Spawn of Shadows

[Temotei]

Hmph. It's time to report. Let's go.

You find yourself in your necromancer friend Uriel's room in the fortress you know so well. Candles light the otherwise completely dark room, allowing you to keep your normal vision active. However, Uriel seems to have kept the rest of his quarters unseen by some dark magic. He starts for the passage leading to a secret passage into a hallway only known to The Ruler's most intimate subjects. Like the necromancer's room, the walls are lined with candles periodically, so as to keep darkvision unnecessary. Black carpeting with rich gold designs lies on the cold stone floor.

There were...three active "heroes" searching for you? One seemed to have trouble acting after you hit him with that distraction spell. Perhaps he died.

An amused expression crosses Uriel's face. You imagine he's thinking of the dangers the party will face if they do what he predicts they will do--take the objects with them.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

*The extravagence of the fortress was always something that Naum enjoyed - it was an outward reflection of their power. While the rest of the world struggled to keep itself dry and out of the mud, those with true power lived in luxury as Kings. It always made him smile.*

"Perhaps, though I doubt such a trivial playtime such as that would have killed any of them. Unless I am severly mistaken, that was never the plan."

*He chuckles softly, running his fingers through the flame of a candle as they walk by it.*

"It has been so long since I have been allowed some fun that I almost regret having to leave so quickly. Perhaps I will be granted another opportunity later. I would hate to be tardy with a report."

OOC:

alright - that color work for you? and also - you never filled me in on any of the details, so I was curious if you'd do a little of that as well.

[Temotei]

OoC: It's coming. You'll be filled in gradually. Your character is essentially the one who knows the least of your empire's plans in terms of leaders. You lead a large part of the army (made mainly of live humanoids, but also of undead, goblinoids, and easily dominated creatures, such as kobolds), but not because of your power. Uriel and the two others could probably do just as well because of power, if not better. You're charismatic and the others mostly do not want to lead large groups because it "restricts their freedom." You know Uriel from years of experience in the fortress and you've worked with him countless times on both trivial and all-important missions. As a symbol of your leadership, each of you are given amulets granting abilities based on the wearer's own spirit. The wooden objects you and the ghoul dropped are items granting very minor abilities, but they are mainly used by the empire to summon undead. They essentially form undead with shadow, and when the undead are "killed," they disappear, leaving the wooden object behind for future use. :smallamused:

Indeed...

You continue down the halls, following the secret passage to a room rarely entered, called the shadow portal. Symbols--familiar symbols, representing each leader, with The Ruler's in the middle--lie on the floor, designing each corner of the room and the middle with brilliant purple, black, red, blue, gold, and silver. This room, too, is made of stone, and an unusually-colored chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Instead of normal candle flames, the chandelier holds candles matching each corner it's facing. Facing your corner are purple-flamed candles; facing Uriel's corner are black-flamed candles; facing the half-shadow dragon's corner are red-flamed candles; facing the other leader's corner are blue-flamed candles. In the middle, gold- and silver-flamed candles to match The Ruler's symbol. You can feel magic emanating from the room before you even enter, and going in, the sense almost overwhelms you. Of course, you know not to worry--they're just healing and warding spells, after all, reacting to the presence of your amulets.*

You've been here once. Do you remember how to use the portal? Simply step forward onto that purple rune over there. That's your symbol. When I step on my symbol, we must both evoke power from our amulets at the same time. It only works when multiple leaders use the power...so...don't attempt anything.

He winks and grins a little.

When we arrive, do not speak until you are spoken to. You know the drill--all-due respect and all that.

*You have full hit points and spell slots, and resist energy (fire), resist energy (cold), protection from good, and freedom of movement effects. You also gain 15 temporary hit points.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

*Stepping into the Room of Rulers, as he had heard it referred to before, Naum pauses a moment, smiling at his surroundings. There was extravagence, and then there was Power. This was both.*

*Stepping forward onto the symbol which was inscribed to represent him, there was a bit of pride, and a bit of fear - always a bit of fear when dealing with His Majesty. He bowed his head respectfully.*

"Of course, Uriel. I obey, as always."

OOC:

Alright - cool. I was just hoping for a little more, but if you plan on doing it slowly, that's awesome too. I like your Idea for the wooden foci. Very fitting.

