| The Ancient Path |
(Sorry, sorry)
With the creatures fallen, the soldiers left(all of them dead apart from us, Larton and an orc called Sylonlin.) the place, carrying the unconcious Killer from the place. The walked slowly back to the mages, who had vanished. It was time to move again, Killer regained conciousness just after they cooked a breakfast of meat that the mages seemed to have left behind. A few traces had been carved on to the ground, and the orc Slylonlin looked closely at these. "It says we must go west." he said in an deep growl. They packed their few provisions and set off, walking late into the evening. They saw a city in the distance, Gylron, the capital of the East. Towering battlements rose above the massive wall, blocking any view of buildings within. Those with better sight saw tiny men standing guard around the walls. They would have to wait until morning, it was journey of half a day.
They sook shelter from the night within a large cave with a small opening, despite some fears. A storm looked to be on its way, and none would face nature with nought but themselves and their few rags of clothes. They slept until the dawn, and woke up, refreshed, despite dreams of horrible creatures, rising from the ground, bearing spiked clubs and evil grins. Alas, their dreams came true, and they rose before they could escape the cave, and the adventurers were backed into the cave. They would have to fight these three-armed, four-footed beasts, as the tunnel closed to a tiny gap. Drool slid down the creatures' teeth, tongues licking what was left on their faces, if that's what they could be called.
Killer charged, staff twirling, closing a creature's grin, changing to a grimace as it caught its forked tongue. Blood poured profusely from the open wound, the tongues were made of something strange and weak. The creatures exited the cave, and halted, pulling from nowhere bows with barbed arrows. They shoot the arrows in volleys, the questors seek shelter from the hail. They must quickly come up with a plan, or die.
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Edward pulled from his back, a strong shield he rarely used. He held it up and encouraged the others to try and let him block as many arrows as he could.
"Think of a plan quickly while I concentrate on blocking these arrows. I am not sure how long this shield will hold. I cannot think while doing this so someone will have to think of something."
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Adam pulled out his shield from his back and joined Charlie in forming a shield wall, 'Everyone join in, we'll push them back and then charge,' yelled Adam over the loud noises coming from the splintering of arrows on his shield.
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[Alright, I'll finish this up fairly soon, we'll go to the city, go to war, then go someplace else, and finish this off]
Edward, Adam and Darkin slowly pushed forward with shields precured from various places, the others shoving swords between the shields. They eventually made it out of the cave, and attacked the beasts, which they quickly overcame, they seemed to become weaker as the sun rose. Odd, since they didn't attack earlier, and Killer pondered at this. They quickly packed their supplies, and headed towards the city at a quick pace. They arrived by evening, and soldiers armed to the teeth greeted them, if such it could be called, they were gruff and unpolite in their manner.
"From where have you come, and what is your business in Grylon?" Killer replied, since no other answers were forthcoming. "From various places, and we seek merely to pass through the city and gather supplies." The guard who had talked to them thought a while. "You cannot pass through. I know not whether I should tell you this, but we are at war. Or at least, soon we shall be. A great tribe, several tens of thousands strong, are coming to fight us, with more on the way. This city is manned only by half their number, even if we have the advantage of these fine, ancient walls, and help is far away."
The questors debated a while, glared at with open hostility by the guards. Killer finally gave their answer to the unasked question. "We wish to help in this war, what few men we are, if we are allowed to travel on our way afterwards with extra supplies, which we will pay for. That is, if the city still stands." The guard smiled, and replied, "I am glad you gave me such an answer, we have to capture any trespassers on our land, and we could not have let you loose in case you were spies. Alas, these are troubled times. You may get some weapons in the armoury, if there are any left, and if you need any. I doubt you will, but there are sturdy shield of oak left over. You can follow Rathfos here to it, and then report for duty. You shall be fed, I imagine."
They followed the being called Rathfos, a giant of a troll. They went to the armoury, and though the stocks were near depleted, it was still well-equipped with various swords and axes. "The blacksmiths must be well versed in their craft here", Killer thought. He chose for himself a short sword, unadorned and well crafted staffs had no part in a war. Rathfos startled him by breaking the silence. "You must choose your weapons quickly, we have no time to dilly-dally."
