Post by authroroniel on Apr 16, 2007 22:09:48 GMT -5
The Magic Kingdom, Altena...
A land of magic and power located in the northern continent, the populated areas protected from the harsh cold by the magic of the Queen of Reason, has survived the lands for many years. Thanks to the power of Mana, life still survives in the land, and the might of the Queen lies unsurpassed.
However, the cold slowly creeps, as the power of Mana dwindles... and even in the Queen's castle, all is not well...
...
"Alert all the mages in the platoons! Princess Angela has gone missing!" was the general alarm, as the various female soldiers were running back and forth around the castle, searching for their equipment. It didn't help much that they had all prepared themselves for war, and not a princess fetchquest!
However, rumors had already begun to spread through the various gossipers of the place, and there was talk of high treason and even the suggestion that the princess, known for her severe lack of magical power, had actually lied to them all, and tried to use this power to kill Koren and the Queen!
So many rumors... so much confusion...
What could have possibly happened?
-=-
The night was coming up, in the Castle City of Jad. As the moon shone over the blocky walls, through the dark clouds, not much was easy to see... the guard was on the alert, however; there were rumors of a thief attacking the city, recently.
Of course, eyes cannot see everything... and behind a shadow, waiting in the darkness, the thief waited, for a moment to strike.
-=-
The boat slowly departed from the port city of Palo, heading towards a different city. Not that it mattered much for the only person who had left the boat, so close to the end of the night... but it was all right; there were still a few hours left, and the bar did sound attractive enough.
However, even from this distance, there was a visible fire on the mountains... and nobody on the streets, either, which meant there might be people who headed over there.
At the very least, such a burning fire was suspicious... what could it be?
Lay gave the flicker of light in the distance a suspicious glance; the idea of campers seemed doubtful, though it was possible the city had some sort of bonfire up in the mountains. Both options seemed unlikely to the bounty hunter, but more likely ideas flashed through his mind: Ideas of bandits, fugitives, and other high-priced fellows could be stupid enough to camp where a fire was visible. It could be good to get some work done right off the bat... but, he decided, checking it out wasn't worth the effort. His only way of knowing whether they were worth his time was by going to the fire himself, and he simply didn't care enough for the possibility of the fire being nothing important. Regardless of whoever was out there, it was none of his business... for the time being.
He sighed and strolled through the empty streets, his legs wavering a bit; his time on the boat had gotten him used to the sea's constant rock. Of course, there was only one destination that truly called to the Beastman; the tavern. He made his way to the building and plopped himself down by the bar, and ordered himself a mug of something dark; the swill they'd served on the ship had hardly kept him buzzed.
Rolling out of bed quickly, the sleepy-eyed, short young man looked around in confusion. There were people yelling in the hall, and it was confusing him greatly. Pulling a warm robe around himself, he grabbed his gauntlets and looked out in the hall, wondering why the castle had been getting colder of late. It never used to be like this…
Seeing a pair of guards run by his door, he called out to one of them, brushing the sleep from his face. She turned and flashed him a worried smile, pausing in her run. They were part of the elite, all-female Altena Special Guard, who helped guard Valda, Queen of Reason and her daughter, the young Princess Angela. Recognizing the young boy staring out his door, the woman walked over to him, halting her partner’s run with a quick gesture.
“What’s wrong?” the shaggy haired boy asked when she approached. The woman shook her head, adjusting her steepled witch’s hat. “It’s Princess Angela, Marcaes. It seems she tried to kill the Queen; good thing Koren was there, otherwise things could have been disastrous.”
Marcaes’ mouth twisted at the mention of the Red Wizard. “That warmonger? He couldn’t cast a spell to save his life!” He sighed. “Besides, Angela wouldn’t do that, would she?”
The woman shrugged, a flat expression on her face. “You would know better then me. I never thought she was the type to try a coup, but…” She leaned in close, her eyes catching his brilliant blue ones. “I’d be careful of whom you say that to… I heard Victor’s in trouble because he questioned Angela’s disappearance a bit too closely…” Turning and leaving, she took off down the hall behind her partner.
