An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.
Stories of Ansalon from the view of Mariala.
A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 65. You change? Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)
Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places an enormous book on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Mariala' scribed in faded white ink.
Author: Mariala
Date: Thu Feb 25
13:58:25 2010
Subject Escape from boredom
"Will you
pay attention?" the headmaster snapped, slamming his fist on
the
wooden table in front of Mariala. She looked up from the doodling
she
was doing, her purple eyes barely acknowleding the man in
front of her. "If
only you teach something worth while," she
said, a hint of boredom in her
voice. Then man stared at her for
a few minutes, then stormed to the front
of the room, continuing
to teach the young Silvanesti elves who still
listened. Mariala
returned to her doodling, only listening to what she
wanted to
from the droning voice.
The sun was at it's zenith when the
students were dismissed from the stuffy
room. Mariala carried
only her doodles out of the room, much to the anger
and
disappointment of the headmaster. "It's time to speak with her
parents,"
he said quietly to himself. He sighed as he gathered
what he could and made
his way toward where Mariala
lived.
Mariala knew nothing of the headmaster's intentions as
she wandered through
the town. Elves from afar traded in the
marketplace, yet she saw few of
them. They were beneath
her...they were not Silvanesti.
Mariala settled herself on a
bench in the middle of a flowered park. She
withdrew her doodles,
working on them as the headmaster knocked on the door
to her
home. He was welcomed into the building where he told
Mariala's
parents of the troubles in class. They were
disappointed, yet not surprised
and told the man that they would
have a talk with their daughter. The man
left with a nod.
When
the man was gone, Mariala's father turned to his wife. "The one
who
blocked her said this would happen. He said that some day it
would be time
to send for help from them. Perhaps this is the
time," he said, a frown on
his face. His wife nodded.
They sent
the letter that afternoon, hoping for a speedy return.
Author: Mariala
Date: Wed Mar
10 20:34:31 2010
Subject Shedding Light - learning unknown
spells
I walked from the room in the White Tower, a bit
annoyed by the task set
before me. Not knowing exactly what the
creature was would not make my quest
easy...and I could not count
on the human, nor the other 'elf' to uphold
their part.
She
grumbled as she slammed the door to the room she shared. Stomping
to her
sleeping area, she angrily grabbed what she thought she
would need for her
studies. With another slam of the door, she
stomped to the nearby library.
With forced smiles, she spoke
politely to the librarian and was shown to a
quiet, out of the
way area of the library. When the librarian left, she
rolled her
eyes and started her research.
Day passed into night, then dawn
rolled around again when she shoved books
from the table onto the
floor. She walked quietly to the librarian's desk,
politely
asking for any information on the strange creature she had seen
in
the room. When the librarian returned and told her there was
nothing, she
nodded and returned to the corner, cursing in
Silvanesti until she felt like
she was hoarse.
She quietly
picked up all her things and left the library, going to a
hidden
area of nearby gardens. Once there, she threw her things
to the ground and,
with anger in her voice, she started blasting
things nearby...burning bushes
to cinders and blowing trees into
small splinters. Once she grew tired of
that she turned to the
nearby rocks...throwing lightning bolts at them.
She suddenly
stopped her tyrade...looking toward the moon. With a laugh,
she
turned...almost running back to the library. She quietly went
back to the
corner, pulling other books from shelves, burying
herself in her studies
until she dropped to sleep with her head
on book. She woke hours later when
she fell off the chair and hit
the floor. She rolled, dodging the book she
was looking in as it
followed her to the hardwood floor. Rubbing her
shoulders and
neck, she stood up, stretching to releave tense muscles.
She
picked up the book from the floor, starting to put it down
when she stopped,
quickly scanning the text the book fell open
to. With a laugh, she sat down
quickly and started making
notes.
The sun was at it's zenith when she exited the Library.
Quickly, she walked
to a forgotten laboratory in the base of one
of the buildings. Once there,
she quickly procured a staff and
took it back to her rooms, closing the
doors tightly as she
attempted to do as High Archmage Kah'rihn
had
instructed...something to help with befriending the Disir
mage.
Author: Mariala
Date: Tue
Mar 16 02:16:58 2010
Subject Shedding Light - Beginning of
travels (part 1)
The task assigned to her by High
Archmage Kah'rihn seemed easy enough.