(Just pick some weapons if you want)
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Edward chose no weapon, having his sword Purilas already. He did take several throwing daggers and sheathed them along his legs and thighs. Now prepared to fight, Edward went and got a small meal before preparing for battle.
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Dethos looked around the armoury. He found a sturdy walking axe. It was sharp and well crafted. He then went and got a meal.
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If a war is what it is, though Adam then i'd better arm myself to the teeth, Adam thought. Adam took several axes, knives and spears and shuffled off with a bit of difficulty to survey the defences.
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Demonsul decided against taking any weapons, but before he left, a single device caught his eye. Pushing into the dark interior of the shop, he picked up a rusty device. There were many intricate parts, but Demonsul fiddled with it with an air of one who knows exactly what he's doing. After a while, there is an audible 'click'. Demonsul then stows the device inside his cloak. Muttering to himself about the state of the rust on the device, Demonsul walked out to view the city.
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The questors followed Rathfos to to the walls after a hastily prepared meal at the kitchens, a large bowl of broth. The soldiers were gathering quicker than predicted, and would attack in the night-time or else wait for dawn. Torches were lit along the wall as night approached, and with it, the flickering of a thousand torches. They marched in an orderly fashion, and at a fair pace. By the very early hours of the mirning, they had arrived, but remained just out of range of arrows. They regained their strength, and attacked as soon as the Sun showed the first signs of life. It was time for war.
They were roughly fifty thousand strong, twenty thousand soldiers occupied the city. They erected a few strange devices to prevent arrows reaching them, like massive shields, a criss-cross of logs with leather covering them, they were pushed along on wheels. They moved slowly, but they proved effective. One man atop the wall had the good idea to try to set fire to one, but as soon as a flaming arrow hit the defence, it spluttered and died(the flame, that is...). They were incredible machines, as they neared the wall, the shields rose to greater angles to block the various projectiles, and they settled in front of the wall, opposite the gate, the shields laid flat along their supports. They began to dig under the gate. Ideas were needed, and they were given, but they were not suited to the task in hand. They racke their brains, and one came up with the perfect solution.
[Alright, you just describe an idea of how to stop them undermining the gate ☻]
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Edward looked at the group of enemies digging under the gate and swore. He turned to one of the defenders.
"Do we have any oil, or anything that is highly flammable?? If we pour something like that on them, and used a flaming arrow, we could set them all on fire. Even with those shields, they cannot defend against a raging fire."
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The defender replied to Edward. "We do have oil, but alas, this city was built in years goneby and the gates are made of wood, even if incredibly solid and non-flammable, just like those shields, they'll burn. It might be worth a shot though, it will at least burn their shields and a good few of them." He motioned for another soldier to come over, and asked him to send a message to the general on the wall. "It will be used as a last resort if we have no other better option. Even within the first wall, they could do much damage."
[More ideas. You can couple a few ideas together if you wish. There is another smaller wall within, but ladders will easily reach over it, and it was a gate made of iron.]
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"They're leather, leather will not catch easily" Ranraac said. "can the Mages harm them at all?"
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Three score mages came to the wall just as Ranraac uttered these words. "We will do all we can, we will stall their digging at least, and should be able to push them back. It is a pity our numbers are so few." With this, the mages chanted, a monotone voice filling the skies, tormenting those below with thoughts of dread. The soil was pushed against the diggers, building in a mound in front of the gate, hardening, and not a single crack was seen. "That'll hold them for a while, we must rest, a few may have been killed, but not many. We must think carefully."
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Dethos thought for a second. Have you got any boulders for catapults? We could drop them on them.
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"Even if we could manage to get a boulder up here, it would have to be small, and it would do little damage. As for shooting them from catapults, the catapults are unfortunately being repaired. Otherwise we would have hurled a great many stones at them by now, if they had been set up of course," the General replied as he was passing through, now answering each question individually as the numbers of queries and ideas had declined.
