Wintreath Regional Community
A Link to the Past - Archives => The Registry of Things Past - Historic Archive => Roleplay Archive => Topic started by: Saerien on October 12, 2018, 03:40:10 PM
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The story so far...
Here, in the land of Wintreath, there exists a great danger. An especially powerful and cunning snow demon, wreaking havoc upon the land, turning everyone that run into ice sculptures, and those that don't into slaves. However, there is hope: a band of heroes, almost entirely untested, are willing to attempt a quest to destroy the demon. These heroes, lead by a powerful mage, are going to find and defeat the demon. But first, they must find him. This is the story of their uncomfortable ordeal finding the demon.
General info...
Location: Wintreath
Technology level: Medieval
Genre: Fantasy
Sae'taer was huddled near a fire, around which were also an orc, a large She-wolf, and a treant. They were still waiting for one of their number, who hadn't arrived yet. He looked around, and said, "Did anyone notice anything strange while travelling?"
The She-wolf looked around, first at Sae, then at the orc and treant in turn.
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"You mean besides this talking tree?" Grond said with a wary face, motioning to Kaa. "No. Why?"
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Kaa reaches inside her leaves, kills a bird and starts roasting it over a fire.
"Uhh, I don't remeber anything. Give me a moment until my... my... - Damn it! - Brain kicks in," he mumbles.
"Bird anyone?"
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"Please," Naelan said, looking at the bird hopefully.
"I noticed the weather is warming up. I was here not two days ago, and it was much colder," Sae said, looking down at his staff and armor, as if checking it for rust, "I know it should be getting colder, not warmer."
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"Maybe the Frost Demon saw me coming and got scared and ran away," Grond chuckled to himself. He then sprung up to his feet. "Wait, no! I must catch it and kill it!" He picked up his battleaxe and looked around, not knowing which way to run.
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"Oh, sit down, the snow demon is halfway across Wintreath! The reason this is our rendezvous is so I could raise an ally to help us. We are going to have a half-trained half-elven swordsman, and I know I can't teach him elven techniques. I do, however, know of a graveyard nearby with an ancient tomb, a remnant from the Golden Age of Wintreath. It is the resting place of the bearer of Saethriel," Sae snapped, making the fire flare a little, "Not to mention, I don't want to die before I have a chance to get a piece of that demon."
"I know it hurts, but think about it, why would we be close enough to the snow demon for it to see us?" Naelan asked bitingly.
OOC: Saethriel is the sword's name.
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Erebus approached the group huddled by the fire with some apprehension. Sure, he was good enough with his sword to fend off the occasional wayward bandit, but would that really be enough for a journey this dangerous? He was having second thoughts, alright.
Then he considered heading back to his village, where he had been treated like dirt for most of his life, and his resolve firmed. He was going to go through with this quest, no matter what.
He approached the group and mildly introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Erebus. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope to prove my worth on this quest."
He realised how weak this made him sound after he said it, but it was too late.
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"Well, as long as big-ax-no-brains over there," Naelan said, pointing at Grond with her tail, "isn't upset by your presence, we're happy to have you!"
"Naelan, don't say that. There's no reason to be rude already. We haven't even begun our journey," Sae said, giving Naelan a piercing look. Turning to Erebus, Sae said, "Young Erebus, welcome to the group. And, also, I'm going to get you a teacher."
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"No, no, no... Erebus does not need teaching! All he needs... to do.... is *thud* that!" he exclaims, as ge lifts up his club to fingld a rat underneath. "See? No 'swordfighting'. Just bashing." He chucks the roast bird over to Naelan.
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Grond laughed at Kaa, ignoring Naelan's comment. "Don't worry, elf boy," he said as he patted Erebus's back a little too roughly, "Nothing escapes my axe. There won't be any left to kill you." He then sat back down and turned to Sae. "Now where is that graveyard?"
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Naelan catches the bird in midair, and starts munching contentedly on it.