[Temotei]

As do I.

Raise your amulet and channel power through it...now.

Uriel's amulet starts to glow with an eerie, shadowy black. As you raise your amulet, it turns a dark purple. The colors match the symbols.

The Room of Rulers slowly starts to blur. After several moments, everything is black. Nothing is visible, even through darkvision. Then, it's all over. You find yourself in a rather medium-sized room with a throne in the back. On it sits the man known The Ruler or Lord Rukvaine.

Uriel walks toward him slowly. You see a bit of his black tattoo showing up on his neck. Each of the leaders was required, when they came of age (fifteen), to be marked--if they were properly raised and of the proper amount of power. If one or neither condition was satisfied, the child would be sent into the ranks of the army to serve under a more worthy sibling.

Ah...I've been expecting you. I am glad to see you both in one piece. How was the mission? Did you find out anything about the pursuers?

Uriel bows.

Indeed. I believe Naum will be able to say more than me, but what I've seen is a formidable group. Simple necromancy and evocation is not enough. There were four, but only three stayed active in our little skirmish. Naum's performance was excellent. Surely, if we had stayed, we could have taken them down, but of course, that was not the mission you gave us, my Lord. Truly, they will continue to search for us.

Uriel shows hardly an expression during his oratory, but does bow after, leaning slightly toward Naum this time.

And you, Naum?

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar
*Stepping forward at Uriels direction, Naum bowed low, making absolutely sure to pay the proper respect to his Superior, his Lord. When he speaks, however, his voice is strong, confident. Anything less would be an insult. Weakness.*

"Uriel speaks truth, my King. They are inexperienced, and while they fought together when forced to do so, I beleive they will split easily if the need arises. While mostly ineffective, they do have a surprising amount of magical power at their disposal, and I do not believe they should be underestimated. I think they will take the bait provided and search us out, as you deemed necessary in your infinite wisdom. Speculating any farther than this would be foolsih of me."

*Bowing low once more, Naum takes a couple steps back before waiting, still with his head down. He was no fool - he would have never made it this far if he were. He would wait patiently until told otherwise.*

[Temotei]

Excellent...

The Ruler pauses for what seems an eternity.

...My Lord?

Hm? Oh, yes. Your reports are excellent, and almost better than expected. I continue to be pleased and impressed by your progress. I will call upon you when I have decided on your next mission. Until then, you are free to do whatever you like.

A short pause later, and an amused expression crosses Lord Rukvaine's face.

Have fun.

Uriel bows, moving to leave the room through a door behind where you entered swiftly, but not too swiftly. Once out, he lets out a fairly profound sigh.

I hate going in there.

The now-closed door is designed differently--more gold and silver line the edges than black--which isn't to say there isn't any--there's plenty of all the leader's colors. Red fires on top of blue ice and water; purple beams shooting around black skeletons, ghouls, and other undead. However, instead of pure colors, each of the symbols and inscriptions is lined with gold on the outside, and silver dots the whole of the door.

The grand hall you now stand in is nearly exactly like the secret passage's hallway. The only difference is the door now behind you. In fact, the door seems to turn invisible slowly, although the inscriptions, symbols, and colors all stay, making it appear as if the wall is a mural or some other type of art. The Ruler enjoys privacy.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

*Waiting to be dismissed, Naum exits at the same expidient clip that Uriel does, breathing the same sigh of releif. Someday, that would be gone. Someday, he will have proven himself capable and powerful enough that he will earn his Lords respect. Someday.*

"I don't hate it, but never look forward to it. I fear the day I ever fail Him. So tell me, Uriel - what grand schemes do you have boiling on your fires? Anything entertaining?"

*He watches the door disappear before turning to follow the other down the hall. Perhaps there would be time for some diversions. Lord Rukvaine had specifically instructed them to have fun. There were a couple of things that he was interested in, but they could wait if something more entertaining presented itself.*

[Temotei]

My friend, there is more fun to be had than you can imagine. You remember Nurdek and Reise? I'm sure you do. Nurdek, as you know, is the master of...less than subtle tactics around here. While you and I focus more on darkness and special forces, he is more of a...barbaric type. His symbol is the red one that appears in the top left corner of everything around here. Reise...well, she's special. Nobody really knows of her specialty in magic or combat, but there are some speculations. I believe, based on her personality and symbol, that she is a sort of hybrid. She's quite a roguish type, so be careful with your possessions if she starts to eye you. Ah! And here she is.

