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See here for information on this project.
Please do not post in this thread. I am attempting to recreate the old text and posts in the middle of that would mess up the flow. The following is still a work in progress. I have the whole TS done and hope to finish reposting it soon. Please, post in the other thread.
Special thanks to Pallas Athene and Avatara.
This TS was originally started 9/28/2000. I am not sure about the ending date, but I may add it if I find it.
*I did not write any of the following text. I have merely repost it. I have credited each poster with his or her post and credit them collectively with the writing of this work.*
EDIT: For the moment (possibly anyway, it depends on how things work out), I've deleted some words (all that I could find at least) because I can't bring myself to have them in my post.
The Undine Stronghold
Slayer:
And so Kestrel, Avatara, and Slayer began their quest to the Undine Stronghold.
Rogan:
When the party moved out of Cademia, Avatara suddenly became aware of a fight. Two men, one wearing a gray shirt and pants, were fighting just outside of the city. One of the men hit the other so hard that he passed out. "**** ******* trying to steal my oboloi" the man said, turning around to see if there were more of them. When he spotted Avatara, Kestrel and Slayer he grabbed his sword, a large sharp-edged sword with a mysterious red light and shouted: "Friend or foe?". "If that was a robber",Slayer replied,"friend". "Good. I am Rogan", the man replied. "An adventurer. who are you?"
Eldargon:
"I am Eldargon, your executioner" came a voice from the shadows of the nearby forest.
*A huge man steps out from the foliage. He is clad in stage gear, not normal for regular warriors. Carrying an axe who's mere pressence releases a powerfull aura that surrounds him, the man moves up to tower before Rogan.*
"Your noise can be heard from miles away. More bandits will come to the defence of their companion now, all because of your arrogance. Pray, be quiet, or I might have to shut your mouth for you."
Turning to the rest of the group Eldargon asks, "What is your purpose in entering this area?"
GameFanatic:
A figure appears in the distance, running from the east. When he finally catches up, he is revealed to be Fanatic, heavy-laden with gear. "Rumors are spreading like wildfire that an expidition is being lead to the falls in the south! I myself was in Kosha when a traveller had claimed he had come from Cademia and had heard about an expidition, such as this. I knew this was an opportunity of a lifetime! I rushed westward in hopes of finding the rumored expedition and who did I find? You." Fanatic laughs.
Slayer narrows his eyes, "What are your intentions?"
Fanatic laughs again, "Dose'nt it seem obvious? I'm here to join you!"
Slayer asks, "Do you think you have what it takes?"
Fanatic answers, "Yes I think I do. I rate myself very adventurous and intelligent--Who is that?" Fanatic asks, eyeing the very tall figure with the huge axe.
theKestrel:
theKestrel interposed himself between Eldargon and the newly met Rogan, "Our purpose is our own, and you would do well not to chastise those who rid of us vermin like that," said I, gesturing at the unconscious man. "What is YOUR purpose in being here, for I know of no owner of this land, save the crown. You speak of being our executioner, I do not feel executed just yet." I said this as I drew Belenov out of her sheath. Blue sparks dripped from the naked blade. Holding it before me, "Are you here to help or hinder? Speak quickly, for we have need of haste, and if you are to be an enemy we should like to dispose of you quickly and be on our way."
Avatara:
*Avatara stepped up to back up kestrel, drawing his runeblade as he did so. A blue aura starts faint, then grows around Avatara as he powers up his magical abilities.*
"Don't give me a reason to..."
theKestrel:
theKestrel clears his throat, a look of fire in his eyes, "Well, what's it going to be."
GameFanatic:
Fanatic glances around, thinking, 'who is this tall stranger? what does he want?' He notices Avatara building up energy and Kestrel's shining sword. Fanatic gathers up his own small magic and casts. he whispers to Kestrel "Its a 'lie detecting spell' I learned in Pnyx. If he claims to be friend, but is a traitor, i will know so he could'nt possibly backstab us without us knowing"
Then Fanatic glares at the tall stranger and says, "As Kestrel asked, freind or foe?"
Rogan:
Rogan grabs his sword. "Yes. Who are you? I am interested in joining these men in their quest and would like to know if i should walk with a drawn sword and an alert eye, as a friend adviced me to". Eldargon, who is much taller than Rogan, stares down at him and says: "I am a friend...for now". Still, Rogan starts to power up his magical abilities.
GameFanatic:
"Yes." Fanatic agrees, "My lie-detecting spell indicates that he tells truth; he will be our friend for now but later he will turn on us, though I not know when...This much i can tell you: While he stays as a 'friend' he will be of valuable service. Let him stay, for the time being for I also will play a part this journey though I do not know when, where, or what it will be.
"Ah, you see well, Fanatic," says Slayer.
Kestrel agrees, "This kid is better than i thought, and he knows a little magic. He will be useful, no doubt."
Fanatic responds, " Of course i'll be usefu--WHO ARE YOU CALLING KID??
I'M EVERY BIT OF TWENTY ONE!!"
Everyone laughs, even Eldragon.
Rogan:
Rogan puts his sword down. "It is good to know that you are a friend" he says, looking at Eldargon. "Oh, I don`t think anyone told me what I am about to embark on. Was there something with a stronghold?"
theKestrel:
"Indeed, we head to a newly discovered stronghold of the Undine, before they would grow so strong as to be unassailable at their own fortress. We must hurry for I fear that our time is limited. Let us be off now, all of us, including our mute, friend for now, companion."