"It's about a hundred of my steps that way," Sae says, pointing to the East, "And, also, leave any steel here. It sometimes causes my magic to go awry. That means, leave all swords, axes, and armor, as well as anything else made of steel, here." As he said this, Sae removed his steel armor, leaving him in only lightweight leather armor.
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Kaa looked at the log he was weilding, and then, after coming to the conclysion it was not made of steel, said"C'mon! Let's Go! "
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Mirithal had been contently watching from a nearby tree, silent as a gentle breeze. Upon realizing this was indeed the right group, he made his choice. He fell out of the tree, landing with little more than a soft thump, barely noticeable. On his back was his weapon, the moon blade glaive, as well as his rope darts wrapped around his arms. His clothing as soft and flowing, and from what the others could see, was he wore a white mask, in stark contrast to the dark navy blues and greys of the rest of his outfit. The mask had 2 eye holes, and horns. The eyeholes did not reveal much, but could be seen giving off a light blue glow, very faint. He approached the group, and bowed.
"I believe I was told to serve along side you all. I am called Mir."
He spoke with a very precise accent, and stood at attention, his movements precise and graceful all at the same time.
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"Remove your mask; there is nothing to hide. I won't allow the others to harm you," Sae said kindly, "We are a diverse group, as you can see. We have a Treant and an Orc-"
"Who seems to not be especially bright," Naelan said, interrupting Sae.
"As I was saying," Sae said, giving Naelan a dark look, which she didn't see, "We are extremely diverse. We will make you feel comfortable among us."
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Mir hesitated. "Treants and Orcs...are not so controversial." He stated, though he did allow his tail to unravel from around his waist, long and smooth, tipped with but a faint arrow shaped tip.
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"And how about Elves and Orcs?" Sae asked, gesturing toward Erebus, "I mean, we even have a talking wolf!"
"Not to mention, a mask will greatly reduce your peripheral vision," Naelan said, almost politely.
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"And how about Elves and Orcs?" Sae asked, gesturing toward Erebus, "I mean, we even have a talking wolf!"
"Not to mention, a mask will greatly reduce your peripheral vision," Naelan said, almost politely.
"If you know what I am, then ensure that the one who was so keen on killing frost demons knows a friend from a foe." He would say as he reluctantly removed the mask. His face was a soft blue, and his eyes were black, with a blue illuminated irises. He sported a thin but long trail of hair that sat between his horns, the sides of his head being shaved, whith the hair being pulled into a ponytail at the back. He had no facial hair, and when he opened his mouth, cold hair from his mouth caused the air to fog, while also giving a good glimpse at his quite elongated fangs.
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Sae took an involuntary step back, but quickly recovered, saying, "So, you're half-demon?"
He shrugged his shoulders, and added, "Oh, well. I think Naelan likes you, as well."
He put a hand forward to shake Mir's hand, "Welcome to our group."
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"You expect me to put down my axe and armor and follow a frost demon?" Grond growled while tightening his grip on his battleaxe. "Is this some kind of trick?"
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"No, you will put your armor and weapons down to follow me. Remember, I'm a mage. Nothing will happen," Sae said, removing an insert from his mouth with fangs made of steel that fit over his own.
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Mir would shake the hand quickly. He then dug the back end of his weapon, which was a far less intimidating point than the crecent shaped main blade, into the ground, which relieved him of all the steel on his person. He looked at the Orc with a side-eyed glance, but said nothing. Not the first, and not the last time he shall hear something along those lines. He took a deep breath as while he waited for the others to prepare, he practiced some slow moves, gliding with grace and percision as he practiced.
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"Hmph, fine," Grond grunted then threw down his battleaxe. "Not like I couldn't break him or anything else in half if I needed to." He then proceeded to remove his armor and stack it in a pile. Left with just some fur clothing on, he glanced at Kaa and then began to walk around to look for a big stick to use as a weapon.
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"Grond, you do know that snow demons are magical to the bone, right?" Naelan asked rhetorically.
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Grond returned with a thick tree branch and, showing it off, said, "Let's see how magic can help little snows demons after I've cracked their skulls with this!"