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*Ranraac pulled out a special arrow from his quiver and looked it over. It had a wide head and was extremely sharp, so much so that he kept it covered in a sheath at all times. He took off the sheath and notched the arrow.
"Firaega" he muttered, as the arrow caught fire. Taking a deep breath, he drew the bowstring and aimed carefully, then let loose the arrow.
The arrow had a large, broad head. it was weighted and Ranraac knew it could pierce some of the toughest armours from close range. Coupled with the explosive fire spell, it should prove more than adequate enough to cut through, he hoped. Only one way to find out.
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"Stop," warned Demonsul, grabbing Ranraac's arm. In the midst of the war machines was a large metal device around which the air seemed to distort. "It's a Magic Shield," said Demonsul. "It reflects any magic fired into it's protective circle. Gods know how they got one, but while it works, we won't be able to cast any hostile magic at them without serous repercussions on ourselves. If you want to fire that arrow, disenchant it first. Then try and use it to smash the Magic Shield, if you think you can aim that far...luckily, the shield only stops hostile magics, so if our mages over there had done anything other than harden the earth they would have been ripped to shreds."
Thinking, Demonsul took the rusted device from within his cloak. "Of course, if this thing works, you won't have to worry about it," he said. Aiming it at the Magic Shield, he fired. A quick clatter filled the air as four strings twanged. Four metal darts flew out, covered the long distance between Demonsul and the Magic Shield in a surprisingly short amount of time, and embedded themselves in the Shield's mechanisms. They did nothing.
"Damn, the rust on this thing has ruined it's performance...anyone else think they can smash that Magic Shield?" asked Demonsul.
[I hope i didn't overstep my boundaries...]
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Adam walked up to the gate with a massive shield on one arm and a mighty battle axe in the other, he smiled and said to the nearby guards, 'Sometimes you just gotta take 'em head on.' Calling a nearby mage he asked, 'Can you raise enough mounds of earth so that our progress till their machines can be disguised,' 'Once we get there under the cover of archer fire, we'll let our blades do the talking.' 'After all, isn't offence the best form of defence, we'll slaughter each and every single one of them before destroying their machines.'
'Before we put our lives on the line,' Adam asked the General 'Can we at least know why such a mighty war is being raged?'
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A small rip appeared in the leather as the continous rain of arrows fell. The General smiled. Oil was at the ready, and it was poured down at the area around the hole. The others wondered what he was at, but it was soon apparent. "I'll give fifty gold pieces to whoever shoots a flaming arrow through that gap. The last few arrows hailed down, it was impossible to see which struck their mark. The grass was dry, and caught fire, as the oil burned. Eventually, the flames died out, only burning where the oil had been poured. The gates were now protected by the mud, which was beginning to crack. The soldiers ran from the scene, to avoid being burned to death despite their rusty suits of armour. A few crazed men ran at the mud, hacking the wall down. The gate fire off one of the burning men, but the majority of the enemy had retreated, it would give them time to prepare. Smiles were seen at the edges of lips, smirking as screams echoed around the walls. "Why didn't we do that earlier?" some queried. The General sighed. "The grass wouldn't have burned far enough, and they would have remained unscathed. We needed the flames to be closer to the shields, and besides, there was nowhere else near to pour the oil." This was true, Killer saw, the wall was slightly curved, and the foe had gathered at the outermost edge of it, the gate jutted out from the wall slightly. Killer pondered about the ancient builders.
The soldiers put out the few flames that were left, and descended the wall to greet the enemy head on. They were charging angrily, annoyed with the earlier trick.
[Just decribe the fighting]
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Edward rushed to meet the approaching enemy and drew Purilas as he reached them. He flipped the first enemy over his shoulder, using the momentum against his enemy. He plunged his sword into the man's chest before kicked another enemy away from him.