Take the staff she had
infused with a spell with her and travel with a group
of inferior
people from the towers at Wayreth to Haven. Yet...it
seemed
beneath her to move with them. They were, after all,
NOT
Silvanesti...therefore, she was their superior. How was she
supposed to know
how the fates would ally against her?
It
started innocent enough. Her task was to infuse the staff with
yet more
magic from points across the known world. Her basic
thoughts were of disgust
as she was told of the people she had to
travel with...a band of hide
travelers which included a dirty
smelling human, a thieving kender, a hairy
dwarf, a pyromaniac
gnome, and a pathetic gully dwarf. It was almost too
much for
her, but she would have to swallow her pride and deal with
the
inhumanity and the insult.
The trip started innocently
enough. The human threatened to throw the gully
dwarf into a
nearby toilet. The kender was almost slaughtered by the dwarf
for
'borrowing'. The gnome...well...the gnome had to be dunked in a
nearby
spring for trying to set himself on fire with some insane
invention. It was
all Mariala could do to ignore the ongoings of
the inferior things as she
carefully tied her pouches to the
saddle of the horse she'd acquired. She
mounted up, rolling her
eyes as the rest of the 'group' decided to get
themselves mounted
up...taking valuable time from Mariala and her studies.
Morning
slipped slowly by, allowing Mariala time to study from one of
the
spellbooks that she had packed for the travels. She could not
keep much of
the knowledge in her mind as she seemed to
continuously watch her
companions, part of the time laughing to
herself at their antics and part of
the time shaking her head in
disgust. When the decision was made to stop for
a lunch break,
Mariala slid to the ground and sat apart from them, eating
while
she read.
"Oye...she's too good for us," the human man, a
warrior by his boasting,
commented to the dwarf. The Neidar
merely nodded, looking toward the mage in
the group. "True, but
the halfling said for us to get her to Haven," he
replied,
glaring at the kender whose fingers were getting a little close
to
his robes. It didn't take much of a reminder to the kender
when the dwarf
drew his mace and held it up toward him. The
kender sighed and walked off to
pick on the gully dwarf who
seemed to be trying to steal a leaf from a
nearby tree. A loud
BANG was heard from nearby and was soon followed by the
gnome
stumbling toward them.
"IDON'TKNOWWHYITWON'TSTOPBLOWINGUPONME.
IT'SALMOSTLIKEI'MCURSEDTOFAILATMYLIFEQUEST,"
the gnome yelled since his ears
were still ringing from the
explosion.
As much as she tried, Mariala could not ignore the
antics of them. She
slammed the book cover shut, walking off into
the forest for some peace and
quiet. It wasn't too long until she
realized that her walk was a bad idea. A
rustle in the brush
nearby brought Mariala face to face with a large ugly
troll. It
raised the club it was holding, releasing a guttural rebuke at
her
as it started to attack her. She was momentarily startled,
but somehow
managed to barely avoid the lumbering attack. She
raised her hands, trying
to remember something from her studies.
The troll didn't wait that long,
swinging the club again. She
backed away again...tripping over her dress and
landing on her
butt in a puddle of mud. The icy watery mud was enough to
break
her silence and she screamed. Within moments, her traveling
companions
were with her, brandishing their weapons. She watched
in a startled awe as
they killed the troll, wiping their weapons
clean and turning to stare at
her. The human shook his head,
looking down at her. "Too good to share a
meal with us...guess
we're too good to help you up," he said, walking away
from her.
The dwarf shook his head, extending a hand to her. "I should
not
do this, but Mishakal would be upset if I did not see if you
were injured,"
he said with a frown. Mariala blushed fiercely.
"I'm not injured," she said,
bowing her head. The dwarf
nodded, walking away and leaving her alone with
the corpse of the
troll.
A bit later, Mariala made her way back to the group,
taking a bag from her
horse and again disappearing. Within
moments she returned, wearing clean
clothes. The human glared at
her and called for them to mount up. Mariala
sighed...apparently
it was going to be a long time until dark...and an even
longer
time until she was in Haven.
