced 9mm, and levelled it at the wide eyed Pete "...I'm going to take a little pleasure in making sure I don't get angry again, and nobody's going to complain."
The shot rang throughout the empty warehouse.
St. Nikki sighed. He wondered if the Spring Court was for him anymore, with all the vile things he sometimes did. But then he smiled, as he held the broken teddybear in his hands, and it became fresh again. At least he made little kids happy, for a while, and he wasn't breaking any laws.
"Ho frickin' ho."
Keep in mind that this was literally a 10-15 minute job, from idea to post. Couldn't keep that idea out!
__________________
Pembrokeshire: A place where madness is an aid, not only to gainful employment, but continued existence.
"Wizards... the class everyone whines about, but I destroy whenever I feel like it"
- Darkpuppy, on Wizards in his DnD games.
Different to your normal style, but I liked it. You got the vocal mannerisms across really well I thought - definitely sounded gangsterish. I was picturing him in a 3 piece pinstripe suit with a tommy gun and violin case
You've got a few typos/grammar issues, but I suspect those have arisen from the speed at which you wrote.
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkpuppy
Pete paused in his constant pacing to glare at Pete once more, who gulped.
I think you meant 'Nikki paused'
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkpuppy
more ", I hit something."
The comma is in the wrong place here (and quite a few other places throughout). It should be after 'more' and before the quotation marks. But I suspect this is just because you were speed-typing. And for something written that fast, it's very good.
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
You guys remember Mister the warforged rogue right? If so part 2 is here!
Am I dying? I don’t know. Am I fighting? I think so.
Spoiler
Years later.
The dragon was identified as Sky Scale, according to reports she favoured the skies more than the average red dragon. I had put that episode out of my head thinking that it was not needed, that it was illogical for me to seek revenge and for a time it worked. However as our fame grew in the land we began to attract more and more attention, from villains and allies alike. The local king had heard of our exploits and had asked us to slay Sky Scale whom was perched in the mountains to the west. He asked for our help, the surrounding towns had become restless and wanted the king’s army to intervene however the war prevented him from sending such help.
As we made our way on the road I noted all of my companions, though I know their behavioural patterns well I do not know of their past. Joran the cleric from what I gather was forced from his village and logically speaking I assumed it had something to do with his religious choices, Koras is the only one who makes his past open, he was a young warrior from his tribe and he decided to go out into the world to earn his tribe more honour and facing a dragon was a great way to do it. I had asked him about honour before, from what I gather it is a concept. Koras tells me that although I do not understand it my willingness to help others means I have it.
Then came Eric Mount, a small man who fought with his fist and feet, however through our travels we found that occasionally he would let lose a piece of magic on accident, letting loose a fireball when he became angry or summoning rain when he became sad. Joran tells me he is a sorcerer with much power yet little control a contradiction to the monk. The last person was named Sir Orantus. A knight in the kings service he joined our group when his senior told him to join us in taking a village back from a group of goblins. Though he insisted that he did not need our help he soon gave up and thus resented our assistance. However as time passed he began to respect my bravery and ability to follow orders to the letter.
We were all fast friends at this point. After Joran it is Koras who begins to trust me, his straight forward thinking melded with mine despite his reckless behaviour. He is brave, illogical and reminds me why humans are good. Next up was Eric, after saving his life on several occasion he simply accepts me saying that “There is no reason not to.” Although he cannot control his powers yet his mind is sharp and logical always meditating to gain control. Then came Sir Orantus, though mistrusting of my kind he soon begins to respect me. I thought that he would be the one to do this first because of his background as a soldier but this wasn’t the case.
This makes me think that he has fought other warforged before however it appears that my kind have not been seen for decades and Sir Orantus is only nineteen, thus logically speaking I would be the only one that he had met. Because of his age he cannot be sent to the front line to fight the opposing army however the king seems to have no problem with sending him to fight a dragon, another contradiction. It takes us several weeks of travel, I of course cook, everyone still has nightmares about when Koras tried to give it ago. These are one of the few times I am glad that I do not sleep, I have tried in the past but to no avail. I do not know why I had tried, sleeping wastes too much time, too inefficient.
Days later.