They were all around him and the fighting became fierce as more warriors entered into the battle. Edward cleaved the head of an enemy off quickly before blocked several rapid sword attacks. He backed up slightly as the attacks continued, brought on by three enemies trying to overwhelm him. Edward jumped a few feet backward and threw two daggers at the enemies, striking one in the face and another in the arm. He rushed forward and blocked a panicked slash before cutting the arm of one man off and beheading the wounded one. He then swiftly slashed the throat of the now wounded man and looked around for more enemies.
Two more men wielding axes approached him. Their weapons were large and one hit meant death. The first man raised his axe over his head and brought it down towards Edward's head. Edward jumped to the side and went to cut off the man's arms when his partner swung his axe upward from the ground, almost throwing Purilas out of Edward's hands. Edward fall onto his back and rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding two attacks that threw dirt as they missed. Edward jumped to his feet and faked an attack, but stepped backwards as both axe*beep* the ground and were buried deeply. Edward, seeing his chance, rushed forward and ran up the handles of the axes. He swung his sword horizontally, cleaving both of the men's heads off. He jumped back to the ground and looked around for more enemies.
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[I'm killing you off Charley, if you want to continue, just pretend it didn't happen.]
Killer looked at his companions on either side of him, one was a small
dwarf, the other was Edward. Edward rushed forward, killing many men
before he himself was felled by a large orc, who had simply slit his
throat while he was occupied with killng another beast of an orc.
Killer took the opportunity as he was gloating over his kill to run his
sword through him. There was no time for skillful prancing in a war,
and besides, Killer would undoubtedly lose. The foe surged forward,
greeted with the sharpened edges of pikes. Shields were held high as an
unexpected volley of arrows zipped through the air, killing many.
Killer cursed. He swung his sword into the fray, hoping it would strike
an enemy. It was a confusion of weapons, foe fighting foe, friend
fighting friend. Killer had never understood the mechanics of war.
Killer fell unconscious after being slashed
across the middle. Beings fought bravely around him, most falling to
their deaths. Eventually, the enemy retreated, their superior numbers
felled by better tactics. Alas, the losses were heavy on both sides, no
soldier was left without a scar to show for it. The General sighed at
the losses, a few tears trickling down his face to mingle with others'
blood. He was not altogether heartless, despite his experience in
death. A faint whisper was heard by nearby men. "Why are we fighting
this war? I do not know, I do not know. Why is any war fought, after
all?"
They remaining questors lay wounded in that city
for many weeks, being tended to by hurrying folk. The adventurers were
set to leave, at long last, now having mounted fine steeds. Killer rode
atop a muscled pony, a black mane on grey hair, fleckled with white
blotchy spots. They travelled long into the night, finally stopping at
their destination. Or at least, Killer's destination. An enormous castle in the middle of nowhere. He heaved a sigh
of relief, finally, after so many countless years, he would see it. But
alas, first they would have to sleep, and Killer pondered a while if
his companions would travel with him. No matter, he thought to himself,
it has to be done. But a few obstacles lie in the way. He looked at the
shadows of unseen men, flickering with the dimming flames of torches. First, they
would have to fight these invisible folk. Killer brought his sword up,
severing the head off one, or at least, what he assumed was the head.
Luckily, there weren't many, three at most for every one of them.
"Accursed demons of Lyponia, feel my blade," he roared, the sound echoing off walls. For he knew these creatures. Aye, he knew them well indeed. These were the ones that had taken away his life, and left him with tatters of its empty shell. It was time to repay these fiends in like manner. [Alright, just kill these invisible folk, shouldn't be too hard. It's in the building, by the way, you can describe it to your hearts content, it can even contradict the others' images of it.]
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Alright, finishing this thing off. I shall start a new RP in a few days.