Author: Mariala
Date: Tue Mar 16 17:36:20 2010
Subject
Shedding Light - Beginning of travels (part 2)
Strangely,
the remainder of the trip through the forests toward Haven
held
little adventure...unless you count putting out a burning gnome
on way
too many occasions or retrieving a gully dwarf from
wherever the kender had
led him astray...unadventurous. Yet once
the group got closer to Haven,
things got slightly more
interesting. There seemed to be roaving patrols of
men looking
for something or someone. The human, a Ergothian whose
name
Mariala found out was Skaldryk, steered the group away from
such patrols and
kept them on little used roads. Surprisingly,
she had learned a bit about
her traveling companions on the
journey, though they said little to her. The
gully dwarf, named
Padr Arghest, was, she guessed, indebted to Skaldryk for
saving
his life from a large vine monster...in reality, Padr had stepped
in
a hunter's trap. The gnome and kender were strange companions.
The little
kender thief was called Diz Treefinder and the gnome
ranger was Wanderrynd
Firebringeranddestroyeroftrees. They were
working together to try to solve
the gnome's lifequest. Mariala
did not understand it, but they were
committed to find the reason
that fire burned trees to the ground and didn't
just leave them
alone. The dwarf, a Neidar dwarf cleric called Hledge
Slycap, was
a bit of an enigma to her. He carried a beautiful mace
carved
from blue stone, and handled it with a grace and precision
that amazed her.
He spoke very little, but everyone, including
the gully dwarf, listened to
him and seemed to respect his
intellect.
Built on the ruins of an elven city, the most human
city of Haven was now a
place thriving with merchants and
travelers, as well as a group of people
calling themselves the
"Seekers". Mariala saw little of other races as they
skirted the
outskirts of the bustling town. She started to ask
questions
about the people, town and soldiers, but was shushed by
Hledge. Fuming a
bit, she sat back and pulled a cloak farther
over her head.
The barn they stopped in front of was about a
mile in the forest on the
northern outskirts of Haven, partially
hidden by large trees. Skaldryk spoke
quietly with some people
milling around. They led the group to the rear of
the barn and
waved for them to dismount. Mariala slid to the
ground,
stretching from the ride. She was immediately hurried
into the dimly lit
barn by a burly man, his hand tightly holding
her upper arm. She was about
to say something when her attention
was distracted by movement in a darkened
corner of the barn.
Three shrouded figures calmly walked toward the group. When
they were close
enough, they stopped and threw back their hoods.
Mariala snarled in what
could be termed 'elven hatred' when the
three newcomers were revealed as
more elves. They regarded her
with little interest, yet spoke warmly to
Hledge. "So," the
more slender of the elves said, looking at her with
feigned
interest. "This is the one who may be able to help." The
dwarf
nodded. "Mistress Kah'rihn assigned us to escort her,"
was his reply. One of
the other elves, this one looking like
the one who spoke, just shook her
head. "Can we leave the pure
blood snob at the bottom of the cavern?" she
asked to her twin.
He merely shook his head. She snarled a warning and
stomped away,
giving the third elf a chance to study Mariala. "Solinari
must
have been desperate when he gave his light to this one,"
she said, following
the other elf. The first elf shrugged and
waved them toward the dark
corner.
They sat there, watching each
other until Skaldryk broke the conversation.
"Malryx," he
said, addressing the male Qualinosti elf. "Mistress
Kah'rihn,
did send you word of what needed to be done?" he
asked, looking around. The
elf nodded. "She sent word that a
staffbearer bound to the ways of Solinari
would need to be taken
to the cave. She also said to make sure that we
stayed with her
the whole way...something about a problem that the follower
of
Solinari has," he stopped speaking, looking at Mariala. He
turned to his
sister and spoke quietly to her and the other elf.
They both nodded. "The
'pure blood' does have a problem...and
it's the same one that EVERY
Silvanesti elf has," he stood up,
walking around Mariala. "She thinks she is
TOO good for us,"
the sister spoke up, tilting her head at Skaldryk. "They
all
do."
Mariala started to stand up, but was quickly returned to
her seat by the
littlest elf...with an arrow notched in a bow and
pointed directly at her.
"Malryx, Nayala, and I didn't agree at
first with what Mistress Kah'rihn had
asked, but we agreed that
it's time that a snotty pure
blooded...hag...couldn't do us much
harm. And it is by what we believe our
chosen gods would want us
to do, that we have agreed to assist Mistress
Kah'rihn's
apprentice," the elf said, lowering her weapon.
Mariala stood
up this time, ignoring the weapons around her. "I don't have
to
take this abuse," she said, walking away from the group. She
was almost
instantly flipped back around...face to face with the
three elves. "Abuse,"
Malryx snarled. "Look around
you...you spoiled Silvanesti brat. Do you for
one think that THIS
is abuse? If that's the case...we can make it so," he
said, his
voice cold and hard.