We are well on the road, everyone has packed the appropriate supplies, weapons, ammunition and rations. I myself have brought a small set of tools needed to carry out minor repairs. After all a shoe with a hole is no shoe at all. As we walk along the road we all chat about the previous adventures, about religion, politics and even about the uncertain future. However soon we have nothing to talk about. A dreadful atmosphere surrounds us. I myself am unaffected and for one reason. I enjoy what comes next. “Are we there yet?” Koras pipes up.
“NO!” Everyone yells unison. I myself join in for the fun of it.
Minutes later.
“Are we there ye-“
“NO!”
Minutes later.
“Are we-“
“DAMNIT KORAS SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP OR I WILL MAKE YOUR BALLS FALL OFF!” Yells Joran, the first to lose his composure.
“Wait can clerics do that?” He asks with a hint of fear.
“You wanna find out???”
Hours past but even then Koras forgets why he is quiet.
“Are-“
“I WILL-“ Red to the face Joran pulls his mace out.
“-You hungry? Cause I am!” Stopping I cook us all a quick meal of rabbit stew, the food takes away everyone’s tension. Even now Joran and Koras are slapping each other on the back laughing whole heartedly. Food is a strange substance, it gives organic beings the ability to continue, in more ways than one. Though originally apprehensive about giving me the duty of a cook the entire group finally accepted me when they admitted that they couldn’t cook themselves and the food that Joran summoned tasted like ass. I have yet to find an ingredient called ass. Many vendors laugh when I ask them where I could buy some fresh ass and how I could cook it. Why it is humorous escapes me.
Days later and to everyone’s relief we soon find ourselves at the base of the mountain just outside the town that resides there.
As usual Sir Orantus enters first, knights are well received here, next would come Eric, monks of his order are also respected. Then would come Koras, though brutish looking this far west people would not recognize his origin. After Koras Joran would come hiding behind the large barbarian, most people fear and hate his church. Then I would come last, after all I prefer to follow than lead, these days people treat me with curiosity rather than fear. Besides if I didn’t come last I couldn’t protect Joran from behind. It was both Koras and my job to hide him from full view.
It was okay if people caught sight of him from the sides but to see him from the front where his deity’s symbol showed could cause panic. Despite our best intention Joran was always against this idea. “Only cowards hide who they are! I am a follower of Nerul and that is who I am!” Nerul wasn’t evil as it was explained to me, he was actually neutral, thus evil people did indeed worship him but good people did to. After all to worship death is to also worship life. It made sense to some extent however if he wanted to worship life why not worship the goddess of life then? He responded with this. “Because the clerics of that order do not kill, sure they heal the wounded but to truly help a good person we must kill evil people!”
For a man who made sense, the fact that he wanted to tell the world that he worshipped death in a world against that idea made him seem illogical and human. I have nothing like that; though Joran told me I was alive I have yet to find anything illogical about myself. As we enter the village people begin to celebrate as if a drought has ended. “Oh you finally came!” they would shout upon seeing the knight and his companions. Everyone would flock around us asking us questions like. “Did the king send you?” Or “Are you here to fight the dragon?” And other questions along those lines.
Sir Orantus and Eric were both disciplined and answered all questions that they could politely. Koras boasted saying that he would kill the beast with one blow and Joran began to try and convert people despite my protests. Something was off, different. Looking around it seemed the town was intact; nothing was damaged just in bad repair as if people had left them alone too long. The dragon had destroyed my village in less than a day how was this place still standing? Shaking my head I realize it’s probably because the town is larger, better defended and slightly less flammable, the buildings here look to be made of stone from the nearby mountain. However despite all this I cannot shake this feeling.
Thinking I scan the buildings, then the people cross referencing prior encounters, at first I came to the conclusion that they were ignoring me. Humans have a strange habit of trying to ignore things that they wish to not exist. Normally people whom I am new to either ignore me or are interested in me, often asking Joran if I am his golem. However these people aren’t ignoring me, they literally cannot see me as if I do not exist. Joran is the next one to figure something is wrong, the people are crowding around him are not fearful at all.
“TURN!” He shouts repelling the ghosts with his holy symbol high above his head. Everyone at this point springs into action.