Marcaes watched the woman leave, still in shock. “Angela… where did you go?” He slammed his door shut and took off down the hall towards Victor's room, fastening his silver gauntlets to his wrists. The son of the Mistress of Servant's, surely he had heard something that would be useful. Something is wrong, here… and I’m gonna get to the bottom of it…
Post by authroroniel on May 13, 2007 21:04:15 GMT -5
(OoC: Since Tilmer hasn't posted yet, his character will be considered 'PAUSED' for now. We continue with the scheduled game. Also, Arty, please don't make up more NPCs without asking. This is just a minor warning, but remember that the GM here is supposed to be *me*, not you.)
As Lay walked towards the tavern, ignoring the bonfire high above, he received some nasty looks from some strange-looking people. Their outfits were white, covering the entirety of their bodies, while their armors were red and covered mostly their torsos. A few knives hung from their belts, and while a few of them were drinking, the ones who weren't were watching him severely.
Still, it was nothing new... the look was similar to the one most people had when they saw a Beastman upclose.
The drink he got smelled rather brutish; it certainly offended his nose, but the taste wasn't as bad as it smelled. It did feel like he was drinking something out of a tree, but he had had worst beers, and at least this one wasn't poisoned.
...
To Marcaes' surprise, there was a guard stationed in front of Victor's room, looking particularly annoyed. He recognized her as one of the few members of the guard he did not get along with; it seemed that they had some foresight, about stopping him...
On the other hand, well, it wasn't as if Victor's room only had one entrance; after all, the window was situated just above the side of the gardens. If he could just get there...
...
Gerik's current mission was simple: go to Palo, check upon the Mana Stone located somewhere in the Path of the Heavens, and figure out a way to unleash its power. The first part of the mission was done, right now.
The human mercenary had arrived rather late, before the previous ship; it had taken him a good while to manage to sneak into the Navarreans' ship, and from there he stopped by Palo, waiting until his body recovered. Tomorrow, by any rates, he should be going there... but well, sleep wasn't a very good option anymore; he had been woken up by one of the ninjas.
After a simple pointing downwards, to the bottom floor, it was clear that he was going to have to go where that creepy guy wanted him to go, for now...
...
Finally, the supply ship had reached Minos, the last reduct of humanity in the Moonlight Forest. While most of its inhabitants usually had no need for anything coming from the outside world, what with them living off the forest lands, even they needed certain supplies that could not be grown in that eternal nighttime.
This ship also happened to bring in an extra passenger; a half-Beastman woman, named Lanka. It seemed this was her last stop, for now...
Last Edit: May 27, 2007 19:41:31 GMT -5 by authroroniel
Lanka sniffed lightly at the air. New scents filled the air mixed with some she was familar to. This certainly would be a good place to get in touch with her wild side. She had managed to sleep some on the boat and felt wide awake now. A Little exploring would do well to strecth her muscles and her senses.
No time like the present
She bows her head to the captin of the boat and heads off onto the dock. She wonders what time it is, in a land of no sun it was hard to say what was considered day and night. Jugding from the seemingly minimal amount of people working the dock to unload the ship she guessed most were in bed or atleast safe in their homes. Then again it wouldn't be the first time if she was wrong. Maybe there was some sort of Tavern or Inn nearby by where she could find out a little more about this place.
Glares and glowers were nothing new to Lay. Anywhere outside of the Beast Kingdom, he had gotten every bad response in the book to his presense, from people evacuating the streets, to being interrogated and refused service, to being bodily attacked. He didn't like it, but he couldn't change their loathing, nor could he blame them for it. The only real issue was that the apprehension that followed him truly cut down on how many clients were willing to approach him.
The Beastman could not deny, however, that these armored watchers set him on edge. Men armed with daggers, clad in mail... if they were the agressive sort, they looked like the sort who knew what they were doing. Fingering his lance protectively, he hoped their tempers would keep low enough to avoid a brawl.
By the time his liquor arrived, he was aware of more glares and mutters hissing around the tavern. He sighed resignedly and took a swig of the beer. Well, if these ones started a fight, it wouldn't be much of a problem, most likely; if being attacked by armored, armed men was the most worrisome response he could get, being attacked by drunkards was the least.
Taking another drink, he ran the idea through his head that, after all, it might be an uneventful night, with no disturbances. He could hope, at least.
Pulling his robe tighter around his thin shoulders, Marcaes noted that there was a definite chill in the air this day. Something about the breeze cut right through his robe...