Author: Mariala
Date: Tue Mar 16 23:36:09 2010
Subject Shedding
Light - Traveling part 3
All the travelers knew was that
sometime during the night the elves
disappeared, then reappeared
a bit later, effectively 'kidnapping' Mariala
from her sleep.
About an hour later, they returned, without the young mage,
and
slept.
Outside, there was no sleep for Mariala. Effectively
'abusing' her, the
elven trio had carried her from her slumber
and deposited her in a large
barrel of icy water. From there,
with laughter, the closed the barrel
firmly...a large stone on
the lid to prevent her from escaping.
Morning came and the elven
trio woke to the surprise of the travelers. When
asked about
Mariala's whereabouts, they laughed and pointed to the
barrel.
Skaldryk laughed, rolling to the ground when he heard of
what they had done.
Hledge, on the other hand, seemed a bit
annoyed. "You do realize that she
could die in there? Surely a
cleric of Chislev would not be that cruel to
anyone..." he
started before realizing that no sound came from the barrel.
The
Kagonesti known as Zole merely held up one hand. "There are far
worse
fates that we could have done to the Silvanesti than
dunking her in water
overnight. They have done worse to us in
their rampages across the land,"
she said, turning and walking
into the forest. Both of the Qualinesti elves
nodded, but walked
to the barrel and pushed the stone to the ground with a
thud.
Nodding, they turned and walked away from it, following Zole into
the
woods.
Hledge carefully removed the lid from the barrel,
fully expecting something
aweful, and more than likely full of
either fire or ice, to come barreling
out the top. Instead, when
he peered inside after a few moments, he was
startled to see
Mariala with her eyes closed, squatted in waist deep water,
her
skin a bluish tint. She barely looked up as sunlight flooded the
top of
the barrel. With help, Hledge gently lifted her from the
frigid water. By
now Skaldryk had stopped laughing and was
squatting nearby as he stoked up a
fire, his face showing some
concern for the young mage. The elven trio was
heard nearby,
returning to camp. They too seemed to show concern as
they
noticed that the mage had yet to manage to stand on her own
feet.
It took what seemed like hours for Mariala to lose the
blue tint to her
skin...and for her teeth to finally stop
chattering. Hledge had pulled the
elven trio aside, giving them a
stern talking to about their childish prank.
When Mariala could
look up at them, she did notice that they were a
bit
apologetic.
They were unable to start the next leg of their
travels until mid afternoon.
Instead of the mirth from the
earlier days, the travelers were subdued and
quiet. Mariala rode
slightly behind everyone, wrapped tightly in her cloak.
Even with
the hood pulled high over her head, she watched everyone with
a
careful stare.
The small Kagonesti ranger called a stop as
dusk began to fall. Skaldryk
quickly pitched some tents and
started a fire. But still, Mariala kept to
herself, putting
distance between herself and the rest of the group. She
sat
quietly on a log just out of everyone's way, studying from a
covered book.
It was Malryx that approached her, drawing her
attention to the rest of the
group. "It was not our intent to
harm you that much, Apprentice Mariala," {s
he said, his tone
contrite. "Each of us has had our fair share of problems
with
Silvanesti elves and their behavior towards everyone else." He
knelt
down in front of her, trying to make eye contact with her.
Instead, she
ducked her head, stuffing the book back into a
nearby pack. He stood when
she did, stepping in front of her. She
lifted her head for a mere moment,
glaring at him. Yet when she
made to step around him, he blocked her path.
Her anger was like
a flash of fury. One moment he was standing in front of
her...the
next he seemed to be floating in mid air. He had never even
heard
her speak. Effectively, she stepped around him and walked
deeper into the
forest. When she was out of range, the spell
ended and dropped him to the
ground. He got up, rubbing his ribs.
"I guess it's going to take a bit for
her forgiveness," he
said, wincing as he returned to the fire.
The following days
passed with no incident. The trio of elves and the young
mage
effectively stayed away from each other, drawing no attention to
the
rift that seemed to want to tear the travelers apart. The
night of the
fourth day, Skaldryk called everyone to the fire.
