A Dawn of war (RPG Forum)

[Vlad976]

"Oh goodie. More good news." I then look at Mitsu with a confused look, "Wait a minute, how do you know that actually happened?"

[Elvin]

'What..? Are you sure about this? I find it hard Ceres would do something like that.'

After the initial shock I have this sinking feeling that Mitsu tells the truth. She acted all sensitive - it was just a facade. And betrayed the trust we showed her...Unless she was not herself? My mind is whirlwind of confused thoughts.
My visage then takes a steely determination.

'We must turn back, the others need us. If Ceres was able to kill three of our team they need all the help they can get. And she probably wasn't alone in this.'

[asandir]

"You guys may be concerned with the Blind Man, I'm just glad he's here!!!! I did NOT want to fight the Dravens."

[Mytical]

"I have my ways, that is all I am able to say in this matter. Turning back I think would be a bad idea. One, even if we find them, and their bodies..we have no way of ressurecting them. Omega will be able to. Believe me, I want to hunt them down and make them long for death, but we must find Omega, Jasmin, and this poor fellows wife. Now with Omaga and Jasmin, there might be away...if we get close enough. I can Locate them with help. IF we are close enough, and IF they don't try to block such things."

[Vlad976]

After a quiet groan, I speak up again. "Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's get moving." I glance at Saphire and add, "Er, that is if you all are ready go."

[Elvin]

'Very well, let us be quick about it. If she causes more harm by the time we get back she will have to answer for it.'

I sigh. 'I just hope we will be back in time.'

[Omega_Destroyer]

"Urrghh..." Jade moans as she stands to her feet, clutching her left arm. A bloody face looks upon the snow kissing the smoking crater. She stares for a few moments before frowning as a large chunk of spider lands at her feet. Even the sigh of Titan mercilessly hacking apart the spider corpses isn't enough to break her composure.

Bear arroaches the warrior as he drags two, heavy objects along the ground. "He's an odd one all right" he says as Titan's axe tears into a pus-filled eye.

"Can you blame him? Jade asks in a stoic voice.

Bear breaks his gaze and continues with his task. "No, I suppose I can't. It's hard losing friends." Jade looks on as he drags the bodies of Karl and Sven off to a small clearing and begins to slowly dig two graves.

The wind picks up, sadly singing a ballade for the fallen. Jade begins to slowly walk towards the cliff, still holding her side, and with a visible limp. The frown grows more visible as she appraoches the spot of Brock's demise. A large claymore, etched with runes, serves as the last evidence of the berserkers end. Slowly she leans over, picks up the massive blade, and straps it to her back.

"Such an end for a warrior. You need a grave."

In five minutes, the warrior constructs a crude headstone to honor her fallen comrade. "May you fight on forever." She turns away from the grave and starts to look for Fate.

The search ends quickly as she finds Fate petting his dog. "Hey. How're you holding up?"

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"WHAT?!" shouts Saphire, momentairly forgetting that just a few minutes ago, dravens scoured the area. Sun quickly places a hand over the bard's mouth and whispers harshly. "Are you trying to get us killed?" After watching the revelation sink in on Saphire's face, she lowers her hand.

"I'm-I'm sorry, it's just... it's just... are you sure Mitsu?" Saphire sounds like the air has been knocked out of her. She just stands there, taking it all in.

"Great! Just great!" Anger is thick on Sun's voice as she begins to pace. "If I ever find that girl, I'm going to gut her like a stuck pig!"

"Wait a minute, didn't she just say Omega could revive them?" Saphire starts to perk up. "So...if we can find him, we might be able to bring them back right?"

Sun nods. "You're right! We've got to find them. We can't stop our search until we find them."

"Right" affirms Saphire as she shrugs off any trace of the bad news. Try as she might, her face is still riddled with loss. "Ok, then let's go. But let's be even more careful. We can't afford getting caught now."

Sun nods but looks concenred as she watches the Blind Man head towards the wagon.

After about five minutes, the group is back on the road and alert to the presence of dravens.

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"Welcome to your new home," Dhalia says proudly as she and Ceres exit the portal. The two are standing in a spacious room, decorated with ornate, spider statutes and basins hosting dances for flames of red. A large throne lies at the back of the room, directly under a particularily large spider statue. An alter, covered in a black cloth sits in front of the chair. Fresh blood seems to drip off of it.

"This is the temple of the Spider Queen and my court. You'd do well to mind yourself in this place." Dhalia continues as she pulls out the dagger and stares at it. Blue energy swirls around the blade; the matron, for a second, stands enchanted by its beauty. "You've served me very well" she whispers with a hint of pleasure.