With that theKestrel strode off southwards, once again heading towards the Undine Stronghold, with the others close behind.
Rogan:
"Undine...I have been in some strongholds before, killing some lichs and demons. I once found this ring". Rogan shows a golden ring with a ruby to the rest of the party. "I discovered the ring in a tomb a long time ago. It seems to strenghten my body in some mysterious way. In fact I found my sword, Excalibur, in the same place. I do not know if there is a connection, but the sword is indeed powerful. I once sliced a Hydra in half, and..."
Slayer interrupts a dialog which could seem to last forever. "Shall we proceed? I think attacking by sunset is a good idea".
Everyone agree and the men continue to walk. Rogan fetches a bottle of wine from his sack, takes a sip and puts it back in.
GameFanatic:
So everyone sets out to the Undine Stronghold. Everyone is feeling a bit tired after Eldragon showed up, but they HAD to reach it before dark. Fanatic, however made a different suggestion.
"I have an idea. Lets attack at night, so they cant see us. I will use the spell 'Daylight' in a way that only we will be able to see them. They will not see us, for they will not see my spell. Good plan, huh?" Asked Fanatic
Slayer answers, "That kind of spell is impossible!"
Fanatic sees the Southsore vineyard and says follow me. he leads them into the vineyard and into a dark room. Fanatic then powers up the spell 'Daylight' and Slayer sees it.
Fanatic asks "Kestrel? Rogan? Avtara? Can you see anything?"
Kestrel shakes his head and says, "I dont see anything."
Rogan and Avatara agree together "Neither can I."
Fanatic then says "So it's settled. The spell is not impossible. If you think we're playing some sort of game, cast youre own lie'detecting spell on them and ask them."
Slayer responds "i believe you."
The six travellers depart Southshore Vineyard and continue thier journey to the Undine Stronghold
Slayer:
And so our party approached the stronhold under cover of darkness. The journey through the swamp was difficult. We battled our way through swamp gators and poisonous snakes. Many of us were biten by poisonous insects that were hiding in the stagnant and stech-filled water of the swamp. Fortunately, most of had learned basic healing magic from Pnyx, so the poison was no trouble. Finally, we reached the waterfall that hid the undine stronghold. We stepped through the rushing water of the falls. What we saw astonished us. The hidden caverns seemed to extend forever...
Avatara:
...and a horrible stench wafted out, causing some to gag...
Eldargon:
(out of character)
Sorry, I don't have access to the internet over the weekends. I didn't meen to slow down this post, so once again, sorry.
BTW: Rogan, thanx for keeping my character in there.
(back in character)
*Eldargon thinks...now is the time to see the true souls in these people. Will they show themselves worthy, or will he have to try to depose of them like he did a former group not too long ago. Hopeing that the former is the truth, for these people look powerfull enough to beat him if it wasn't, the party walks slowly down the cavern to the first test awaiting them.*
?Rogan:
(Out of character)
You`re welcome, Eldargon.
(Back in character)?Fanatic then casts his spell and everything is as bright as the day.?Rogan draws his weapon, narrows his eyes and whispers: "Is that a demon?"?*Pointing at a shadow in the far distance*?Slayer replies. "I think so".?Then the demon suddenly turns his head towards the six adventurers.?Avatara is worried. "Can demons see in the dark?"?The demon comes closer...
theKestrel:
theKestrel drew his blade Belenov, "I don't think I'll wait to find out." He leaped forward, blue sparks arcing in the air, as he brought it down upon the surprised demon. The demon managed a choked utterance. theKestrel looked around sheepishly, "Sorry, probably shouldn't have done that. I don't think it was heard though. Come now, let us venture farther into this hell." So speaking, he slowly threaded his way farther into the rough cave, blue light escaping from his eyes as he concentrated his mana, just waiting for the first poor fool to cross him.
They met no one else on their descension into the caverns, the Undine must have become arrogant in their lack of watchfulness. As they turned the last curve to the floor, they slowed to a crawl, literally, and shimmied forward on the rocky cave floor. Rogan's spell was working very nicely, I was impressed with it's longevity. Here is what was laid before us:
A solid wall across the cavern, about 60 paces long and perhaps 40 paces ahead of us, and at least 20 feet tall. On this were two towers rising into the air at a height of some 30 feet tall. The tower's contained slots, easy for archers to shoot out of. A main gate was in the middle of the solid stone wall. The gate, made of heavy oak and bound with iron was perhaps 14 feet across. I turned back to look at my companions, as I moved backward, I pushed off using a rock....I looked, horrified, as the rock began a tumble towards the floor....it echoed with a sharp report.
I heard loud voices raised from within the fortress. I signaled no motion to the rest of the party. I heard Rogan's audible gasp. "What?" I hissed. "My spell, they've altered my spell," he said in an awed, and frightened voice. "No time for wondering how at the moment," I said. As I spoke I heard the creaking of the iron bound gates opening, and turned towards it. A party of creatures unspeakable stood at the gates. Their leader was something straight from hell, a black shroud, no face visible from within the cloaked recesses of his hood. ??"GO BACK, FOOLISH MORTAL CHILDREN, YOU CANNOT TOUCH US HERE!!" With that the party of roughly a score of demons and undead, complete with their leader, began a slow advance......