Wandering around in the yard behind the residential quarters, Marcaes frowned as he scanned the wall of windows, trying to figure out which one he was looking for. It all seemed a bit different from this angle, and he kept glancing over his shoulder trying to remember what the view looked like out the window. Victor was more of a strong acquaintance for him then a friend, so his memories of the inside of his room were kind of fuzzy.
The young man's eyes narrowed as he spotted a familiar looking cracked parapet on one of the walls; he seemed to remember it clearly in the view outside. Scanning his eyes back, Marcaes moved over to a nearby tree, hopping to grab onto a low branch. He wished he wasn't so short; just his luck, always having issues like these...
--- Sorry about that; I'm used to requiring making up folks to get anything done in a game. I'll try to keep any more instances to named game characters low...
Post by authroroniel on May 27, 2007 19:32:49 GMT -5
(OoC: Same note for Tilmer's character applies to Gerik's.)
To Lanka's luck, the Inn was still open, with inviting lights. It didn't look very big, meaning it probably would only have a few rooms and a dining room, if any... but it would probably house her; this was a place for Beastmen, after all...
...however, a strange smell, very light and... odd, it seemed... it came from the exit of the city. It smelled faintly like roses and...
...death...
-=-
For now, the men seemed intent in just watching Lay, as he was drinking. There was this strange feeling coming from them, like they weren't all there... but it was probably nothing, and besides, since they weren't trying to attack him yet, he was probably safe.
One drink led to another... and another... and another...
...
By the fifth or sixth mug, a loud call came from the mountains... it was a very loud, and horribly painful (to the Beastman) screech, unlike any he'd ever heard. The strangely-garbed men swiftly got up, the majority of them heading straight out, while most of the non-weird patrons looked unfazed.
-=-
To his luck, Marcaes managed to grab onto one of the lower parts of the trunk, noticing how it felt separate enough to count as a handle. It wasn't much, but it gave him the height he needed to climb onto the nearby branch... and from there, he could reach the other branch with more ease; it started low enough that he'd only have to jump from that one, to get up...
...but that was the catch, wasn't it?
Last Edit: May 27, 2007 19:34:34 GMT -5 by authroroniel
It was a phased Lanka remembered hearing often will growing up. Her mother often used it, so did a few of the monks at the school.
Good thing she wasn't a cat.
Following the scent and her instincts she walked quickly yet quietly to the edge of town. She stayed mostly in the shadows. She muscles tensed as her senses grew sharper. The hair on the back of her neck and shoulders stood on end. She was now on the hunt.
Staring upward at the branch above him, Marcaes cursed his luck. It so HIM to be barred the way by a branch that was simply out of reach. Of course, his height wasn't helping much, but still...
Sighing, the young man resolved himself on his intended target. He would leap up and try to grab it, in a effort to pull himself up to the next point. All it would take was a bit of effort and... luck. That was the problem, of course, as he knew he had pissed off Lady Luck in some past life, beacuse she sure didn't like him in this one.
'Oh well...' He thought, as he lept out and upward. '...I suppose I can always throw rocks at his window if I miss...'
Ahh, what a horribly satisfying feeling it was. He hated himself for enjoying it so much. It dulled his senses, slowed his thinking, skewed his rationality; all lethal side affects to someone like him, for so many reasons. He groaned. He was making himself feel depressed; no matter. A few more mugs, and that bitterness would be shadowed over once he was blind with alcohol; just in time to kicked out of the bar.
As he started to call for another stein of the booze, the shriek rang out. He yelled and clapped his hands over his ears, gritting his teeth. The piercing noise echoed around violently in his beer-soaked skull; his stupid above-average hearing made it loud, and the alcohol turned it into a force, that felt like it was pounding against his very brain.
As he seethed with irritation from his headache, he heard the armored men bustle out behind him. Lay whipped around, curling his lip dangerously. If he were sober, he might have growled and shrugged the incident off, but the beer was swelling his temper. He glared about the tavern at the unfazed patrons. They did that to piss you off, his mind slurred. They're screwing with you, man. Totally messin' with your head. The Beastman growled. Oh, he'd show these jerks, he wouldn't take any of that.