A drow male, glad in black half-plate armor and clutching a flail walks in the room behind what appears to be a drow priestess.

"Could you be pick up the pace male? Not only are you slow but you take forever to actually get anywhere. I must be cursed to suffer such company" belittles an angry looking woman, glad in the same black leather/chainmail armor that Dhalia and Ceres are wearing. Six silvery, spider legs stick out of her back.

"You ungrateful hag," the male says under his voice as he follows in tow.

"Did you say something Muerrick?" the priestess snaps.

"Not at all Lamuria." he grunts.

Dhalia turns around as the bickering catches her ears. "Ah, Lamuria. Good timing. We have a new initiate I'd like you to meet. A very promising one at that." She holds up her hand and introduces the mage. "This is Ceres, the one who stole the eseence of the now-dead goddess Moon." She then moves her hand to Lamuria and turns her head to Ceres. "And this is Lamuria, priestess of the Spider Queen"

Lamuria looks at Ceres with cold, narrow eyes. She does little to disguise the odium in her voice. "Charmed."

"And this mediocre excuse for a male is Muerrick. I suppose his sword skills are passable." Murrick keeps a steady face at the comment. "This dog won't be so quick to bite his master. A lesson you could learn well Lamuria."

Lamuria looks down as Dhalia smiles, but says nothing.

"These two will be more than happy to introduce you to your new life down here." Dhaila announces to the mage. "Serve me well and you shall be rewarded. Power, slaves, money; all will be yours if you prove your worth to the Spider Queen."

Lamuria and Muerrick look at Ceres, both with disdain, but are obediant to the matron's wishes. "Very well. Follow us" Lumaria says with the enthusiasm of a child taking an exam.

[asandir]

"wow, i heard you before Mitsu, but it didn't sink in .... perhaps ceres has a reason, but goddam it better be a good one!" I bow my head in remembrance for a minute

"Let's see if we can find our other friends, this has not been a good day."

[Vlad976]

"Well, I certainly can't think of a good reason to stab friends in the back. Literally or metaphorically. Although I suppose I didn't really talk with her, ummm, at all." I draw my sword and take a few practice hacks before putting it away.
"How ya holdin up over there Saph?"

[Sir William S Titan]

After a few spiders are cut up, I slowly walk over to a wall of snow. I turn around, glaring at the chopped-up corpse. The glare vanishes, shorty after, and the rare look of sorrow is upon my face. I drop my axe, and drop to the ground, onto my knees. I make no sound afterwards. I don't even speak to Caratra. I just stare blankly at the spider pieces.

[Ceres]

“New home,” I mutter to myself for I see it more as my graveyard rather than my home. The place amazes me with all of its setting, but the eerie of the Spiders runs throughout my spine and gives me a sensation that I could be back-stabbed anytime soon.

Although Mistress Dhalia introduces me blissfully and pompously to this Spider Temple and to these drows with hard to speak names, I feel unwelcome. But I conceal my impressions by putting a pleasant smile on my face and showing a courteous bow in front of the Matron, “I am very grateful, Mistress Dhalia!”

Knowing more about the temple excites me but I notice the Matron’s wounds that she got from the conflict earlier. I look at her with anxiety, “I am glad to know more about here, but I am more concerned of our Mistress’ condition.” I notify Lamuria, since she seems to be a priestess, she can do something about it. However as I look back at Mistress Dhalia and observes her for the second time, she seems fine. She’s been doing great anyway by blasting that hellish spell at that time. Maybe the wounds didn’t even bother her.

“Odd…”, I assume. “I wonder why I feel this concern to her, I should be more concerned about those whom she had thrown that huge spell, My friends…” the recent event flashes on my mind, “No, I mean, former friends,”. With what happened I don’t expect them to see me as a friend but rather a great foe. Things are different now.

I am alone now... alone with the spiders.

[winterfate]

I look at Jade sadly.

"I trusted her, Jade. Why did she do this?"

Tears start rolling down as I continue:

"I swear I will have her head! Hers and the head of her mistress as well. I will avenge the death of my..."

I stop myself abruptly and turn away.

[Omega_Destroyer]

Twenty very long minutes pass as the heroes sit around, soaking in everything that has happened. Two crude graves topped with large rocks and blanketed with white snow now sit off in the distance. Bear trudges back with a solemn look in his face.

Heavy foot-steps creep up behind Titan and stop. The warrior sits down beside the barbarian and quietly looks down at the ground. After watching the snow fall for a little bit, he pulls a flask off his hip and hands it to Titan. "Here. A drink to honor the fallen."