Sir Orantus and Koras soon find themselves back to back, a logical method of combat, covering each other’s blind spots. Their weapons however appear to have little effect. Though magical it seems that they only keep them at bay. They only fight for survival hoping that Joran will help them. Eric on the other hand is a different story. His fist keeps going through our transparent foes doing nothing at all. As his composure fades and his anger takes over he suddenly stamps down on the ground creating a sort of barrier keeping them at bay. With this respite we are safe.
Diving into the barrier I berate myself for doing so. They were not targeting me thus I had no reason to do so. “Joran, I recall that you have the ability to detect undead passively, it is illogical that you did not alert us, I ask why?” I say holding a flask of holy water. I do not even recall taking it out. He frowns glaring at the ghostly forms, his face asks the same question as I do. We do not know how Eric created such a barrier but when you’ve been working with him for so long you do not ask. Eric was a walking contradiction, he was always so calm and thoughtful, the only way he could use his powers were when his emotions became extreme. Thus when things looked bleak he would often make himself angry on purpose.
“Damn it, I can’t believe I was so weak as to resort to this!” He swears under his breath. Logically speaking it is the only reason why we are saved, why he continues to berate himself is beyond me. “So little self control.” He murmurs. As we stand there inside the bubble Joran begins to destroy the undead from the inside, soon they all back off realizing how futile it is. “WELL!” Shouts Koras. “I SAY WE CHARGE EM!” He smiles forgetting that his axe is almost useless against them. Putting my hand on his shoulder I simply shake my head. Suddenly Eric collapses and the barrier leaves.
“So…. Little…self…..need…. more….training…..” He mumbles. Lifting him up Joran tries to revitalise him, his healing spells appear to have no effect on him. “He’s just fatigued so he’ll be fine but I don’t have the spells prepared to wake him up.” He tells us. Almost on queue the ghosts return, our only protection against them gone. “TURN!” Joran shouts, a large portion of the ghosts flee but it is a temporary measure as the amount of undead we face seem infinite. However before they reach us something familiar re-appears.
The ghosts suddenly flee and burn as a wave of fire descends upon them melting the ground below. Even though we aren’t the targets we feel the heat from the flame. Looking up we find the source, it’s Sky Scale! My mind reels with a multitude of questions, why? Why!? WHY!? An arrow travels up at the dragon but she is too high up and instead finds the ground. I freeze, that was my arrow. Only wing beats can be heard. I look down, my arms, they appear to be malfunctioning, that is the only conclusion I can find. They shake and I cannot remember pulling out my bow never mind using it.
As I look back up I see everyone is staring at me only occasionally glancing at the dragon. “Tsk, wasteful.” Joran says. “You okay?” I look down at what Joran was referring to. The flask of holy water is on the ground and broken, its contents soaked into the ground.
“I believe that I am experiencing.” I cannot even finish it, everyone looks at me confused except Koras for some reason who looks at me with a sort of smile, this particular stance says that he is. Proud? It is not just my arms which are malfunctioning, my mind must be to. Is this what Joran meant when he said I would eventually die? Perhaps I am starting to decay now.
Sky Scale swoops down lower, everyone readies their weapon as I prepare a new arrow. I must wait until she comes within optimal firing range. However before we can do anything she speaks. “Greetings humans!” It bellows. “I am the dragon you people had come to call Sky Scale.” She says with some amusement.
“You wish to speak with us? Why do you not attack?” Sir Orantus shouts not lowering his sword. Joran at this point has Eric slung over him and is the only one of us without a weapon ready. It appears he is ready to flee with Eric, a logical choice since the monk is in no state to fight.
“I do not fight because I have a proposition!” She says smiling. “You see, I used to live in that mountain as a lord, the people would often come up and pay me taxes.” Looking away she smiles. “In exchange I only eat their livestock.”
“You blackmail them?” The proud knight yells. Despite being the youngest of the group Sir Orantus is what you would call the leader.
“Bah, blackmail such a dirty word. Anyways I am here because a stupid necromancer decided to turn them all into ghosts, I would’ve killed the bastard already if it weren’t for the fact that his lair is protected against dragons, besides if I leave my lair for too long who knows what would happen to my horde.” Looking back towards the mountain I assume that said horde is in that general direction.
“What do we get in return then?”