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Sae snapped his fingers, and the end of the branch exploded, as he said, "A lot more than you might think."
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Grond huffed, threw down the bits of branch still in his hand, then walked around to find another.
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Mir would go over to the destroyed branch. And look to Sae and over to Grond. He sat down on his knees and picked up the branch. Taking the pieces, he ran his hands over it, causing ice to form in between the cracks made by the magical explosion. He continued to form the ice. What remained was now an axe formed from arcane ice and strong wood. He waited for the Orc to return, and whenever he did he would present the weapon to him.
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Grond returned with a smaller branch and furrowed brows. He then saw Mir present the weapon to him. Grond's eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion. He dropped the tree branch and took the ice and wood axe, looked it over, and swung it through the air a few times. A half-smile crept across his face. "Heheh, not bad for a snow demon."
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"You do realize that Mir could have killed you several times while you were searching for a branch, but instead he made you a weapon, right?" Naelan asked sharply.
Rolling his eyes, Sae said, "Well, now that we have no steel left on our persons, we can get moving."
He started off to the East, and was soon at the graveyard. He walked into the mausoleum in the middle of the graveyard. He opened the sarcophagus, and jerked one of his chest scales out, and laid it on the breast of the skeleton inside. He pulled a Frost Demon tooth from a pocket, and laid it upon the scale. Finally, he knelt, and chanted,
"Hear me, dead of ages past
Rise up and walk once more."
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As they left, Mirithal would find a sapling of some kind, kick the thing in two places, causing it to snap off, and then use his ice to harden the wood, before making blades at the end of it. He now had somewhat of a recreation of the weapon he had left behind. He followed nearly silently. When the reached the location he simply watched. He winced at the tooth, not the scales. A part of his kin was being used as a trophy or something. He didn't quite approve, but allowed the ritual to proceed. He wondered if this was a necromantic ceremony, especially given the phrases being changed by the draconian.
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As Sae felt the sudden drain of energy he always felt when he performed major magic, the scale and tooth on the skeleton's chest melted, merging with the bone of the skeleton. Two blue flames burst to life in the skeleton's eye sockets, and the fingers tightened around the hilt of the sword on its breast. Sae stepped back, nearly tripping over Naelan, and waited for the skeleton to sit up.
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For the first time in what felt like ages, he was able to open his eyes. But something was wrong... terribly wrong. Everything in his vision had a blue tint to it. What was worse, he couldn't feel anything, not cold, not heat, not his breaths, or even the beat of his own heart. With one glaring exception, he could still feel Saethriel grasped tightly in his hand. But... why, he knew deep in his soul that he was supposed to hold onto the sword in his hand, but he couldn't remember why. As his mind did circles inside his head, his vision became clear and he saw through his helmet's visor, looking down at him a Draconian. He shot up from his prone position into a defensive guard. He saw the draconian's companions, and did not like what he saw. A half-breed, An Orc, a rabid treant, and worst of all a demon. His vision went bright red flickering with black. He kept up his guard, but he hesitated, why was he afraid? Why did he feel the need to raise his sword to them? How did he know how to use a sword? Why was he in a graveyard? What even was his name? Who was he? He found himself overcome with terror and confusion, his vision took on a completely black tint and he had to fight the urge to run or lash out at them out of fear and ignorance. He shouted at them to back away and kept his sword trained on the draconian who was nearest to him.
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Sae touched the point of Saethriel, and pushed it down, saying, "Badon, I am not here to harm you. I am here simply to request your assistance with our quest. I raised you from the dark of the Abyss, and put new life in your bones. I am Sae'taer, the leader of this group. If you don't believe I am no threat to you, try to slash me with Saethriel. It will pass through me without causing harm." As Sae said this, he activated a talisman on a cord around his neck that turned him insubstantial, but left him looking entirely normal.