Avatara:
*Avatara instantly jumped in front of Kestrel muttering "good job" in a dry tone. He raised his hands high and brought them down. Bright bolts of blue lightning arced from his fingertips and fried the front row into oblivion. Even Slayer seemed suprised as a head from one of the creatures hit the ground behind him with a sickening splat.*
"Get ready, I can only do this for a short time..." *Avatara says as he attacks again, this time with searing fire that toasts most of the creatures in the front row, and melting a few rocks.*
Rogan:
Rogan gets up beside Avatara. He draws a dagger from his belt and throws it in the head of an undead. The undead falls, silently. Rogan puts his arm out and casts a fireball on the attacking group. Several undeads and three demons fall. Everyone unleashes all their magical powers on the attackers and seconds later, only the leader and four demons are left...
Eldargon:
The party then realize that Eldargon is no longer there. He must have slipped out earlier when no one was paying attention. Oh, well, he was a strange one anyway. But Rogan remembers Eldargon's words, "I am an ally, for now," and doesn't believe that they have seen the last of him.
theKestrel:
"Help me out," I yelled as I went forward to engage the leader now that Avatara had him distracted. I ran forward with Belenov drawn. The first contact jarred my entire arm, threatening my grip on Belenov. I parried his next blow and thrust forward, spinning on my heal. The cloaked one blocked this easily and came at me with a blurring series of blows laid so fast, I was hard pressed to keep them from me. Blue sparcs flew from my blade as I swung with every ounce of skill I could muster, this demon-child seeming to flow with his attacks. From my periphery vision, I could see that the last demons which had issued from the gate in the initial party were dead. I hoped that one of the party could soon stab this thing in the back, it would be a huge favor. My thigh felt as though liquid fire had pierced it, and I looked down to see the hilt of a dagger sticking from it. I spared a wild glance from my opponent, seeing with dread that there were archers and knive-throwers manning the towers. We had to finish those few outside of the Stronghold now, and get those towers controlled. I felt Avatara summoning more spells, along with the rest. Good, they were going to be in time. If even all of us could take him together that is.
As I slipped my pain-hazed eyes back to my opponent, I saw the great gates of the stronghold ponderously swinging shut....
GameFanatic:
Suddenly, Fanatic rund off to the left and they all hear an explosion in the direction that Fanatic had run off. A few minutes later, rogan is still battling the leader when theres another explosion to the left. Just then, a figure steps out of the shadows. Slayer misakes it for a demon and stabs its chest. Suddenly all goes dark. slayer casts his enlightenment spell and drags the figure out of the shadows. Slayer had mistaken Fanatic for a demon. Fanatic is dead.
Rogan:
Suddenly, the dark figure vanish. He is gone. Rogan casts lightning and fire at the archer towers and soon, everything gets silent. It is then Rogan finds out that Fanatic is dead. "Oh no!" *looks aroun nervously* "What happened?" Slayer replies: "I killed him. It was all my fault. I thought he was a demon!"
Rogan puts his sword down and says: "Well, I am to weak to help him. I drained my magical powers on the demons".
Theo Nean Donly:
***Out of Character***
Not exactly the type of test I had thought of. I was thinking more of a non battle test like the riddles in the swamp ruins. Maybe there could be one later on though...
***Back in Character***
Eyes peep out from a slit in a secret side passage at the group as the battle comes to an end. Eldargon frowns at the shadowy figure, that one is always getting in his way. Not directly, but he remembers many the times when a party of wanderers is killed prematurely by a "cloaked individual".
He can only wait and watch as Fanatic is killed. "That one wasn't so bad," Eldargon thinks to himself. Maybe there is a little hope left for these people.
Slayer:
Slayer begins casting a spell. Fanatic's remains are surrounded by a blue glow. Some of his wounds disappear. Fanatic stands back up, but his legs seem unstable at best. "Fanatic," says Slayer, "you shouldn't surprise me like that! I thought you were a demon! Next time I might not have enough power to revive you. As it is, you'll be in no condition for a fight any time this week." Slayer finishes lecturing Fanatic on the dangers of being killed, then turns his attention back to the evil leader. Fanatic, on the other hand, walks over to the nearest wall and sits down. Death was a very traumatic experience for him.
Avatara:
*Slayer dodges out of the way as Avatara is thrown against the wall next to him. He looks up as the world turns black...*
-----------------
*Slayer turns to the figure, just in time to see Kestrel knocked down. This creature is stronger than we thought. Slayer finishes casting his spell, and awaits the effects...
theKestrel:
Shaking my head back and forth, trying to clear my thoughts, I was beginning to get angry. I jumped up, a bad idea as my head started swimming again. I pressed forward though, pissed at this thing. It came towards me, no fear in it. I tensed my muscles and swung Belenov with a vengeance, blue sparks spraying the vicinity. He was quick, but now I was using all my strength to keep him on the defensive. I was throwing my whole body behind every thrust and slash, and I was tiring quickly. I went for a cut at his neck; blocked. I thrust at his chest; parried. I decided to be very stupid, and I threw Belenov at him. This surprised him, and he ducked and it merely cut a gash in his cloak. What he didn't avoid is the fireball I threw at him. I had the satisfaction of seeing him knocked backwards, and his cloak look a little singed. I smiled, right before I felt a feeling that surely could only be caused by my brain deciding to jump out of my skull. I saw Slayer drawing power around him like a cloak as I blacked out.