“Well as I understand it your wish for me to leave this place alone, since everyone is dead I have no wish to remain. As soon as you kill the necromancer I will have enough free time to relocate my lair and horde and yes I know you wish me not to kill innocents so if it pleases you I wish to take a lair from a blue dragon down the coast I hear he has quite the horde. This of course will take some time, so not only do I leave your people alone but a blue evil dragon is destroyed as well.” Logically speaking this is a sound offer but.
“This is only a short term solution at best!” I shout. “After you kill the blue dragon it is safe to assume that you will eventually fight humans once more.” A logical truth however looking at Sky Scale I find my bravery slowly fade away. Her immense size, the feeling of unbridled power, this is a mercy. We cannot defeat her, we do not even possess dragon slaying equipment! So why, why do I hold my bow so hard? I am acting illogical, I am acting outside of reason. I am acting human?
Days later
We have reached the agreement. Trekking through the mountain we soon find the necromancers tower as per the dragons direction. Me and Koras still object, Sir Orantus doesn’t like this but says it is the only way, Eric doesn’t seem to care either way but Joran seems ecstatic. “Haha that Necromancer won’t see us coming! Creating such abominations I’ll show him!” He yells pumping his fists. “That explains why I couldn’t detect them earlier, if it was just normal undead I’d be fine but I’m guessing this bastard had casted some sort of anti detection spell!”
Logically speaking it was sound, I should be thinking of plans right now, what siege weapons I could build on short notice. Instead I think of the villagers, how did this happen? When did this happen? Could it be stopped? Nearing the outskirts of the tower a sort of area is established. Nothing grew within a certain area of it and that’s where we hid amongst the bushes. Even these seemed sickly in comparison to the tree we had passed by earlier. “Lets just charge on through!” Koras yells. Sighing I quickly look at the tower to see if his out burst had alerted our enemy.
I see no signs of life, hopefully the mage had not yet found us though if he already had he was showing no signs of it. “This is a tower, an emplacement, we should have a siege weapon, squads maybe even a wizard and we don’t even have that!” Whispers the knight. “This is going to be difficult though considering the other path we could take it is quite easy I suppose.” Looking down at his sword he mumbles. Raising his head he stares at me. “Well if someone could get through without being detected they could theoretically open the front door and let us all through no? Someone who could not be detected by undead.”
Why was everyone staring at me?
Moments later.
Joran lamented that he wished to come with me however he had not prepared the proper spells to do so. Even if he did I would not let him come. Though he might’ve become invisible to the undead, to things that lived he was a lighthouse. I myself have the ability to remain slightly more subtle thus it was logical that I undertake this task. “I shall find a way inside and once in locate the unlocking mechanism for the gate, be prepared once that happens, I doubt my stealth can cover something such as that.” I tell them as I begin to leave. I feel resistance on my arm, turning back it is Eric.
“Hey, you might be the oldest of us all but the moment you think something is wrong you’re going to get out right?” It was strange, I knew Eric cared for my safety but for him to be more verbal about it seemed out of character. Now that I thought about it he behaved differently when he woke up from creating the barrier. Nodding my stance told him that I understood the risks. Joran refrained from casting any beneficial spells on me, the less magic I had casted on me the harder I would be to detect, however the fact that I’m powered by magic renders this argument useless.
Either way I do not see any reason for Joran to waste his spells like this thus I do not tell him. Climbing the tower I find that one of the windows is open. Climbing in I feel that I am being watched. Paranoia though in a world of magic it is not unheard of. However if I was truly being watched I would have been caught by now thus it did not matter whether I was detected or not at this point. Climbing down the stairs I noted the lack of undead.
Somewhere above the tower a crooked figure sits. It’s body was completely hidden in black cloak. If one were to look into his hood they would only see two glowing lights of blue as if eyes. Yet they did not blink. A raspy if monotone voice echoes throughout the empty chambers. “Just as planned.” A dry cough followed these words as the figure hobbled back towards a simple chair that seemed out of place. Sitting down he then slumped as if exhausted.
__________________
"A knife can only bring true happiness in the hands of a chef."
Is it a... harp? that's the only stringed lute-like instrument I can think of right now...
Sorry, not a harp.
To be fair though, the instrument is almost surely an anachronism in the standard D&D medieval world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkpuppy
Bringin' Back The Joy
Or, St. Nikki is not happy
Man, this one was really dark: To think that that was the guy who used to give me presents...
