Fetzen

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

Well I've honestly lost track about where the group actually is right now due to the confusion, so I've decided to try and make my post abstract and vague enough so it would fit pretty much any location that one can leave and enter again. Don't know if that worked exactly well though :/

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

An-Hasst turned his head as he heard the familiar voice of Argon nearby. He was in no way surprised that the pround lizardman was accepting the plan they were going to put into action. The hissing in his tone shared some exaggerated similary with a cloud of volcanic gas forced to escape its sizzling pressure vessel via a very narrow crack, but something in the back of his mind told the Skayleigh that this kind of comparison might even be a bit understated when it came to Argon's will to hunt. He wouldn't be surprised to find the lizardman greedly consuming a dead Dorcha, to be honest. And some people claimed that his own kind would be barbaric...

"Three miles ?" he addressed Beren. "So that's half a mile away from the village. Sounds acceptable". An-Hasst gave a nod, then went off to retrieve his stuff. As he was doing so he unavoidably encountered Nicademus in all of his impressively clanking armor. Probably the knight didn't know it, but the statement about 'needing some fresh air' came very close to triggering a spontaneous burst of laughter on the Skayleigh's side. If Nicademus was in true need of fresh air shortly after having strapped on all this metal, what would he be in need off once having fought with his helmet on for a while ? Or, to put the theory the other way round that didn't compromise on the assumption that the knight was a thoughtful man who knew what he did: This had to be a petty excuse for getting outside, so an extra motivation for himself to head out, too.

An-Hasst didn't venture exactly far with that in mind, though... He was stopped by Settionne screaming something to the gods. "And a new set of ears, too!..." the Skayleigh added seconds after the ritual appeared to have reached completion. When had been the last time he had heard the small man to ascend to such a high volume ? He couldn't remember, but at least the outcry had triggered him to stop on his way outside and stay very close to the ritual circle. Maybe there was some truth to all this fuzz and he was still in range for some blessing, too ?

Now he ultimately headed out though, patting Nicademus onto his armor shoulders from behind as he reached the man. "Everything alright ?"

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@Mortarion

Kings & Killers: A Classic Fantasy Adventure (Chapter: 0) (COMPLETED)

I'd like to ask if it is still possible to join this :)

I don't have a readily fabricated character idea as of now though.

Mortal Empires

@Brand I have to apologize for the huge delay. I hope things will stabilize for me within the next week :/

Mortal Empires

Very slowly, but also very surely, it had come to Othuoy's mind that the Library of Ages might have been the preferable choice after all, at least if he had opted for it. At least there the worst thing he would have had to expect would have been the legendary tempest in the teapot, not this men-consuming havoc. However, even though he had hardly any experience with the sea at all, the way those two men had gone overboard had been... strange. Were there large, carnivorous, predatory sea-dwelling species in these waters ? Could very well be. At least those probably wouldn't care about any storm on the surface since they could just dive deeper. That wouldn't make things any better for those still aboard though.

The gargoyle tried to get closer to the Captain for the sounds of wind made it very hard to understand each other, but the harness that had kept him safe so far didn't allow him to get far away from the mast. "Frankly I don't see anything!" Othuoy yelled into the storm, hoping that at least enough fragments would reach the mad man's ears. "How long do you think it will take ?" It was a rather innocent question for the outside observer, but if Othuoy was honest the real intention behind it had been asking 'Do you still believe we can make it ?'. Even if the ship would hold together not collide with anything, they wouldn't do it without any crew left to handle things. And, at least some day, they'd have to get back as well.

Now Othuoy had enough. Having been tied to the mast for the last couple of hours in the midst of a storm unable to do much was nothing he could appreciate. The gargoyle started fumbling around with the knots and ropes that the harness was comprised of and undid the thing before ramming his claws into the surface of the deck's wooden planks. The captain wouldn't mind that way of moving around with improved safety, would he ? Othuoy knew he was heavier than any man, so him getting tossed around now would put the deck to the test. Slowly, he crawled forwards towards the captain.

"I want to see this myself!"

The Five Senses

It was directed at Chres.

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

@Fetzen
I thought I saw you did, I guess I was mistaken. Well, I'll let you have until monday. You don't need to post much.

@POOHEAD189

I double-checked it and it is true that I indeed have not. At least until now. It's a rather shitty post, sorry for that :/

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

The Skayleigh had not slept particularly well. In fact he had hardly slept at all. Trying to get some rest in a wild environment was one thing, doing it inside a completely foreign city was another. He had become so accustomed to nothing but the earthen ground and a thin layer of cloth beneath him that the sudden change in environment hadn't done his sense of calmness particularly well. It was a quite disappointing experience for the half-elf had clearly hoped otherwise. One could tell An-Hasst's current state of mind and tiredness by, well, the interesting colors of his normally entirely gray-ish skin around his eyes.

To make matters worse an announcement and offer was made that he had no way of rejecting. He himself had told Nicademus the day before about the dangerously close presence of Dorcha, so it would have been unacceptable for him not to go on this endeavour right now no matter what. He gently raised his hand to indicate that he had something to say. "Well if I'm allowed to speak frankly, we already have demonstrated that we don't care about what the Dorcha deem to be their territory. And given the carnage they had to suffer due to our unexpected interference I think pretty much anyone with only the slightest knowledge about the concept of retaliation would be more than happy to see us encountering one of his traps. If they're on our tails than they could as well wait for us to leave this settlement again. We, at least those participting, will do this now, but at least with additional support around us. Why hide now if we have to leave this place sooner or later anyway again ? I'm in."