"I know" says Jade sympathetically. "She will pay for all of this. There is no excuse for betraying friends." She pulls the large blade off her back and holds it high. "This claymore, Brock's Cleaver, shall take her head from her bloody shoulders." The runes on the blade echo the sentiment and flash a bright red.

"But we need to press on. I don't know if the four of us will be able to fend off another attack. We need to get to Northern Alliance as fast as we can. "

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The bard looks at warrior and for once, looks at a complete loss for words. She opens her mouth, but closes it, leaving Vlad with a sad smile.

The trip, thankfully, is eventful. Hoof clomps bounce on and off the landscape, announcing the heroes' quest to the wasteland. The nights are mostly quiet, except for the occasional rain fall. After three weeks of brisk conversation and low spirits, Sun finally breaks.

"So if you've ecountered the dravens before, how have you managed to escape?" she asks the blind passenger.

"I do not know" he predictably responds, much to Sun's irrataion.

"Really? I would ha-" she starts.

"They...they just... stop anytime they come close" The Blind Man responds to Sun's surprise. Even more amazing, he seems to sense her what did they do?"

The Blind Man is now clutching his chest and breathing heavilyreaction. His metallic voice softens a bit but the words remain difficult for the man.

He's risisting.

"I-I do not know...why this," pain seems to sting his body as attempts to finish the sentence "why they did..ugh...this to... to.."

"Did what?" asks Sun eagerly. "Who are they and what did they do?

The Blind Man breathes heavily and begins to clutch his chest. "They.. they want..."

But it's too much for the poor man and he collapses on the floor of the wagon.

"Damnit! I was so close!" Frustration lines Sun's face.

"Well, maybe we'll find some answers here." Saphire says as a the ruins of a great city come into view. A great city known as Anusia.

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"You are a quiet one. That's good. I doubt you have anything worth saying anyways." Lumaria says as she, Muerrick, and Ceres walk out of the temple. A vast underground city now stands before the three. Thousands of people line the streets while business of all kind is conducted.

"Now, what do you want to see first? Your Quarters?" Lumaria asks in an disinterested manner.

"Your skills in dealing with intiates is legendary Lumaria" Muerrick quips, clearly unhappy with his current detail. "You always know how to make people feel welcome."

His remark is answered with a slap to the face.

"Did I ask your opinion male?!" demands Lumaria. "Dhalia may tolerate you, but I certainly do not!"

Muerrick pulls his head back and grins. "Don't you mean Mistress Dhalia? I'd hate to think a priestess was so disrespectful to the matron."

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you, dog!" Lamuria shouts. She takes a moment to regain her composure and turns to Ceres. "I see that answering simple questions is a difficult task for you, so I'll pick for you. Follow me. I'll show you to your quarters."

She, Muerrick, and Ceres enter the enormous city and disappear into the crowd.

Muerrick whispers into Ceres's ear. "She's a charmer isn't she? Best to stay on her good side. That is, if you can find one."

[asandir]

"This is good progress, sir, there is no doubt we shall get to the bottom of it and find your wife .... now that" pointing at Anusia, "is not real good."

[Vlad976]

"So this is Anusia..." I say while looking over the ruins. "I'd hate to be the street sweeper on duty. Alright stay sharp everyone. Anything crawling around here isn't likely to be friendly. Assuming none of us have been here before, we should stick together. If anyone does happen to know their way around here, now's the time to speak up."

[Ceres]

“Hmm… me? Initiate?” I whisper to myself, because I don’t feel like one.

I take Muerrick’s saying as an advice. I really don’t like how Lamuria speaks and acts. She is dominant and fraud – just like the spiders. Well, she’s one after all. She doesn’t even let me talk. I chuckle at my thoughts.

Afterwards, I dare to ask Muerrick, “So, is she a priestess? A ‘high’ priestess of the Spider Queen?”, then I look at him, “And you are a…” I pause for a second and examine him from head to toe, “Ah…well, I really can’t tell,” showing him a grimace since Lamuria keeps on calling him dog.

“You two seem very special to Mistress Dhalia,” I added. “What is your relationship to her?”

[Sir William S Titan]

I take the flask, having to hold it in both hand, because of its size.

"A drink for each."

I take two drinks. I wait a bit, and take a third, to honor Moon, too.

"And..."

I stand up, and walk over to the spider bits.

"...for you."

I take a mouthful from the flask, and spit it upon, what look like, the spider's face.