GameFanatic:
Fanatic said to slayer, "thank you...that was my fault...I should not have snuck up, but there were liches running after me and the only way for me to escape was by hiding in the shadows...Im sorry...I tried to slash the liches with my sword, but the instant the sword touched them, it shattered into tiny bits...anyway the path to the exit is unblocked, and I will travel to a cave rumored to be the home of a fime blacksmith who uses magic, and then to LandKing Hall to heal without encountering any enemies...i know a secret route..."
Fanatic sounded dazed.
Slayer asked "Are you crazy?! You cant travel in this state!"
Fanatic answers, "Trust me...I know what I am doing...I'll be all right..."
Slayer says, "Ill go with you"
Fanatic responds, "No...it would be best if I went alone."
TheKestrel agrees, "let him go. i sense he can get there quickly enough."
Fanatic nods once and walks calmly off.
The battle between Rogan and the demon leader rages on for hours, both weakening slowly.
Meanwhile, in a cave northwest of the Undine Stronghold, a figure asks Fanatic if he wishes to buy a magically enhanced sword. "--Golden woven sheath and all. Are you interested? It costs 200 oboloi."
Fanatic answers, "Deal," hands him the money. The swordsmith hands him the new sword. Then Fanatic seems to vanish with his new sword.
A minute later he seems to appear out of nowhere right befor Alaric, the LandKing himself!
Fanatic says to Alaric, I am in need of desperate help. Can you heal me so that I am able to battle again?"
Alaric answers "Of course I can. Anything for a young brave adventurer, willing to fight on my side, such as you."
Alaric starts to glow. Then Fanatic starts to glow.
Fanatic now feels more powerful then he ever was.
Fanatic says, "Many thanks." then seems to vanish.
Now about this "Vanaishing Act," Fanatic, of course, had the directed nexus spell, but he seemed to be one of the few who chose to use its full powers. Upon entering the Stronghold, he had places a strange looking rune right outside the gate. That rune just happened to be a warp point for the directed nexus spell. He had placed a few warp points around the whole of cythera, but he hadn't placed one in the swordsmiths cave, so he had to travel by foot. That's why it took him about an hour to get there.
Fanatic appeared outside the caverns, and rushed in to meet his companions.
he took out his new sword. The sword seemed to glow in an eerie purple light. Then Fanatic slashed the demon leader, who was still fighting furiously against Rogan.
"that'll weaken him for you, Rogan. Now finish him off!" Fanatic yelled.
Rogan:
As the cloaked figure falls, Kestrel jumps over him to get his sword Belenov. He grabs the sword and turns back to resume the fight with him. "Help me out!", Kestrel shouts as his powers is weakening. Rogan grabs a dagger from his belt and throws but the cloaked figure takes no damage from it. Rogan shouts to Kestrel: "Stand back!" as he casts a lightning on the cloaked thing. The ground starts to rumble and the thing gets covered by electrisity and flames...
(out of character)?****, I`m getting credit for a lot now...first the spell, then the fight
theKestrel:
*out of character*
You must be popular.
*back in character*
Through the screen of lightning engulfing the dark cloaked figure, I could see he was in pain, but he should be dead already! I sheathed Belenov and reached for another fireball which I threw at him, joining the lightning. I formed a solid wall of air, and threw it at the figure. He was thrown backward, stumbling, but keeping his footing. This was insane, what was this thing? Feeling as though I had been dragged through a press, I reached for another spell.....
GameFanatic:
Then the thought struck Fanatic. It had to be an Undine! He took out his sword and slashed the whole thing fron the cloaked head down. He had cut it in half! the cloak fell, and some bright looking water oozed out. It lay there, water cloak and all, for a few seconds. Slayer, Kestrel, Avatara, and Rogan had barely gotten to shout for joy when suddenly, all at once, the water oozed back under the cloak which had started to rise. just then the cloaked figure, ehich had reformed itself, began shaking. The explorers all heard laughter in a twisted shrieking voice. It called, "WHEN I EXPLODE, NONE OF YOU WILL EVER GET OUT ALIVE!!!!!!!" Everyone heard a loud crashing BANG, and for everyone, it all suddenly went dark. when Fanatic opened his eyes he was lying on somthing mushy that registered in his head as swamp mud. Slayer was yelling at him.
"YOU FOOL! YOU GOT KILLED AGAIN! In fact, Kestrel and i were the only ones living after the blast and we had to drag all of you out of the cave and cast resurrect on all three of you. It was a madhouse! Demons and Liches running everywhere! I guess that Thing was the brain of all the stronghold."
Fanatic replied, "you know what I think? I think that Thing was an Undine."
Everyone stared at Fanatic.
After a while, Fanatic said, "Let's go back to cademia, unless any of you want to go back in and kill the rest of the demons and liches."
Avatara:
Its too late for that...
The thing is too powerful now, it knows what we can do, and is probably regenerating right now. We need to go back, and now.
Avatara turns, and walks back inside, followed by...
GameFanatic:
Followed by Fanatic
Avatara:
*The cavern is now empty as the two adventurers enter. Appearantly the dark figure and the creatures have set a trap or retreated somewhere. Avatara ponders this as he carefully walks to the other side of the cavern. Beyond is another impossibly long passageway.
The two adventurers walk down until Avatara stops Fanatic without warning. Fanatic begins to open his mouth but stops as three poisoned arrows appear in the wall just in front of him.*
"Whew, that was close!"