Slamming some coins onto the bar, he stormed from the tavern to follow the armored men. He'd find out what they were doin', yeah, nobody got one up on ol' Lay.
Post by authroroniel on Jun 8, 2007 20:16:33 GMT -5
As Lanka ran outside of the city, a short while later, she found herself face to face with three large, vicious-looking wolves. She had heard of those - weaker Beastmen who were unable to maintain their minds enough when the moonlight came, becoming little more than wild mutts. They were closing in on her, but if she was smart, she'd be able to defeat them easily...
...not that she'd be completely smart, of course; being in the Moonlight Forest was like being in a permanent nighttime... and thus, the same effects that turned these into wolves would turn her into a werewolf, driving her into fighting them to death.
(Describe the werewolf transformation, then initiate your attack round.)
-=-
Marcaes managed to grasp the branch for a second, with a tight grip... that was kinda useless, as the branch snapped close to the tree's body. As the half-elf fell on the lower branch, which managed to keep itself up, he managed to see that the branch he held was oddly ruined, almost as if it had been rotting... but it wouldn't rot, would it? After all, the tree was alive...
...right?
However, before he could continue, a pair of windows opened, though not the one Marcaes was aiming for. Victor looked at him from the room, blinking. "Marcaes? What are you doing there?" he asked, before shaking his head. "Nevermind! Just get under my window, okay?"
-=-
The area outside the bar was still normal, though the bright light of the bonfire seemed to expand with every passing minute. A few of the armored men were still there, though they were on a much worse daze than the patrons; they didn't even seem to be moving exactly, only standing around and looking in one single direction.
However, by the time Lay would have gone to the outskirts of the city, which these men were guarding, a different call came - this one, a much deeper cry sounding like a rooster of some sort. It was less painful than what the Beastman had heard before, but it still would grate on his nerves... and to make it worse, those men instantly took on battle positions, pulling out two knives each and trying to surround Lay.
The moonlight glimmered down on the streets. Lay cast a wary eye towards the sky; his wolvish side was calling to be let out, but he resisted the urge to transform. Animal instincts had their advantages, but they also led to poor restraint, and he didn't want to deal with what mess he might make as a drunken wolf.
Lay squinted at the tiny blaze on the mountain. It had gotten bigger in the hours he'd spent drowning his sorrows. Odd... one would think a fireplace would peter out after that long, rather than grow... perhaps a careless camper had set up the campfire too close to some dry brush.
Though, none of that was his concern for the moment. What was his concern was those jerks in armor gaping into the distance. Lay gave them a look-over; their stillness managed to cool his alcohol-induced temper, at least enough for him to realize that their blank expressions showed that they couldn't have been in the tavern, and gave him no reason to confront them.
He glanced about the empty streets, and cursed himself for so eagerly clouding his thoughts with the tavern's grog. Something was definitely wrong, he could figure that much out, but the ground was moving too much for him to understand what, exactly.
The Beastman started down the street, trying to clear his mind enough to jumpstart his awareness. Though, he didn't get far before a strange call bellowed around him. Cringing a bit and rubbing an ear glumly, he wondered where, exactly, such an annoying bird was hiding, and how he could properly dispose of it.
He suddenly became quite aware of several of the once-still men bearing down on him, weapons drawn and bodies poised for battle. Lay cursed the tavern's beer once more, and whipped out his lance. Hopefully, he could keep himself sober enough to take on the men, but...
Shaking his head in slow confusion, Marcaes stared at the branch that he held, twisting it around and looking at it from different angles. There’s no doubt about it; this thing’s dying. But… He looked towards the royal palace as he climbed down from his perch. How could it be dying under the Queen’s spell? What’s going on in this place…?
Hitting the ground level, the young mage broke off a piece of the tree branch and slipped it into his robe, to better study later. Wandering over towards the window Victor had indicated, Marcaes couldn’t help but compare the window towards the one he had been trying to get into. He couldn’t help but wonder just who’s window he would have been climbing into…
Lanka felt the hair on her neck stand on end as the adrenalin rushed though her body. She lowered herself to the ground as the adrenalin mixed with the moonlight forced her body to change. Her muscles tensed as her face grew longer.
This shouldn't take long.