I walk back, hand the flask to Bear, and pick up my axe. I, then, walk to the wagon, checking to see if everything is still there. If not, I'll attempt to find what's missing. Otherwise, I'll climb in, and wait for the others.

[Mytical]

Mitsu looks at the Blind Man and sighs. She feels horrible that he has had to endure this. Curses has a way of working themselves out eventually, but she wish there was something she could do. Or somebody she could ask for advice. "We need to get going, those creatures will most likely be back before long. I will try to obscure us, but it is hard telling what they are immune to and what they are not. There is one other thing I could try to speed up our search, but I am in doubt as to it working. The location spell seemed to work, but was blocked, when I used the Blind Man as a focus. Which one of you that was close to Jasmin wants to volunteer to be a focus? The chances of them being within range is minimal, and they too may be obscuring themselves, but anything is better then nothing."

[Omega_Destroyer]

After final repects are paid, Jade hobbles into the wagon and pulls out a healing kit to bandage up her arm. "It's a miracle this wagon and the horses weren't destroyed in the choas," she mutters through clinched teeth squarely biting onto a piece of cloth. She rips it and uses the scrap to bandage up her arm.

"Well, looks like we are ready to move again. I can drive." Bear says as he steps into the driver's seat. "I hate to say goodbye, but we gotta get moving. We'll be safe once we reach Frosthold."

Jade snorts. "Safe. Like we've ever been safe. Let's see, we've been hunted by the Highlord, trapped in Ravenloft, and betrayed by one of our friends. I don't think safe is applicable to us."

"That may be lass, but Frosthold is different. It has a guardian." Bear responds.

"A guardian?" asks Jade as she continues to wrap her arm up. "Knowing our luck, it'll try to kill us the moment we set foot in the city."

Bear smiles. "You're a positive one. It won't attack us; it'll attack our enemies. We don't know where it came from, but it patrols the city day and night, destroying everything that's come our way so far. That's how we've been able to hold out for so long. We don't question why it's there but we are certainly grateful that it is."

The wagon jerks and beings to pick up speed as the group resumes the journey to Frosthold.

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Saphire volunteers for the spell but the results are disheartening. The spell isn't blocked and is cast successfully, but produces nothing. No trace of Jasmin remains in the realm.

The view grows more and more depressing as the heroes approach the once great city. The city is surrounded by a large white wall full of holes and cracks, that weairly holds up the remains of a portcullis. Even though the gate is down, the city is easily accessible thanks to decimated area of the wall.

Sun enters the city and stares at the destruction. Buildings of all shapes and sizes have been reduced to rubble. Craters of all shapes and sizes litter the streets. Every sign of vegetation has been snuffed out. A large white fountain at the entrance is filled with a murky, putrid liquid. Strangely, admist all of the destruction, there aren't corpses.

"You never take me anywhere nice anymore Stefan." Sun ribs the rogue. "So where should we start looking?"

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"Yes, an evil priestess for an evil goddess. Seems fitting doesn't it?" Muerrick says as his eyes narrow in on Lumaria. Slendor finger tap lightly on the hilt of a sword he carries at his side. "As for me, I'm..."

"A worthless excuse of flesh," Lumaria snaps at her talkative guard, "who easily forgets his place. Guards guard, not talk. But don't ge me wrong, I'm sure you could rattle on and on about your inflated sense of self-worth to would-be assailants if they attacked me."

Muerrick snears and shuts his mouth. His fingers firmly grip the sword hilt.

"Good dog. I'm so happy when you obey." Lumaria says cruely. "As to you initiate, our relationship to the Mistress is none of your concern. But enough of your questions. Here are your quarters" she motions to a large, black building. "They are inside. I'm sure the dog can help you find your way. Think you can do that boy? Do a trick for mama and you'll get a treat!"

Rage swells in Muerrick's eyes as he silently nods.

"Good boy. Now I must be off. I have several matters that are far more important than you, mageling, to attend to." Lumaria says as she heads off into the busy city. Once out of range, Muerrick looks relieved as he and Ceres come to the entrance of the large building.

"Someday, I'll acquaint this loevely blade with her neck. It has so many things to say to her." Malice hangs heavily on his voice but quickly fades. "But no need for such talk now. These are your new quarters. It's where all the initiates stay. Would you like to see them now or is there something else you'd like to see? We have some time to kill before that rotten hag returns."

[asandir]

"That's not what you said last night my dear. That liquid looks bad, anyone wanna take a look?"

I will give the immediate area a scan, looking for oddities in all the mess