The Skayleigh didn't wait as much as a few seconds for a response. Right now he was capable of strictly linear thinking primarily, and that meant that retrieving his armor and weapons was the next important step on the agenda. They could very well talk more once underway -- and maybe eat something. His stomach was indicating hunger.

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

You all posted within 10 days time! W00T!

@POOHEAD189

This is a flat-out self-accusation, but... I haven't. At least according to my memory. Because I suck and am procrastinating like hell these weeks due to all my work, writer's block and other things :/

The Five Senses

Approaching the and arriving in the city had been smooth sailing, routing operation. The relative open-mindedness of the people, the comforting fact that one could still stock up on supplies even relatively late in the evening and the huge availability of choices in terms of taverns to have a night's stay in were all things Týfurkh could appreciate, but that small part inside him just had felt it to be a bit too close to the brink of utter boredom. Of course people had turned their heads as they saw him striding through the narrow streets, guiding his horse Jafnir behind him, but that was nothing he wasn't completely used to.

The place that had become his ultimate choice was in a somewhat delapidated state. Small, narrow and cramped in between other buildings of greater size it really was a very far cry from a beautiful sight, but it had been dirt cheap and the local he had questioned had told him that The Rusting Nail actually was better inside than it looked outside. After a short squeezing action through the doorframe, Týfurkh had found out that this, in fact, was true. Not too many spots where beer had once been littered on the wooden floorboards months or even years ago, no rainwater dripping down from the ceiling and enough candles to keep everything illuminated sufficiently. A massive increase in ventilation would have served the place well though, but Týfurkh had not mentioned this to the man behind the counter once he had shoved his enormous self through the small crowd of patrons.

The fellow had identified himself as Bob, a freshman who, according to a regular visitor of this place, had started working there just on that day and had never been seen before. Instincts had told Týfurkh to double-check any food Bob would provide him with -- one could never know with inexperienced people. Surprisingly though the first chunk of roasted beef had turned out to be of such a superior taste and tenderness that Týfurkh had decided to eat a double portion. The second one however had turned out to have the consistency of rugged leather. No, the thing actually had been leather. A piece of parchment, to be precise. And the words written on it had still been in such a good shape that Týfurkh's eyes had found no difficulty catching them before his mind cold have ordered his mouth to complain about the meal.

Hello.

I have to apologize for the inconvenience, but you are one of the more elusive persons to catch up to. I am Bob and I have an important message for you: Beneath its cold and calm surface this city is on the brink of collapse without knowing. Do have a good night's sleep and give yourself as much rest as possible, but do not entrust yourself to anyone for he or she most likely will either be a member of a cult that is trying to take over the city by the power of a distortion or one of its victims. I can give you instructions about how to protect yourself from insight, but I can't protect you from any more physical side effects a mass outbreak of madness will have. Consider yourself being in danger, be prepared for having to make a rapid retreat.

Yet there is hope. Once things break loose you should head to another place in town immediately. There is a bunch of people you should become friends with not only to improve everybody's chances of survival including your own, but also in order to try and save the city of at least a smaller, remaining part of it.

I know you're a good man, right ? Don't disappoint me, don't disappoint yourself. Sorry for the interruption, but I'd highly appreciate if you wouldn't tell anybody about this. I will serve you another, true piece of meat within minutes.

To say that Týfurkh had found this to be disturbing would have been a massive understatement, but even strange messages should be taken into consideration sometimes. He had had a gut feeling of this being serious, so he had decided to rent a room on the first floor only -- a place where on could jump from if necessary.

The next morning, the sun had barely risen over the horizon and started to send its red rays into the small chamber, Týfurkh woke up. He had kept the window open in order to allow some fresh air in, but now people were really overdoing it with their chimney fires... Or were they ? He raised himself to his full height and didn't even to fully turn towards the window in order to notice there was more to it: Fire! Not one house was burning, but half the street already. And even if one put one's standards as low as 'people frantically running around and crying for water and other help' there weren't any efforts about extinguishing the mess to be seen, only... carnage. A lot of carnage, including guts slashed open and bodies lying on other bodies already.

Týfurkh strapped on his shoulder plates, reached for his crossbow and jumped. He had slept in as much armor as he could possibly do while sleeping at all, so not much time was wasted. The impact he made on the ground was a very tremendous one, but his kneeds and thighs could take the strain. He had to get to his other place Bob had mentioned, but should he ride ? No... while faster, he would also have to avoid any obstalces that could be overcome on one's own feet otherwise. So, though very reluctantly, he freed Jafnir from the stable and allowed his animal companion to roam freely, to try and save itself.

Then he started running. It didn't seem as if the raging madness had spared anyone at this point, a few of them even tried to choose him as their next victim but failed. Týfurkh tried to make this quick, pushing himself closer to his limits as he was running, jumping and evading people and burning debris alike. Then he saw something... A... staircase ? A construct that obviously shouldn't be here. It appeared as if another, more and more ruined tavern was nearby and he tried to catch a glimpse at Chres' face. Bob had written down a visual description of whom to look for and this appeared to be a somewhat precise match. Týfurkh set up a message, one that by the power of his magic was neither disturbed by his heavy breathing nor shouted in order to get through. A very efficient, very narrow channel throug which his words were focused in order to reach the other man's ears alone:

"Wait for me!"