Hey.

Reise looks down at you, frowning for a second, but she manages to bring her face into a neutral position again.

Nurdek is outside gathering the proper resources. We'll be ready within the hour.

Excellent.

Uriel turns away, toward a staircase on your right, brushing past you at a slightly slower pace now.

Follow me. We need to get our own resources.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

"I seem to be the only one that doesn't know what we're going to be up to next. Would you be so polite as to inform me, Uriel? Or would you rather keep me in the dark on this?"

*Falling into step behind the other, he runs through a mental list of the various things he would bring with him just in case. He kept most of them on his person, but there were one or two things he would grab, given the need.*

"On a related note, I do remember a bit about Nurdek. He was responsible for that grizzly affair in Seaport a few months back, wasn't he? Yes. I would say a little less than subtle, but effective, regardless."

[Temotei]

I'll show you.

Uriel pushes open massive doors slowly, revealing a library the likes of which only the Empire could hold. As soon as the doors hit the walls on either side, the necromancer scurries forward toward the opposite side of the library. He answers to your other comment.

Indeed. Those deaths were not necessary, but it's not Nurdek's fault. The citizens of Seaport were not cooperative. Alas, for I had hoped they would join us without bloodshed. Oh well. I benefited from the brute's great killing through an increase in forces, he benefited through fun and blood-fuel, Reise benefited through the profits of looting Seaport, which just happens to be quite wealthy, and you benefited through the knowledge that any tactic can be effective, as long as the situation fits it.

Uriel touches his amulet, levitating up to one of the highest books on the shelf. As he starts to lower himself, you see the cover of the book is covered again in some kind of black outline. Uriel mutters, still holding his amulet, and the black floats sluggishly upward into the necromancer's hand.

This is the Book of Darkness. As cliché as the name is, this book is to be respected. With it, we may initiate new members into the army, summon the spirits of shadows, and more. The vast amount of possibilities is incomprehensible, even for me. Tonight, shadows will reign. Tonight, darkness will prevail. Tonight, our quests will converge, making but one. Tonight, a new era begins--an eternal era of shadow and darkness.

Reise bursts through the library door on the opposite side of the room, covering the library's length in hardly any time at all.

We're set! Let's go.

She rushes out just as fast as she came in. Inhumanly fast.

You ready, Naum? Our goal for tonight is to complete The Shadow. There is a small province not yet covered in darkness, which we will transport to this night. Through this, we will find entertainment, excitement, and glory.

Uriel smiles broadly, triumphantly, as he starts a light jog toward the fortress entrance, outside the library and down the staircase, through the great hall.

Outside, Nurdek and Reise wait impatiently, tapping their feet on the ground and their fingers on their crossed arms.

Hurry up. I want some blood!

Nurdek, for his reputation of being the most bloodthirsty bastard known to man, isn't that big. While he does stand over a foot and a half taller than you and the rest, it always seems as if he should have been bigger. He's bald. On his face are multiple scars, dark red, running down his face in several directions as if he was splashed with acid. His neck is covered by thick chains. The brute's arms pulsate with blood, his raised veins looking as if they are ready to pop. Nurdek wears hardly anything, but his legs are covered in heavy armor, and his chest is covered by a light metal piece. His boots follow the suit of his legs, clad in heavy metal. Small spines protrude from the big guy's knee armor.

Reise wears black leather armor that follows Uriel's assessment of "rogue," covering all of her extremely thin body. Her dark red hair is loose now, unlike in the hall outside the library. She wears devil-winged boots--perhaps they are what give her the speed of a peregrine falcon.

Well?

Quite right, Nurdek. Off we go.

Reise smiles, showing sharp, pointed white teeth.

Excellent...

Uriel raises his amulet, and the others follow suit.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

*Not wishing to interrupt Uriel, Naum follows quietly, listening as he is told of the book.*

"An interesting thing indeed - but one would think that such a powerful artifact would be held somewhere else. I would say somewhere more secure, but I doubt there is such a place."

*Thinking for a moment, he shrugs.*
"Then again - what better place to store a book than a library. In the end, it matters little."