"Keep your eyes open, the traps have just begun..."
*As if to herald Avatara's words, a giant rumble is heard at the enterance of the cave...*
theKestrel:
theKestrel hurriedly followed Avatara and Fanatic with Slayer and Rogan right behind him. As he passed under the entrance, a sound like a bomb ripped through the air. I threw up my arms and cast a Holding spell when I saw the rock chunks falling through the air. Slayer and Rogan dived into the tunnel, me holding the rock in the air. As I flung myself forward the entire opening collapsed, sealing us in. "Hurry, we have to catch up with Avatara and Fanatic," I said.
GameFanatic:
Suddenly Fanatic sees a brightness up ahead. it was some kind of ghost but whin it went through Fanatic and Avatara they both seemed to be in pain. then more rocks, some giant axes, really big blades, more rocks, and a pit. By this time Kestrel, Slayer, and Rogan had caught up. Fanatic could see the end just ahead, but it made no sense. If Fanatic didnt know any better he would have said that this was Maayti, lost city of the seldane. he had traveled there in a prievious mission to capture a crolna piece. But they had been going due north, and the ruins under which the lost city of maayti was directly southwest of the falls! Somthing was wrong here, and none of them liked it one bit. in the distance he could see liches running around. Fanatic took a few steps. then he was not in Maayti but in the dark tunnel under abydos. the others then followed close behind, all seeing what fanatic was seeing. another few steps, and they were in the caves under LandsEnd Volcano. then they were in the slums of cademia and a sort of wind started blowing toward them as if trying, in vain, to hold the adventurers back. now they were in the halls of pnyx, where the wind got stronger. now they were in land king hall, and the wind was now so strong that they had to force themselves against it. now the weary companions were in the temple of scylla, and the wind was just about to throw them all the way back to the beginning when suddenly, holding on to a statue for dear life, they thrust themselves forward and the wind stopped, and they dropped to the wet floor of a cave. ahead was a door that seemed to be made out of energy, and behind it, was the figure of the cloaked leader.
Rogan:
The cloaked thing didn`t notice the five adventurers gathering on the other side of the force wall. He was holding a book or something, maybe a tome. Rogan gasps. "Look at my ring!" Rogans ruby ring is glowing red like his sword."It never did that before". The ring glows more and more and suddenly, the force wall vanish. Everyone draw their weapons just to discover that the room was empty. The cloaked thing was not there. "Strange", Avatara says as he walks into the room followed by the others. Everyone look around. The room is a dead end. No passage leading out exept the one they came in. A bookshelf and a wodden table is all that is in the room. Rogan takes the book lying on the table and says: "Hey! Look at this! It is unbelieveable!" Everyone gathers around Rogan but no one notice the two eyes staring at them from a crack in the wall...
Eldargon:
Eldargon chuckles to himself as Rogan picks up the book. The fools! They run ahead with no knoledge of what they are doing! But there is still a chance of them making it, if they would only think through the clues one final time...
Rogan:
"What is it?" Slayer asks confused. "It is Tavaras journal...complete edition", Rogan chuckles. He continues, more seriously: "It propably tells where his secret tomb is hidden!" "Let me look at that", Kestrel says and takes the book. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blows trough the room, forcing Kestrel to drop the book. Everyone gets fairly surprised as they realise that the dark cloaked figure is back, standing in the doorway.
Eldargon:
He laughs at them, then mutters something under his breath. Black waves of shimmering air roll over the companions, temping them to fall, but they know that to do so is to never stand up again. Laughing again, he draws his sword and springs at them, hacking wildly.
Rogan:
Rogan draws his sword and parries the dark figures first blows, but he trips and bangs his head into a rock and passes out...
Avatara:
*Avatara, realizing he can't win in his weakened state, grabs the book and runs past the party, using the wind to propell him forward. Slayer and the others scowl at him, but stop when the black figure begins to give pursuit...*
(Don't kill me)
GameFanatic:
Suddenly, Fanatic realizes that this isnt an undine under the cloak. It must be...Tavara's ghost! Fanatic casts a holding spell on the figure and everyone runs after Avatara. Then, without warning, they had gone through a fake wall and there, in front of them was Tavara's underground lab. they had no idea what to make of it. through another earthen hallway, and up a ladder and suddenly...they were above ground in lost abydos! It was night and all was quiet, until a great shout of rage came through the opening in thich the ladder went downward. Kestrel drew his sword Belenov. Rogan drew his sword, Excalibur. Slayer, Avatara, and Eldargon power up thier magic, and Fanatic draws his own enhanced sword, which he had decided to name Black Bane. All prepared to fight.
Rogan:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Monaco, Courier">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GameFanatic:
<B>Rogan drew his sword, Excalibur. Slayer, Avatara, and Eldargon power up thier magic...
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
*out of character*
Actually, Rogan is unconscious and Eldargon is not in our party right now <IMG SRC="http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/cool.gif" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="15"> <IMG SRC="http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/wink.gif" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="15">
*back in*
Rogan opens his eyes and looks around. Everyone is gone. He is bleeding from the head. He suddenly remember what happened and he looks around in the room for the book. When he can`t find it, he starts to walk. Rogan decides to take a pause and casts a healing spell on himself. Then he leans to the wall, or at least what HE thought was a wall...Rogan, very surprised, falls backwards trough the same passage the others went trough and he is also in Abydos...