In all seriousness though, that one was very well done. The action was excellent, and the writing flowed very nicely. I never would have guessed that anyone could have written that in 10-15 minutes. I really enjoyed it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by freebiewitz
Am I dying? I don’t know. Am I fighting? I think so.
I liked this one a lot. I liked the relationships between the characters, and I just loved the 'are we there yet' scene. But my favorite part had to be where Mister started to question if he was becoming human. I really love how his thought process changed Although there were some grammatical errors that threw off the flow a bit, the plot was interesting and the dialogue was well done. I loved how I could get each of the characters different voices when they were speaking. Great job.
To be fair though, the instrument is almost surely an anachronism in the standard D&D medieval world.
Yeah, I didn't think it was. My brain keeps wanting to say dulcimer, even though they're fairly big and I'm pretty sure have more than 4 strings. My brain is odd.
__________________
There is no social situation that can't be improved if everyone was to go away and leave me to read.
You inspired me to write a bit about my first serious DnD character. He is, I believe, the worst-built, luckiest and tied for unluckiest character I've played.
And this is why he's lucky.
Running a City
or, Golem Tackling as a Method of Election
Spoiler
Ezlo rolled his shoulders, mentally thanking the gods that he could finally take off his armor. It wasn’t too bad normally, but spending two months in the wilderness clearing out monsters had left it with a very distinct, and not very pleasant, odor. Thankfully, a nights rest, a warm bath and some clean clothes had improved things. He’d ensured his kingdom pretty much ran itself most of the time, so there wasn’t anything in dire need of his attention.
Things had improved in the year since he’d been given the reigns of Evermonde. Not only had he trained most of the population so they would be able to defend the city in an emergency, but he’d also built a decent standing army. Fortunately, the dwarves were being patient, allowing him to ensure their attack on the giants would be fast, hard and clean.
He mentally thought over the events since he’d left home for the monastery. He was a very different man, now. He’d become a paladin, spreading good in the name of Thor. He had joined a group of adventurers, found an ancient weapon, been turned into a mouse (he got better), met with a queen and become a duke.
As he opened the door to his office, he wondered how his visitor would react to that tale.
“Ezlo!” his father cried, “it’s been too long, boy. I’ve spent the last two years trying to find where in blazes you’d run off to. You’d better have got some good stories to tell.” The two men embraced, father and son reuniting after 9 years. I have some stories, indeed, Ezlo thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but his father was already talking again. “This is a nice town. How’d you end up in charge?”
“Oh, now that’s a tale. Take a seat, I’ll have someone get us drinks,” Ezlo chuckled, directing his father to one of the chairs. He stuck his head out the door and asked a servant to fetch drinks, then returned to his father.
----------------
He and his companions had returned from their trip about a week ago. They had only felt a few weeks, but months had passed. The “gnolem”, as they’d taken to calling the golem they’d fetched, had been quiescent. It looked like a caricature of a gnome, with a red conical cap, white beard and green jacket. So, the gnome golem became the gnolem.
Unfortunately, Count Grasply had tasked quite a few sages with working out a way to control the gnolem. Ezlo had a strong feeling this would not end well. As he heard distant yelling, rushing feet and the clatter of guards rushing to a fight, he unhappily realized he was correct. Following the guards, he ran from the hallway he had been wandering down to the main hall of the castle. There, he found chaos.
The gnolem had used its gaze attack to turn many people into small woodland creatures - an unpleasant feeling, as he’d found out- and the guards weren’t even bothering it. Seeing the druid standing nearby, he yelled “Liquify the stone underneath it!” and ran forward. The druid, thankfully, had something she could use to accommodate his needs. As he ran, the stone beneath the gnolem turned to mud and it sank slowly.
Ezlo leapt and landed on its shoulders, somehow managing to balance himself, a tall man in full plate armor. It sank quickly, and as its head disappeared beneath the muck, he leapt away and yelled “I got him!” He barely got his feet out before the stone solidified again. He stood slowly and looked around for any authority. Seeing none, he started organizing the unharmed so they could clean up. There was, unfortunately, nothing he could do for those turned into animals.