Her hackles stood on end as her now even keener senses picked up every detail of her prey. Flexing her paw like hands she extend her claws, digging them deep into the ground. Tensing her powerful legs she lept high into the air with a growl then came down on the largest of her foes. Her claws dug into it's flesh as she opened her mouth to bite onto it's neck.
Post by authroroniel on Jun 18, 2007 10:02:16 GMT -5
The attackers all went for Lay, though it was obvious they would be going one at a time. The first one made his move, doing a single slash with a dagger, ready to follow up with the other one upon hitting.
After getting under the window, Victor threw down a rope, which was long enough for Marcaes to climb. It thankfully was easier to climb with than the tree from before.
When he was sure the half-elf had grabbed onto it, he also helped him by pulling up, trying to make sure it was steady. Good thing it was just one floor above...
-=-
The Bound Wolf screamed, in pain, but another of its companions attacked Lanka, throwing her to the side. While the leader bled, the third wolf readied itself, probably going to bite as well.
Lanka: (IIIIIIIIII)
Bound Wolf 1: (III) Bound Wolf 2: (III) Bound Wolf 3: (III)
That hurt more than it should have. Lanka was going to have to control her self a bit more and fight alittle smarter. She had gotten the leader, that was for sure. Maybe if she took him out the other two would flee. She had an idea.
This time in stead of leaping forward she rushed. Lowering her head she ran at the wolf closest to her. She rammed into it's side with a hard blow, then she jerked her head up throwing the beast at it's leader. She jumps back to her orginal position to ready her self to dogde any more attacks.
Lay snarled and tried to jump back to avoid the strike, but his drunken coordination turned it into more of a stumble. He glanced to the other two as he tried to avoid his attacker. One-on-one battling? Well, at least they were playing fair... sort of.
Curling his lip, Lay ducked down, and swung his leg out wide, hoping to knock this adversary from his feet. He then staggered upright again, and raised his polearm, to bash the end of it into the back of the ninja's skull. If he could knock out these men, rather than do any real damage, it would be best... nothing good could come from killing three men... or, at least, three men without a bounty on their heads.
Pulling himself into the window, Marcaes shook his head as he climbed inside. Really, this sort of thing always sounded easier in the stories... Flashing the other man a quick smile, he brushed himself off before starting his questions. He has a suspicion that he didn't have much time...
"So, what's everyone so excited about? Angela couldn't be a traitor, could she? What's going on around here, anyway?"
He hoped he had come to the right place for answers, beacuse if not he was out of ideas...
Post by authroroniel on Jun 23, 2007 10:29:38 GMT -5
The attack collided against the third wolf, and her impulsiveness allowed her to smash the two enemies together. While the one she had attacked was struggling to get back up, the leader was fallen and bleeding - an obvious sign it was over for him.
The second Bound Wolf did a jumping lunge, ready to bite onto the half-Beastman's body, if she gave him an opening.
Lanka: (IIIIIIIIII)
Bound Wolf 1: (III) - DEFEATED Bound Wolf 2: (III) Bound Wolf 3: (III)
-=-
His dodge was enough to evade the Ninja, the first knife hitting the ground uselessly. To Lay's surprise, however, the Ninja simply went on, stabbing onto the ground like it would have done to him.
That was odd... but it didn't matter much; after the second strike, the Beastman went on for his attack, the garbed man's seemingly good agility being useless for a dodge. First he was swept down, then got bashed onto the head... bad sign for him, as the collision created a loud (and painful) clang, the Ninja grabbing onto his head and dropping his knives.
Both the other Ninjas attacked then, doing the same actions their predecessor had done. However, they were coming from Lay's sides, and at that position, it would be hard for him to *not* be hit...
Victor smiled in response to the Half-Elf's smile, but he looked tired and... nervous?
"I'm not very sure of anything, anymore... what I know is that Angela went to see the Queen, last night. During the conversation, something happened, and Angela was simply... gone. Koren has told everyone she tried to attack the Queen with unknown magic, but..." he explained, pacing around the room.
"I don't like this feeling I have... Marcaes, do you know those stories about the Mana Stones, about the one in the Labyrinth of Ice Walls?" the taller man asked, looking back at him. In fact... to his side, in the table, there was an open book, with a picture of the Mana Stone visible in it. It looked very old...