The invisible beings were slaughtered, the ten questors(got a few more
at the city) glanced at each other, not a scar was seen. Sweat trickled
down their foreheads, glistening. Their breath was like fog in the
coolness of the night. The flames of the torches flickered and died
out. Killer marched on, the others following the faint echoes of his
footsteps, pondering at how he knew the way. They followed him for a
long while, for longer than the length of the castle. Twists and turns
lay in the path, but not once did they veer away from it. Killer looked
with delight at what he had long quested for, glowing in light of an
unknown source, though all the rest of the room was darkened. A chest,
of modest size, lay flat on the ground, a lock barring his way to his
treasure. It did not stop him however, he touched it with his hand and
it fell off. The others wondered vaguely at how he did this, but they
were entranced by the chest. No mark did it bear to set it aside from
others, it was but a humble oaken chest, but what it contained was
beyond the worth of all the palaces of the world, every stone, every
book, every person. It was lifted out of the chest by Killer's
shivering hands, not of cold, but of tremendous joy. He would indeed
pay back the demons of Lyponia, this small wondrous device would do it.
He glanced back at his fellow questors, a slight
downturn of his lips visible. A single word was uttered, but it had the
power of the earth. "Sorry." What could this mean? The questors were
too dumbfounded to ponder these two syllables, staring at the small
object held in Killer's hands. Killer smirked, he decided to at least
tell the questors what would happen to them, and what had happened to
them.
"It all began in late summer of last year. I
strolled around hell, fearing the demons that lurked there. Yes, there
is a hell. I could not describe the horrors of it, a myriad of words of
a thousand languages could not. But you shall see, my friends, indeed
you shall. It won't compare to what it was, you'll be the lucky ones.
The demons will have made there way here. But first, let me continue
with my story.
Late summer of last year it was, the leafs were beginning to brown, the lambs grew, the people feasted. They
had nothing to fear, for what could harm them. What, but the demons
lurking under the surface, in their struggle to be free. A certain town by the name of Lispol, full of halflings and various beings. The people were content, their crops grew, their stomachs swelled, their water flowed. But demons were coming. They stood no chance, the demons had been let loose, the town was destroyed. Slowly, town after town fell to these huge, small, hideous, beautiful, brave, cowardly, wise, ignorant beasts. The demons consumed the peoples, for you see, the demons are not beings. They are thoughts, dreams, wonders and ideas. Hate, anger, envy, lust and greed. But not all were bad. Love, kindness and others were there as well.
Perhaps, being opposites of the afore mentioned, you might consider these to be angels or some such thing. But would be mistaken, for from love comes anger, from anger comes hate. The opposite is true as well. They are parasites, infecting beings and other beasts. It would be false to say all demons are evil though, merely that they give way to others, twisted images of their predecesors. Humans and there ilk are most affected, they have most thoughts and words, floating around mindlessly. They were always there, but in times of bad, they multiply.
You of course know of the famine that affected the land, the drought, the bandits attacking all cities. Demons are born in these troubled times. Why call them demons, you ask? These creatures can take control of the minds of others. You may call them metaphors or some such thing, but that they aren't. The gates are open now, and it will take many years to shut the door, even if not fully. These are troubles times, the water shall dry up, the crops shall wilt, the people shall starve. These are troubles times indeed. However, you are doubtless wondering what this object I hold in my hands is. It is in fact a device to summon the creatures that were the origins for the name of demons, only once of twice seen before, dismissed as the ravings of foolish men, and you shall indeed be in hell for a while. These are troubled times."
With a flash and a bang, these demon creatures appeared from nowhere. There were but ten, and upon looking at the hideously deformed creatures, they fell faint of heart, but had not the fortune to die yet. When Killer looked upon the creatures however, he fainted not. Instead, he fell, moments later, blood dribbling from an open wound. Perhaps a few of his companions had seen the faint blurry outline of a staff, being swung at a rapid pace. However, let us not concern ourselves with the fate of the tretcherous Killer, who had fallen pray to evil thoughts after his homeland had been dstroyed. The adventurers did not die, they would not until their time came, for now they were transported to the halls of Templonus. That, however, is perhaps a story for another time.
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is it to late to sign up?
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A pity, both Killer's quitting and my horrifying RP'ing though it would be great if this were up again. (sighs wi*beep*lly)
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Admittedly late to ask but did Killer quite VU permanently.
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Yes, as far as anyone knows, he did quit VU for good.
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