Searches for the count were unsuccessful, which, oddly, made the people happier. The chefs prepared a feast that night, to celebrate the saving of Evermonde. The feast was heavy on meat, especially rabbit and squirrel. When Borc, the sorcerer, found the count’s insignia ring in his meat, Ezlo realized what- or rather, who- he was eating. Suddenly feeling unwell, he took the ring and retired. The next day, the people of Evermonde decided he was better suited for running the town than anyone else and declared him the duke.
----------------
“… and that’s how I became Duke Ezlo of Evermonde.”
The story about the gnolem is, in fact, how my level 4 Paladin became a duke. After he was turned into a mouse by said gnolem.
I'll right about his devastating one man charge against a kobold horde another time, when it's not 3:30 AM.
__________________
Some men just want to watch the world shift uncomfortably in its seat.
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kylarra
Quote:
Originally Posted by absolmorph
I happen to like screwing around with Handle Animal.
Red Mage, is that you?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rawhide
Now you're cranking it up to eleven.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimonite
A week ago, I didn't know who you were. Now I know: you're the BEST PERSON EVER.
Quote:
Originally Posted by noparlpf
You seem to be having trouble with the idea that a rulebook can contradict itself, because it shouldn't, but...WotC.
Absolatar by Teutonic Knight.
Last edited by absolmorph : 10-30-2010 at 05:28 AM.
Running a City
or, Golem Tackling as a Method of Election
Oh man! That story was hilarious! I loved it! I really liked how you managed to tell the story from 3rd person point of view, and I really enjoyed the fight scene. Gnolem is a pretty genius name, and I was in hysterics about the missing count part. Now I really want to find out what Ezlo has been doing as count, and if he's been any better than the old guy. I'm also curious about his dad. Nice job!
Quote:
Originally Posted by absolmorph
I'll right about his devastating one man charge against a kobold horde another time, when it's not 3:30 AM.
That sounds like a story that I need to hear!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Moreta
Yeah, I didn't think it was. My brain keeps wanting to say dulcimer, even though they're fairly big and I'm pretty sure have more than 4 strings. My brain is odd.
Sorry, not a dulcimer, though some lap dulcimers can actually have 4 strings. Hammered dulcimers (the big ones) tend to have much, much more though. (Sorry, I am a stringed-instrument enthusiast. I could probably keep going on about stuff like that. )
Quote:
Originally Posted by Helmuth
Some sort of violin or viola? Those have 4 strings.
Pretty close in terms of size and shape with the violin, but not quite there yet.
I've got some more snippets! They're a little out of order chronologically though. The first one is after The Blue Bard, the second is after Step By Step, and the third is a few days after the second. Oi, I need to sort these one day...
The Soothsayer in the Stone
(or Obligatory Prophetic Scene Here)
Spoiler
Finally, I had found her. Or it.
But I was here at last, though not without significant difficulty. The Edinar Mire was almost five days away from Kieselheim, and Julian had somehow neglected to give me any directions. Worse, no one actually seemed to know that the Edinar Mire existed in the first place. It was only by some miraculous coincidence that I had managed to find the damned swamp in the first place, and I didn’t even know it until I found a tattered map that told me so, still clutched in the stiff grip of an old corpse.
Even that paled in comparison to what I actually had to face in the bog, though. There was some strange, evil energy that permeated the Edinar Mire, and it didn’t see it fit to let the dead rest in peace. Zombies, skeletons, shadows, the Edinar Mire had it all. Apparently Julian had also somehow forgotten about that.
But none of that mattered now. I had survived, unlike many, and the stone prison of the Soothsayer Iara was here, right in front of me. I couldn’t help but smile, something that I hadn’t managed to do since I first got here.
The stone was surprisingly large, standing almost eight feel tall, though it was starting to tilt at an odd angle. It was covered in strange, obscure runes from which pale greenish-blue light glowed, illuminating the small cavern. But weirdest of all, the stone was suspended from the cave’s ceiling by a multitude of vines, roots, and other various plants. Fortunately, it was just low enough that I could touch it.
As I rested my hand against it, I felt a supernatural heat through my gauntlet, burning my hand. But I couldn’t pull myself away. Not yet at least. Not until I had my answer.