"We reach the borders of
the Silvanesti lands tomorrow," he
said, looking at each person. He noticed
that Mariala seemed to
perk up a bit at his words. "We will stop briefly for
a meal,
but we must reach the entrance to the cave by nightfall
tomorrow
night. There we will meet up with others that will take
us to your first
stop apprentice," he said, nodding at
Mariala. She looked up at him and
nodded. She could hardly sleep
that night. "Home," she whispered before
closing her
eyes.
When morning light hit her, Mariala was wide awake. She
was up and waiting
for the rest of them to finish their breakfast
and mount up. They traveled
fast, entering Mariala's homeland
before noon. She was excited as she
dismounted in front of her
family's home.
She entered the house alone. The others took
offers from others who knew of
their quest. It was a bit after
noon when Mariala exited her parent's home,
her eyes reddened.
She said nothing to anyone when she joined them in
mounting up.
Her mother and father stepped out, mirroring her
expression.
Instead of waving to them, she pulled her hood over
her face and looked
away. They tried a few time to catch her
attention, but she said nothing,
riding onward. They arrived at
their destination at the correct time.
Skaldryk dismounted and
held up one hand. "I will make sure that all is
ready. Wait
here," he said, walking into the entrance to the cave.
He
returned a few moments later, accompanied by two more elves.
"These are our
escorts, Tailonna and Joimer. They will be
taking us through the cave to
meet with the others we need to
speak with," he said, motioning to each of
them. It was an
apparent surprise to the group that both elves had blue
colored
skin and gills.
Author: Mariala
Date: Sat Mar 20 02:22:14 2010
Subject
6-Shedding Light-Into the cave with the Sea Elves and back
out
It was quite a surprise, seeing the blue skinned
elves. Yet for someone
like Mariala...it was like something from
a dream. She had only heard of the
elves from the sea. Now she
was actually able to see them. She followed
them, staring at them
openly.
The water level rose slowly, drenching their clothing in
the process. When
they reached water that hit some of them in the
chest, the sea elves pulled
out strange looking shells, handing
them to everyone. They smiled, nodding
as Skaldryk wore his over
his mouth and nose. Mariala followed everyone
else's example.
When they were all wearing shells, the sea elves dove under
the
water.
They all dove under, following closely. Mariala glanced
around, her face
showing awe and surprise at the vast beauty
under the water. And, instead of
paying close attention to her
direction, she got separated from the group.
They didn't realize
it until they had arrived at their destination. The sea
elves
sighed, heading back out into the open ocean to find
her.
Mariala was glad to see the sea elves. At the time she
caught sight of them,
she was attempting to cast magic missiles
at the shark who had decided to
make her his lunch...and she was
doing fairly well for a surface dweller
whose voice was fairly
quiet behind the shell.
The sea elves watched in some amusement,
finally stepping in and killing the
monster. Then, beckoning her
to follow them, they swam back to the cave. She
followed at a
slower pace, still taking in her surroundings.
The cave itself
was spacious and large. Her heritage forgotten for a
moment,
Mariala gawked at the underwater treasures laid before
her. She stumbled
around a corner into a large room where her
traveling group waited. She
composed herself when she saw the
large table in the front of the room.
At the table sat four
older sea elves. The looked her over, then began
talking amongst
themselves...the musical sound of the language seeming to
flow
over Mariala's head. A bit annoyed, she whispered, releasing a
spell to
help her understand languages. "...capable of handling
what she must to be
able to light the staff," one of them said.
Another nodded. "Her mind is not
open to what we can show her,"
another added. She continued to listen to the
argument...each
point made against her. With what courage she could summon,
she
stepped forward. "I was sent on this quest by my master. Please,
allow
me to try...it's all I ask," she said humbly. The council
of sea elves
looked at her for a few moments. Finally they stood.
"If it is the will of
Kisla, then it will be done," one said,
motioning for the younger elves to
escort them deeper into the
caves.
The group settled in a room, falling asleep. Sometime
during the night,
Mariala was awakened by one of the elves that
had escorted them into the
underwater caves. He told her to bring
with her the staff and to follow him.
She followed him, stumbling
from sleepiness. He led her into a small cave
where the other
young elf waited. She nodded at Mariala. "I am known as
Tailonna.
We are to take you to the Great Lights," she said, nodding.
The
male nodded. "I'm known as Joimer," he said, looking out of
the cave. He
looked at the other sea elf. "It is clear."