*As they rush outside, Naum shudders a little at the sight of Nurdek. He wasn't afraid of the man by any means - he wasn't even the most dangerous of people here, but he always sent a chill down Naums spine. There was something more there. He just couldn't place it.*

*Raising his amulet in concert with the others, he waited - there was nothing important to say, but mentally, he prepared himself to find resistance - there was almost always someone who wanted to fight.*

OOC:

On a note of interest: Holy cow you change your avatar a lot. Just for kicks?

[Temotei]

OoC: Indeed. I do change my avatar "just for kicks." I have several--one for Valentine's Day, this one, an evil version of this one, a Final Fantasy 2d6 one, a gender-bent version of this one, two dark aasimars, and a dark draconic human (those last three are also versions of the current avatar).

*Before Leaving Library*

'Tis not me who chose its resting spot. Anyway, this book is more secure in here than any other fortress, building, or home in the entire world. No sane thing would dare steal from us.

*Now*

Wreak havoc!

Nurdek's voice carries into one of the last remaining unshadowed towns, echoing off the quiet buildings. Beggars on the streets widen their eyes at your seemingly random arrival, fully knowing the day of retribution was to come. One citizen walking down the road turns right back around, yelling to the town's other citizens.

Run for your lives! Death is at hand! The flameseeker is here! He's here with the rest of those wretched...

The citizen's yelling is cut short by a shadow appearing directly in front of him. It strikes the man, knocking him out, if not killing him, instantly.

Time to have some fun. Nurdek will take the middle. Reise can take the back of town. I'll take the right, you take the left. Off we go!

Uriel takes off toward his favored direction, leaving you to go where you will while Reise runs between households, hiding from the main combat that has now burst out from Nurdek's rampage. To the left, where Uriel told you to go, there are several beggars, multiple ordinary citizens cowering in corners, and many buildings with boarded up doors and windows.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

*As the others make their way through the streets in different directions, Naum pauses for a moment, listening to the screams. They start soft, building slowly as the panic spreads. At first there is communication - one person telling another what is happening, but soon, the panic spreads faster than the knowledge, and the city seems to come alive with fear. It WAS going to be a fun night.*

*Walking was something that he rarely enjoyed, but as he moved steadily through the streets, it was different- because everwhere he walked, he left the city in a state of frozen calm - people immobile and frozen solid from the cold wintery blasts that he unleashed again and again.*

*There was no pity, no pause as he unleashed the Arcane cold upon those huddling in fear. They knew what was coming, and made their choice.*

"Come out, come out wherever you are! Fast as you run, you won't get far!"

OOC:

Okay, I apologize for the lateness and shortness of the post, but I'm working like crazy lately, so it will have to do for now. 11 hours off, 34 on duty - makes for some rough nights. I'm still good to go though - if that ever changes I will be sure to let you know, no worries.
Also, I decided what I was going to put that last feat into: winters blast, from Complete Mage. I didn't have any abilities that wouldn't run out, so it works nicely.

[Temotei]

We're all going to d... *Frozen*
Run! *Frozen*
Ingus! No! *Frozen*

Go from this place, fiend!

A literal knight in shining armor comes running toward you, a great axe raised above his head, readied to strike as soon as he's in range. The man lunges forward, attempting to drive his axe straight into your head. Fortunately, he misses your head, but the man does manage to stick his axe into your stomach. You're able to dodge away in time to avoid death, but grave damage has been done.

Damage: 30 damage. It was a critical (:smalleek:).

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

OOC:

alright, I think I get an attack of opportunity for a charge, so I'll roll that too, and hopefully hit, since that would interrupt the attack....
[roll0]
And if that doesn't hit, he's going to get a lightning bolt -
[roll1]
[roll2]


"I will do no such thing! Fry, you fool!"
*Tapping the magical energies in his spear, he blasts the warrior with lighting, the crackling sound filling the air, smell of ozone all around*

[Temotei]

OoC: I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Part of the reason is because of the party's delay, but another reason is because I lost the statistics for pretty much everyone and had to rebuild a bunch of them. Again, sorry about that.

The knight stops dead in his tracks, literally shocked. As he drops to the ground, you notice that lightning wasn't the only thing that went through him. A fairly large dagger is sticking out of the man's neck, protruding out of his throat, causing blood to practically spray forward and back.

