POOHEAD189

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

Argon casually flicked his tongue out, blinking at Alice. "Why, friend Alice. I can try, yes yessss." He then stood up to his full height, and his serpent-like neck stretched to its highest elevation. He was now about three quarters as tall as the giant. The giant who had taken An-Hasst's words to hear, but also realized that his fellow brethren would not be perturbed by such sentiments. For all intents and purposes, he had gone back into becoming merely a rock formation.

An-Hasst clambered up the mound to stand atop the rocky outcropping, and over the vast plateau he could see the winding ways in which one could travel through. It looked much like the veins along skin, or rivers atop a map. Behind him, he could hear Argon hisses erratically. "I can perhapsss follow the trail, yesssss." the Lizardfolk said.

Fortunately, that would likely not be necessary. About 400 paces in, An-Hasst could see other giants within one of the crevasses. The giants did not seem happy in the least, and were attacking, and potentially crushing something An-Hasst could not quite make out.

---

A few villagers here or there scattered as the rogs, for they were rogs, waded into the village entrance. Ursaren would stumble out of the structure he had been in to see there was a few dozen of the monsters, and they looked even less pleased to be alive than usual. Battle scarred but filled with hatred in their eyes, their gazes darted about, looking for something. One of the larger ones saw Ursaren, looking at him. It would occur to the old man, and the others when they joined him...

These were the same rogs from before.

To Elora, the rogs would be crude humanoids, primitive and ugly, yet their armor was scavenged and their weapons wickedly tipped. Their skin ranged from green to charred black, with leathery ears as if they had been burned and stretched. Most of the rogs hair, if they had it, was tied into ponytails or brutal mowhawks. One of the villagers, too slow to get out of the way, was dragged down by one of the larger rogs and butchered before their eyes.

Beren growled. A low, bestial noise. His fists clenched in rage at the sight of the blatant murder, and in his dark eyes there was a promise of vengeance. Geradin looked much the same, grim faced and glowing hammer held aloft. Dwarves were known for their hatred of the rogs, and their underground kin, the gundarogs.

"Settione..." Beren said. "You go check the otherside of the village for any flanking attacks. You might be right. But there are too many of them for us to split up. We'll hold them here as you check. Run like your life depends on it."
@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@BCTheEntity@Gardevoiran

Star Wars: Empire of Glass

If I have more time next week, I will join. I am going to Alaska on a trip this week, however.

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

Well, it seems Pezz fell off the face of the planet. I'll be making an update this weekend then!

Into the Shadow

Roland felt slightly better after she had helped patch the wounds up a bit. The throbbing in his head lessened, and through he was sore and still bleeding, he felt like he could sit up. Grunting, he slowly pulled himself to a sitting position, One hand on the hard floor, the other reached for Iseldis and cupped her cheek gently. "You good?" he asked her breathlessly. He knew they had just met, but already he found he was worrying about her, even if he took the brunt of the damage from that fall.

Once they lifted themselves off the ground, they had a few tunnels leading away where they could potentially go. Roland had never been so far underground, but he'd met more than a few Dwarves at his Chapter House. Their stories would come in handy. He whispered into her ear, making barely a sound. "We can't make any noise," he told her. "Sound travels in the low ways. Don't say a word. Just stay with me and keep moving until we can find someplace to rest."

He reached into his tattered bag and pulled out his last torch, lighting it up after a few cracks of the flint. It was their only light source until Iseldis got her strength back, so they needed to keep it safe. He might be slightly more worse for wear than her, but he wasn't as tired.

His hand went down to hers, and gripping it tightly he led her forward to the right tunnel. He didn't know why, he simply wanted to get going wherever they could, before the Dark Elf witch could gather her wits. Stumbling over fallen timber and jutting rocks, they made their way into the darkness of the tunnel. The air was dank and stuffy, Roland trying to even breathe as quietly as he could muster.

It took longer than either of them knew, bumping around the stalagmites in the dark. It could have been minutes or hours, but it felt like forever. At first, they didn't know why they were beginning to feel better about where they were going. After a few minutes, they realized there was light ahead of them. They slowed down, but the excitement between them was palpable. The young squire didn't know what to expect, but what they found wasn't what he would have imagined in his wildest dreams.

A large chamber, larger than the largest buildings Roland had ever been within, stretched at least a mile in every direction, including up. A vast forest of faintly glowing, giant mushrooms filled the cavern floor. To their left was a rise that led up onto a balcony-like plataeu, and they could even hear running water. "What in the Gods..." Roland said. He didn't know what to think, but in here was better than back there.
@Luminosity

Into the Shadow

"Iseldis!" he cried, gritting his teeth and getting back to a standing position. The shock from being stabbed now overwhelmed by his desire to help his companion. Unfortunately, skeletal fingers snaked out of the coffins beside him, three hands planting themselves on his strong, young frame to keep him grounded. He tried to go to Iseldis' aid, but the literal hands of death kept him there. Growling, he pushed back against them and then pulled himself forward again, breaking free of two of the hands.

He grabbed his sword, and did his best to hack through the hand that still held his off hand, chopping through it with ease. Unfortunately, the Draugr that had tried to grab him were now pushing the slabs off their coffins slowly, ghastly moans echoing off the stone. It was a wail that chilled his very soul, and almost wildly he attacked them. His need to exterminate them giving him strength as he hewed at any that were clear enough to be cut down.

But there were far too many, and the more pressing issue was when he heard Iseldis screaming in unbearable pain. The moans of the Draugr had chilled Roland to his core, but hearing Iseldis crying out in such pain... something within him snapped. He felt his heart grow light, and his head began to burn, only for both sensations to give way to a fury he couldn't quite grasp. Everything became lighter and more easy to use, and if he had stopped to get a look at his sword, he would have noticed a faint glow to it.

But he didn't. With a flick of his wrist, his sword clove through the arm of a Draugr, causing it to drop the axe it had been holding. On instinct, he caught the ancient weapon before it hit the floor, and spun to launch it toward the Dark Elf, the creature too preoccupied with torturing Iseldis to notice the projectile before it embedded itself on her right breast. She staggered back and gave a blood curdling scream in anger and pain, feebly grasping for the axe.

Roland knew it wouldn't hold her, and he was already moving. Iseldis would feel the pain ebb away, and her body would suddenly feel weightless for a moment as Roland lifted her up protectively in his arms. "You're ok," he whispered to her once he scooped her up.

The weight would return abruptly, as the world would turn from dark to light to dark as Roland leaped into one of the opened coffins, not understanding himself why he did it. The flimsy stonework beneath them gave way with their weight, and instead of landing in it, they crashed through it. As they fell, Roland remembered why he had leapt it there. The coffin had been open and exposed with its fragile stonework when they had arrived.

They hit the next hard surface, you guessed it, hard. Rolling down a decline roughly until sailing through the air again to crash through ancient planks of oak and cloth. Ancient construction perhaps. It seemed a lifetime before they landed and stopped fully, but when they did the dust settled, and they could hear nothing of any pursuit. Iseldis would feel none the worse for wear, as the torturing spell had been lifted, and Roland had taken the majority of the hits from the long journey down. He lay below her curled form, on the edge of consciousness, his legs and arms not following his commands currently.

"Are..." he coughed. "You ok?" he breathed weakly, his world spinning. At least they weren't where they had been, anymore.
@Luminosity

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

@IcePezz

Which setting would you like to see more of in Roleplays?

@InkarnateNever read any of the Dragonlance books.