GameFanatic:
Suddenly, a burst of purple light blasted up from the hole. the figure popped out of nowhere and began attacking the adventurers. everyone helped in weakening it, and in a few minutes, white figures began pelting it, seemingly hurting the figure.
"Its the ghosts of the mages that were in Abydos when tavara blew it up! they want revenge!" Fanatic suddenly yelled.
the ghosts continued pelting the cloaked figure, which Fanatic was sure it was tavara.
one of the ghosts floated in front of the adventurers and said in a whisper "the time is right! strike him down and avenge us!"
Everyone prepared to strike the final blow.
Rogan:
Everyone attacks the now weak cloaked figure. It falls with ease, its body lying on the ground. Rogan looks around...the ghosts are gone. He then says: "Anyone managed to save the book?"
Avatara:
Um..actually I'm still holding it.
(btw-this topic was about an Undine Stronghold, just so you know. Now, to get this on track again)*Suddenly, the air around them shimmered. They found themselves in an immense cavern.*
"Darn, the whole thing was an illusion!" someone muttered.
"Yeah, like the stuff we saw on the way in." another member replied
*The cave was pitch black-but from the time it took for an echo to reach them, they could tell it was a giant cavern. And everyone had a feeling there was something there...waiting for the right time to strike...*
theKestrel:
A cold sweat began to run down my back, everyone in the party was paralyzed with fear.....there it was again......a dragging sound.......swush, swush.....it was coming closer.....some undefeatable feeling stopped our actions....swush, swush.....closer now...swush, swush..swush. From out of the darkness, a burst of fire spewed forth into the air, and a resounding roar filled the cavern, echoing for what seemed and eternity. For we had seen the beast.
The dragon had highlighted itself with its flames. This merely increased our fear, for dragons are immune to all forms of magic, as they are of such powerful magic themselves. Another roar, and a gout of flame came in our direction, the blast of hot air coming over us. I wrenched the fear out of my heart, and began running towards the cave wall, hoping to get behind this monstrosity, at very least to attack from the side. From the light provided by the next burst of flame, I noticed the rest of the party scattering. The dragon noticed also, and I saw a terrible red eye turn towards me, the flame came towards me, and I flung myself behind a boulder at the last instant. Sweat was running in rivulets off of me.....I hadn't been able to reach inner forces, my magic! With a sense of dread, I realized that none of us would be able to reach our magic in this cave, wherever it might be......
Eldargon:
Eldargon sighs again. When would they ever learn? They made it past the first test, understanding the illusion, and that was more than anyone else ever had. Still, the quest was far from over.
GameFanatic:
Fanatic lit a torch. then in the other hand he held his sword, which seemed dull without it's purple glow of magic. He noticed that Excalibur and Belenov no longer glowed. Everyone struck the dragon and sliced through with ease. but it didnt seem to falter and as it kept going, the slash marks disappeared.
Fanatic said, "i can use one more spell but it would take up all my energy."
Fanatic casted the spell and at once the dragon fell asleep, and not only did Fanatic's sword Black Bane start glowing, but Belenov and Excalibur started glowing.
Fanatic then said, "now you should be able to use magic. go get some water, there's a nearby underground stream. Here's a pail." Fanatic provided a pail.
Slayer responds, "what do you mean, water?"
Fanatic answers, "The dragon mainly harnesses the element of fire, right? So, doesn't water put fire out?
Avatara answers, "Yeah,
Fanatic goes on, "so if we pour water on it, it should weaken, right?"
Rogan says, "Yes."
Slayer then fills the pail.
then they pour it on the dragon. the dragon wakes up and the swords go dull again. the dragon seems a little weakened, but not enough to matter.
Then Kestrel yells, "Dump him in the river!"
they get on the side of the dragon and push. down it goes, into the water. then they hear a hideous shriek, and suddenly the swords start glowing, and frome the light of the glowing swords (Fanatics torch had been spent) they saw the dragon, writhing in agony. suddenly the whole cavern filled with light because the dragon had exploded.
"thats 1...2...3...4...5 tests." Fanatic finally said, and they marched on...
Rogan:
As they went further into the cavern, pillars and a stone floor appeared. Strangely, no guards or anything were present. "The Undines are quite arrogant",Rogan said, "Relying on the dragon to take care of intruders". The echo in this cavern was very high and Rogan puts his hand to his mouth, a reflex, surprised over how far that propably could be heard.
Everyone was still afraid and wondered if they would ever get out alive. Suddenly, a noise was heard: A "thump" like noise maybe a rock falling or a very loud footstep. Rogan was now more certain than ever: Someone was following them...
Eldargon:
Eldargon practicly choked when he accidentily stubbed his toe on a crag in the floor. The party up ahead of him paused for a few seconds, telling him he had been heard. Ever since the fall of the dragon, Eldargon has been following the group, wondering how they had caught on to the dragons weakness so fast.
One last test remained, and Eldargon, now certain that the adventurers were worthy, wanted to be there to help them through. But they must not know of him, because ahead was something, not even Eldargon was sure of what, that could read people's minds.