Behind him is Reise.

Nice. Clean and dirty at the same time. Heh.

After tearing the dagger out, she runs off, slowly blurring from your sight.

Roars coming from Nurdek echo off the walls and you can hear and sometimes see blasts, probably coming from Uriel.

An old man steps out of his house and promptly runs back in, locking the door.

A young woman is close, lying still on the ground to your left. She must have been in combat or paralyzed with fear, for her fingers are clenched together into fists.

A dog and a cat race by you.

All in all, the town is mostly in chaos. It seems the most resistance is coming from the middle of town--sounds of metal clanging and flesh rending reign.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar

*Giving a small nod of thanks to Reise before she makes her exit, Naum pauses, shaking the ringning from his ears. It was close - if that one had been much more powerful, he may not have been so lucky.*

*Pausing for a minute to collect his thoughts, he turns, heading towards the sounds of battle, making a quick, merciful end to those not fast enough to clear from his sight.*

"Well, unexpected entertainment at least. At least the others are keeping themselves entertained."

OOC:

Okay, well, I just need to clarify, to figure my hp - did the spear attack hit the guy?
Other than that, I need to do some quick perusing of my character sheet to see what kind of healing I have available. I always seem to overlook that...

[Temotei]

OoC: Is there an obscure rule for attacks of opportunity against charging opponents? If you mean readying your spear, sure. I'll allow that--mainly because I was absent for so long.

If you've got the rule, though, cite it here.

The town has gone almost completely silent. The only noises come from dogs, cats, hogs, and rats.

"Did...are they all...gone?"

A stuttering woman crawls out from beneath a house, apparently unaware of your association with the others.

"Are we safe?"

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar
*As the woman climbs out of her hiding place Naum blinks a couple of times, honestly surprised that anyone would be that foolish. A perfectly good hiding spot, ruined.*

"Yes, I do beleive we are safe. Or rather - I am safe, and it will no longer be any concern of yours what happens on this plane, so in a matter of speaking, you are safe as well."

*With an almost absent-minded gesture, he unleashes a wave of unearthly cold at her, not bothering to see the results before continuing on his way. Perhaps what cosmic forces there were would reward him for eliminating another idiot from the ranks of the living. Perhaps.*

OOC:

Huh. Well, I thought there was, but I guess not - my apologies. It never hurts to check, next time I will do so before saying anything, however.

[Temotei]

Reise comes sprinting around a corner toward you. She doesn't pause to talk; instead, she grabs you, hauling you along for the ride as she continues to run as fast as she can.

[Temotei]

Have you heard of the Blood Hunters? Nurdek is one. This time, though, I think he's gone too far. Something's wrong with him.

[DueceEsMachine]

Naum Vidar
*running along with Reise, he doesn't try to object to the frenzied retreat. There must be a reason, and pressing, if there is no time to explain.*

"No, I never have - How could he have gone too far? We were sent to destroy the place, am I missing something? What has he done?"

OOC:

Wow.... so for whatever reason, my subscribed threads never lit up for the post you did on 4-26, my apologies. The little green mark didn't pop up for the new post yesterday either, I just happened to notice it, so I'll have to keep a closer eye on it. I'm glad this is still a go.

My apologies, agian.

[Temotei]

This town isn't an ordinary one. Nurdek is attuned to crystals of anger, just as Uriel is attuned to crystals of sadness, I am attuned to crystals of fear, and you are attuned to...well, we don't know yet. There are two more types of crystals--excitement and ego. Anyway, Nurdek must have found a crystal. This one is...different, however. We've found three crystals of anger already, but he's never turned on an ally. It's disturbing and-

Let's go. Nurdek can handle his own problems with that crazy pyromaniac. We should go before they level everything--including us.

Reise starts patting Uriel down, as if searching him. He just raises his arms.

A few moments later, Reise stops and both allies raise their amulets.

...our amulets are drained. D-

Uriel is cut short as Reise shoves him out of the way, taking a massive fireball for him.

I think it's time we stop talking and run, yes? We have a long way to the fortress.

They both look at you, expecting input.

OoC: Bah. School. Too much work. Anyway, I posted in the other thread and this one is going to hopefully keep going just like that one--fast.