The stone seemed to glow brighter and brighter, and soon my vision began to swirl. Before I really realized what was happening, I found myself standing in some featureless void, characterized only by the glow of the stone.
Suddenly I heard a voice from behind me.
“What is it you seek, brave one?” I turned around in surprise to find myself face to face with nothing.
“Alas, brave one, I am not behind you. Nor am I in front of you, but all around. What you are experiencing is merely a vestige of my former glory, of my former self,” The voice echoed from all around me. “Speak, brave one, so that I may assist you,”
“Soothsayer,” I knelt. “I am searching for the Crownbreakers. They have stolen away my friend, and I must find her before…” my voice trailed off. I couldn’t even think of what would happen if I didn’t find her.
“Very well brave one,” Her voice thrummed inside my head.“The Crownbreakers lie a mere two days travel to the west. You shall find them in the Broken Peaks, and if you travel full speed, you shall find them just after they have set up camp. But beware, brave one, for many trials await you on your journey that may very well test your faith. Do not falter, for if you do, you shall surely fall…”
“Wait!” I shouted. “What sort of trials? Do not falter at what?” But even before I had finished speaking, my vision had once again begun to swirl, and everything went black.
When I finally regained consciousness, I was lying under the stone. The glow from the runes had been all but extinguished, and only a soft, flickering light remained. I pulled myself to my feet, filled with a new sense of hope, despite the Soothsayer’s foreboding words.
In only two days, I would see Natalia again.
No Use For A Broken Tool
(or Greenhill)
Spoiler
I finally realized the gravity of our situation when we came across the first destroyed city.
It wasn’t the fact that the town had been razed that got to me though. I knew which city this had to be, even though I couldn’t see it. And that did not spell anything good about the future.
Varen quickly confirmed my thoughts.
“Oh gods, Natalia,” Varen said, his voice choked. “This used to be Greenhill! I was just here a few days ago! Oh gods…” He gripped my hand tightly. I could feel it shaking.
Greenhill. It had once been a small little farming community. It was of no tactical importance, no political importance, hell, it was only important to the people who lived there. There was no reason why it should have been destroyed. Except…
“Varen,” I said, more softly than I had expected. “They’re heading for the capitol,”
I could feel his anguished gaze upon me. He must have thought that I was behind this attack. In a way, I guess I was.
Their target was according to Father’s final plans. The very same plans that were the first instructions Father had given me. I was explicitly told never to write them down, for fear of someone finding them out. That meant that someone in the Fear Legion must have had the ability to read minds, having stolen my thoughts before my fall.
Or there was another, far more frightening option. That Father was directing them. If that was the case, then it meant that he had simply discarded me as soon as I had fallen from power, as though I were nothing more than a tool.
Why didn’t I find that more surprising?
“Then we have to warn the King,” Varen’s voice was tense. “If he falls, then all of Geridia will fall as well! How much time do we have?”
“I don’t know, Varen,” I shook my head. “It all depends on how effective their new leader is,” Once again, I just couldn’t tell Varen the painful truth. Whether it was the Hearteater, my Father, or someone else entirely behind this, nothing would stop their march. Not when they were so close to finally overthrowing the empire. At most, we had one month. Probably much less.
As we left, I felt myself overcome by a strange feeling. Without even knowing why, I found myself whispering to the ruins of Greenhill.
“I’m so sorry,”
Trust in Your Senses
(or Acquired Flaws Give Bonus Feats Too)
Spoiler
We had finally found a town that had not been destroyed. I suppose that should have been a relief.
But to me, that meant that we had somehow gotten off track. We could not afford that. My blindness was slowing us down by way too much. If we were off the Fear Legion’s path now, there would be no way that we could catch up. Not at our current pace. I couldn’t help but feel useless.
Varen rubbed my shoulder, trying to be reassuring.
“Maybe someone here knows something about the Crownbreakers, or has a way to contact the Emperor,” he said with forced hopefulness. I could only shrug. I had no optimism to contribute.
As we walked through the town, Varen described everything around us, a habit he had recently acquired. I guess he thought it would help me feel as though I wasn’t handicapped. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it wasn’t really helping.
Then out of nowhere, I felt something bump into me. I almost fell, but Varen quickly brought me to my feet.