Slayer:
As the party ventured onward, their surroundings became increasingly damp. Water dripped from the walls. Kestrel rubbed his hand on the wall, noticing how this water seemed significantly more cohesive than ordinary water. All of the adventurers had noticed puddles sliding around through the corners of their eyes, but said nothing, attributing this to paranoia rather than actual events. The sound of rushing water could be easily heard overhead. Suddenly the ceiling behind the team collapsed and a massive wall of water poured forth. Everyone braced for the oncoming torrent, but it never hit. Instead, the water pulled itself into one enormous figure. For a moment the universe seemed turn upside down and inside out. When reality calmed down, each adventurer discovered himself alone and surrounded by a wall of water. And from the water stepped their greatest fears...
Slayer:
Slayer found himself alone. He watched as his greatest fear emerged from the wall of water. He hesitated for a moment, then charged at it. He sliced madly at the embodiment of his fears, but to no avail. The figure took no damage. Slayer noticed that his sword no longer had its characteristic glow. The figure slashed at Slayer removing a sizeable portion of his armor and, to a slighty lesser extent, the flesh underneath. The beast struck Slayer once more, sending him flying back against the wall of water, cracking several ribs in the process. From the feel of things, the wall of water could just as well have been a wall of bricks. Slayer cast a healing spell on himself, but it fizzeled. Again. It failed. He grabbed at his pack for healing potions, but discoved that his pack was empty. The figure approached Slayer. Slayer had finally figured out what was going on. He stood upright, intentionally putting himself wide open for the attack. The creature struck Slayer with its enormous might, but nothing happened. The claws went straight through him but left no mark. The room began to fade to darkness. Slayer opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor, along with all the other members of his party. He quickly searched himself for injuries, but found none. Slayer stood and faced the enormous water creature that was still taking up a large portion of the passageway. As he looks through the water creature, he sees Eldargon rushing to catch up to him.
GameFanatic:
Fanatic knew that he had to override this creatures power that was draining the magic from them. Suddenly he had an idea. He focused on his magic. then he shut off all that was going on around him, so that he could see or hear nothing. then he strained every bit of his magic and suddenly, everyone's swords shined brightly. Fanatic then joined the fight.
Tycho Maudd:
Out a a small crack in the wall a magical arrow shoots out and embeds itself inside the water creatures body cancling the anti-magic for a few seconds...
**out of character**
The person who shot the arrow is MY character. NO ONE TKAE HIM FROM ME!
Avatara:
*With magic once again useable to him, Avatara unleashed a massive, blinding blast of lightning, causing people in LandKing hall to jump and hold their ears as the loud blast of thunder came instantly afterward. A few seconds later, as the steam cleared, the party saw to its dismay that the water creature was still standing-unphased by the blast-in the center of a large ring of destruction and rubble.*
GameFanatic:
Fanatic then sees that the figure in the crack is nothing more than a ghost. Realizing that, he makes a sudden move to stab the monster. the monster seems to reel in pain, but everyone knew better. the monster redoubled its attack.
Eldargon:
Eldargon stepped up beside the group, looking straight into the monsters' eyes. Everyone looked at him, but no one questioned, as his hands suddenly twitched and he threw his axe, Burrowblade, at the things head. The creature was caught by surprise, atleast relativly speaking, and was barely able to dodge out of the way as it cut a small gash along it's shoulder, where some thick, goey water-like substance oozed out.
"You must react to your thoughts immediately!" he yelled to the others, "As soon as you think of something, do it, otherwise it will be to late. I know it's hard to do, but that is the only way to beat the beast."
Eldargon then sprinted into a charge straight at the monster. Unfortunately, he was planning to dodge around it and get his axe from the beginning, and it knew that. As he made his manuver and swerved his path to the right, a watery limb swung around and hit him square in the face. Eldargon flew across the tunnel to crash into the wall, and slumped to the floor where he landed.
Tycho Maudd:
out of charater:
I did not have an anti-magic spell, i shoot an anti-anti-magic arrow
In:
the "ghost" is the crack suddenly take shape and charges at the monster trying to fight it in hand to hand combat with his magic steel gauntlets. Right when he is about to hit the monster its body appers to liquidfy and He stumbles right through the monster crashing into Fanatic knocking the both of them on the ground.
Slayer:
Slayer, taking Eldargon's advice, erratically zig-zagged towards the water creature. Slayer hacked at the creature with his sword when he got close enough. Unfortunately, his sword had no effect as it simply went straight through the monster. The creature knocked Slayer over by hitting him with a huge column of water. Without warning and while still getting off the ground, Slayer let a spell loose, quite glad that the creature's anti-magic field was still inoperable. It had obviously been cast much too hastily, as the effect was quite chaotic and nowhere near as effective as it should have been. A misshapen ball of ice flew from Slayer's fingertips, shattered, and partially struck the monster. Pieces of the creature froze and cracked. Slayer, making the most of the creature's temporary distraction, began casting the spell as it should have been. He utters a few words, makes a few gestures, then points at the water creature. A perfectly round ball of ice, about six inches in diameter, flew from his hand. The ball flew about halfway through the monster, leaving a frozen trail. It then exploded, turning about a quarter of the creature to ice. The newly formed ice fell to the ground, shattering into a million pieces. The water creature suddered violently, obviously in a great deal of pain. If someone wanted to defeat the monster, the opportunity certainly presented itself right then...
Rogan:
Rogan raises his hand and as he whispers something. A storm of ice followed by a large lightning struck the creature, freezing it then bursting it to pieces. The millions of small ice fragments flew in all directions. Silent...when everyone had calmed down, Rogan said: "Rest in pieces". *Gets a bottle of wine from his bag, takes a sip and puts it back in* Everyone jumped up and down shouting "victory!". Everyone but Eldargon. "It is not over yet", he said.