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Badon? Was that his name? It seemed familiar. "I don't... understand. Raised me? Am... Am I..." he looked down at his feet and realized he had just been lying in a coffin. "Oh... No... I was... I am... Dead?" He held up Saethriel and saw his reflection in the blade. He saw that his helmet was illuminated by two bright blue flames that flickered black as his fear rose and fell. The black taking more dominance he removed his helmet, and his fears were confirmed, looking back at him in the reflection of Saethriel was a skull with two flames in the eye sockets. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He tried to remember who he was and he couldn't. The only tangible thing he had was the sword in his hand that his grip grew even tighter to. "You sought me out necromancer." he said his tone audibly pained, "Do you know who I am?"
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Mir was correct in his assumption then. This was necromancy. He steped back instictually, not a fan of this particular breed of magic. He gripped his spear, but when the draconian spoke, he calmed down. Still prepared for anything, but calm, he wondered what the others thought of this.
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"Your name is Badon. You are the bearer of Saethriel, and a Hero of the War of Wintreath. You were a master swordsman, and a Frost Knight of the Icicle. I have raised you to help us overcome a Snow Demon wreaking havoc across Wintreath," Sae said, thankful the talisman had not been needed, "We need your expertise with a blade to train young Erebus here. Will you join us?"
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Aside from the name and the information about Saethriel, the only other thing he recognized was Snow Demon, and even then it was a feeling of hatred that he didn't understand. With lack of anything else, even if he wasn't quite sure if it was true, he decided to accept his name was Badon. "I don't know if I would be of any use to you, I can't seem to remember anything other than the name of this sword. But, for some reason I hold a deep hatred of this 'Snow Demon' you speak of, so I will try to aid you if I can."
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"Thank you for joining us. Now, please follow me. We need to collect our equipment from where I had them leave it. And, don't call me 'Necromancer.' Call me Sae or Sae'taer," Sae said, turning to leave, showing trust by exposing his back to the skeleton. He lead the way back to the fire, and put his armor back on.
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"That was it? A skeleton with a sword?" Grond asked rhetorically. "What next? We have to find a gnome with a magic wand?" Grond bellowed out laughter as he began to put his armor back on. He slipped the magic ice axe into a strap on his back then stood leaning on his steel battleaxe.
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*Naelan facepaws at Grond's remark*
"I could make that happen, so be careful what you wish for," Sae said to Grond, amused, while slipping a piece of steel into the gap left from the scale he'd jerked loose.
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Mirithal followed silently, planted the makeshift weapon back into the ground, and grasped his steel blade. This he placed on a smal holder on his back, ready for action.
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"The path to the demon's hideout is a long one, but shouldn't be especially difficult. Be ready, though; my kin are mostly highwaymen and bandits. The path I've chosen is a haunt of such bandits. We should have nothing to worry about. Just, beware of Draconians as tall as I am and taller: they explode when they die. Smaller ones turn to stone, trapping the weapon if it isn't withdrawn fast enough, then crumble to dust a couple seconds later. Aim to maim, rather than kill, the Draconians my size and larger. I don't want to have to heal you, nor do I think my healing would be well received. It is extremely painful," Sae said, turning away from the fire after extinguishing it with a wave.
He started walking Northwest, and soon didn't see anything but white all around. Turning to the group, he said, "I'm going to fly to see if I can see any landmarks, and to scan our route ahead for danger."
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Badon was still in shock about the entirety of his situation, but had slowly followed along behind the rest of the party, his mind still swirling off in a thousand directions. As the Draconian flew up above the treeline, Badon's gaze shifted back down the trail that led to the graveyard.
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Sae landed, and, flustered, said, "The landmarks are all gone! One moment they were there, the next, they simply vanished!"
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"What now?" Grond said frustrated. "Keep walking 'til it gets cold?"
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Or more roasted bird. I like roasted bird.
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"I know this trail well enough, I won't get us lost," Naelan said, sidling up to Mir.
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Mir looked around. He was no stranger to snow or ice. He did not know the path they were to take however, so he wasn't quite useful in that regard. He looked to Naelan as the wolf walked up to him. He grinned, this one was very confident, and he trusted that confidence.