“Oh goodness! I’m so sorry! Michael! Apologize to that poor woman right now! You nearly knocked her over,”
“It’s no worry,” I mumbled, trying hard to be friendly.
“Did your eyes get stabbed out, lady?” I heard the voice of a small child. That had to be Michael.
“Michael!” his mother’s tone was horrified. I couldn’t help but smile a little at her reaction.
“Cuz there’s a special pond in the mountains that regenimates stuff! You could drink from it and get your eyes back!”
“Michael! Do not tell them about the Lake of Healing!” I heard a smack and Michael’s subsequent wail. “I apologize! But you really don’t want to go there! The lake is deep within the mountains, and it has been infested with monsters for years. If you go, you will surely die! Naughty Michael! Getting that poor woman’s hope up like that!”
I could feel Varen’s gaze. He was definitely thinking about it. I was worried, but if I had my sight back, we would be able to move twice as quickly, at least. This may very well have been the only way we could have a chance at beating the Fear Legion to Konne.
“Thank you,” I said to the woman. “But don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m sure Michael was just trying to help,” I smiled at them, trying to assure her that I was not harboring any thoughts of the mystical pond. “Now then, we must be on our way,”
As we walked away, Varen whispered to me.
“Do you want to go there?” he sounded concerned. “Because I’m sure I could figure out a way to get us there,”
“Of course!”
“I knew you’d say that,” he had to be smiling. I wasn’t quite sure why though.
We kept walking for a while, until we eventually ended up in a tavern. I was assaulted by the scents of alcohol, food, and vomit. The clamor of the bar seemed to die immediately as we entered.
“Hello,” Varen said awkwardly. “I’m trying to find the way to the Lake of Healing. Does anyone know how to get there?”
The whole pub suddenly burst into laughter.
“What, ya think yer jus’ gonna waltz in therr and heal up yer little lady, just like that?” I heard a man guffaw from next to me.
“Shuttup Klimt!” I heard a man shout. “Maybe he kin ac’shully do something’ about the place! Look! He’s a pal’din! He kills evil stuff fer a livin’!
“Ha! I doubt et! Look at that scrawny li’l bug! I bet I could kick ‘is arse real easy-like! He even has lady-hair!” I twinged.
“‘ey, pally-man!” the man ignored Klimt, turning his attention to Varen. “Come ‘ere! I kin drawr you up a map or summat!”
“I’m going to go to him, okay Tali?” Varen said.
“Go! I’ll be fine!” When I was sure that Varen had left, I turned in Klimt’s direction.
“So, Klimt, is it?” I was pissed off. “You think you’re a tough guy?”
“What’re ya getting’ at? You gon’ fight me?” he laughed derisively. “I’d like t’ see ya try!”
Well, let it not be said that he didn’t ask for it.
Somehow, I managed to pinpoint his position from his laughter. I balled my hand into a fist, then struck.
I felt flesh under my fist, then the shattering of bone. A loud crack echoed throughout the tavern, followed by the thud of a man falling from his chair. The whole bar went silent, except for the sound of a man sobbing.
Then the bar burst into laughter once again.
“Ahahaha! Oh gods almighty!” I heard the friendly man howling with laughter. “Klimt gone an’ done et now!”
“If you got your ass handed to you by a blind girl,” I hissed at Klimt, who was still crying on the floor. "Then imagine what my friend could have done to you! You should be glad he's such a damn good guy, because if he was anything like me, you'd be nothing but paste by now!"
I heard someone run over, then felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Oh gods, Tali,” It was Varen. He went silent for a little while. I realized that he must have been checking out Klimt. “You broke his jaw!”
As Varen laid hands on the still sobbing Klimt, I couldn’t help but smile.
Maybe I wouldn’t be so useless after all.
Last edited by Machuchang : 04-17-2011 at 01:39 PM.
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Re: D&D Snippets
you have my sincerest aplogies
it was fun to write.
They were lots of fun to write. I've already told Ket'Thull's player that I think the character is just adorable. He's playing him as just a little naive, which at the moment is showing up in him taking everything Lyra says seriously. I find it hilarious 
Stupid Word. It was giving me grammar grief and kept insisting that was a mistake and should be a semicolon. Now that I read it again, you're quite right. Should know better than to listen to Word.