Avatara:
*As if to make his words come true, the pieces of ice had slowly slid back together. Everyone turned as the ice melted and the creature rose up again...this time knowing what to expect. The creature changed tactics while Avatara slipped away when nobody was noticing.*
Tycho Maudd:
Standing up the person who knocked fanatic down introduces him self "Hi I'm Tycho Maudd, it looked like u need some help so i casted a spell to bring my self back to life. I was killed by this monster a while ago and couldn't revive myself until he was distracted." Looking over Slayer's sholder sees the monster reforming himself, and yells look out as it swings one of its massive arms at Slayer.
theKestrel:
I moved forward and spoke words which darkened the very room we stood in, "Dos Nois Heola Bikiok" A Flame spurted from the ground, and I commanded the elemental to attack this water creature. I turned to the companions, "Do we flee or fight?"...
Rogan:
Rogan grabs and holds around his sword. "We fight", he said.
Slayer:
And so, the water creature and the fire elemental engaged in battle, while the party arranged itself to take care of things should the fire elemental lose. The fire elemental was the first to act, firing a jet of flame at the water creature. A puff of steam emerged from the creature. The creature made its move. It rushed, as best an enormous blob of water can, towards the elemental. It crashed into the flame, filling the cavern with steam. As the fog cleared, it became clear that the water creature had won. The elemental was completely gone. Only the water creature remained, albeit significantly reduced in size...
Rogan:
Rogan whispers some words again, as he raises his hand. The ground starts to shake and stones fall from the ceiling. A large pillar that looks like a bar support hits theKestrel in the head <IMG SRC="http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/tongue.gif" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="15"> and everyone exept Rogan ducks and covers. The ground collapses under the water creatures feet and it falls down for a long distance. "Earth elemental spell", Rogan said as he approached the new hole in the ground.
It is now that the members of the party notice that Avatara is nowhere to be found, and he is still carrying the book...
GameFanatic:
The water figure came flying out of the hole and landed right in front of us.
Suddenly, Fanatic yelled, "dont you remember the dragon? you know that fire is useless against water! try this."
Fanatic whispered a few words, one of them--everyone was sure--was "zap." Fanatic then unsheathed his sword and held it above his head pointing up.
At first, everyone saw it as a tiny point of light, but it kept growing. it was lightning.
Fanatic yelled, "Lightning elemental, come forth!" suddenly the lightning struck Fanatic's sword, but instead of shocking him or dissapearing, it stayed on the sword. suddenly, Fanatic thrust the sword right through the water creature as it was about to attack rogan. the lightning seemed to light up the whole monster. the monster seemed to be in agony. in fact, it fell to the ground. Everyone prepared to strike the final blow.
(now where have i heard THAT before? <IMG SRC="http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/wink.gif" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="15"> )
Eldargon:
Eldargon opened his eyes at the specticle and was amazed at the progress of the group in their battle. He made an effort to rise, but the pain in his limbs was great, and his head was dizzy from his collision with the wall. He tried to cast a healing spell, but it utterly failed. Things couldn't be much worse for him.
As the group continued to hack at the water-creature and the lightning still shocked it, it slipped into the cracks in the hard floor, becoming impossible to hit and loosing its electric charge. As everyone stared into the cracks, the ground around Eldargon bagan to get slimey with mud.
**out of character**
Please, lets not forget that this thing can read minds. I could be wrong, but it seems that some people have ignored this.
**back to story**
GameFanatic:
A figure was rising from the mud. Fanatic quickly cast a healing spell on eldargon, who immeadiately jumped back up and began hacking the water creature whom the mud was slipping off. fanatic came running, followed by Avatara, Slayer, Rogan and Kestrel.
(out of character)
Dont forget you are in this too, Kestrel!
(back in)
they surrounded the monster and hacked for thier life, knowing that the monster was now too weak to fight back. soon, they stopped hacking. the water creature seemed unstable.suddenly, the creature exploded! but it was not over yet. the cave was still falling in. they were still going to die...
GameFanatic:
They ran form the falling boulders, they ran through the dragon's chamber, they ran through the false Abydos, they ran through the room of illusions and suddenly, Fanatic remembered the Direct Nexus spell. He yelled "Quick! everyone join hands!" Everyone did and suddenly they were not in the cave anymore. They were back outside the waterrfall. Suddenly, boulders shot out of the entrance behingd the waterfall. Fanatic was severely weakened by the spell, because he had also used the spell on five other people at the same time. "Now lets celebrate! Lets go back to the tavern and the champaigne is on me..." Fanatic said weakly, and dozed off...
GameFanatic:
And so, weary from the past few days of battle, the expidition returned to the tavern in Cademia. On the way, Fanatic saw a strange lake with an island in the middle. he set a Directes Nexus Warp Point by a large pillar with a large engraved triangle. Fanatic would investigate later...
Now, it was time to CELEBRATE!
(Out Of Character)
Slayer, Avatara, I think it is time to close this topic and start a new tavern topic.
(Back In Character)
Little did Fanatic know that a challenge much harder than his past experience was yet to come... (The challenge stated above is the topic Land King Hall -For Story-)
THE END
This post has been edited by Selax: 27 April 2007 - 11:16 PM
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