The
three elves made their way, slowly, from the cave toward a large
glowing
structure. As they approached, Mariala felt a pull from
the pit of her
stomach. The closer they got to the structure, the
more brilliant the glow
seemed to become. They stopped, standing
close enough to touch the
structure. "Take the staff out and
touch it to the structure," Tailonna said
quietly, turning to
Joimer. "We will keep watch." Mariala started to say
something,
but Joimer motioned for her to hurry. She nodded, pulling
the
staff out and touching it to the structure.
Energy seemed
to flow into the staff and into Mariala. She barely heard
the
angry snarl from nearby, nor did she see the creature that
barreled out of a
cave. A large hobgoblin looking creature
stalked the sea elves, frenzied at
the sight of the land elf
touching the structure. When the energy seemed to
fill the staff
completely, the glow seemed to fade. Mariala felt full of
energy
as she turned around to see the battle between the strange
sea
creature and the sea elves. With little concern for her own
safety, she
raised the staff...calling on it to send a large
fireball toward the strange
creature. The staff seemed to glow as
it released the fireball at the enemy.
The fireball itself seemed
to engulf the creature, burning it up
completely.
When the ash
cleared, the three elves looked around. Mariala shook her
head.
"What was that?" she asked. Tailonna grimaced as she wiped
the creature's
blood from her sword. "That was a Nabari. It's
similar to what you land
dwellers have called a hobgoblin," she
said. Joimer merely smiled. "It looks
like you can handle
yourself fairly well," he commented as he raised his
mace,
offering a prayer to Abbuku. When he finished, the three of
them
returned to the caves.
It was the equivalent of morning
when the travelers woke. Mariala sat
quietly near the door,
holding the still glowing staff in her hands. The
travel from the
caves back to the surface was uneventful. Joimer and
Tailonna
waved a fond goodbye to them, thanking Mariala for the help
in
defeating the Nabari and returned to the sea. The group
settled for the
night around a campfire that Skaldryk built. Some
of the group looked at the
glowing staff with amazement and awe
when finally Wanderrynd inched
closer.
"CanIborrowthatwhenyouaredone? Iwanttofindouthowitglows."
Author: Mariala
Date: Sat Mar
20 19:30:23 2010
Subject Shedding Light - Home of
Hledge
It seemed mournful...walking away from the beauty
and wonders of the sea,
but the group did as it was supposed
to...escaping from the coastline near
Silvanost into the trees
then upward into the hills toward the lands of the
Neidar. Hledge
seemed to push his shaggy horse a bit faster as the group hit
the
foothills near his home.
The ruins of an old dwelling stood
near the base of the hill to which Hledge
lead them. Mariala
turned her head, seeming to hear something strange.
Hledge
motioned to Skaldryk to continue and dropped back beside her.
"The
sounds come from a thing called Bauvan. A battle was
fought here many
generations ago. The Bauvan are the ghosts of
women who search the
battlefield for their lost loves. I can
remember sleeping at my home and
learning to fall asleep to the
sounds of them," Hledge said, explaining the
mysterious sounds.
Mariala looked closely at the dwarf, seeing the sorrow on
his
composed face. She nodded. "How many of your family were killed
here?"
she asked, her voice strangely showing compassion that
she would not have
shown years before. He looked at her, one hand
pulling on his dark colored
beard. "All of them," was the
only response he gave before clucking to his
mount and forcing it
into a canter as he made for the front of the group.
Mariala
pulled her horse to a stop for moments, looking at the
blasted
remains of what was once a home. Silvery shadows seemed
to flitter
aroundappearing and disappearing before her eyes. She
closed her eyes,
allowing a few tears to drop onto her cheeks
before she opened her eyes and
kicked her horse into a canter to
catch up with the group.
The dwarven hall in front of where the
group stopped was a masterpiece of
work...silver and marble
everywhere. The doors seemed to be of one uniform
piece of
shining silver with a large medallion of the sun prominent.
When
the doors opened the sun seemed to split in half. Skaldryk
whistled in
appreciation, his hand going to the collars of both
Diz the Kender and Padr
the Gully Dwarf. He pulled both of them
close to him. "If either of you even
think of touching
anything...I will make sure that the dwarves replace your
hands
with silver claws," he said, hoping to make his point. "I
would never.
It all looks so..." Diz started, his hand darting
toward a nearby silvery
cup. Skaldryk slapped the kender's hand.
Diz looked up in disbelief. "Don't
touch it thief," Skaldryk
said, glaring at Diz.
The group was led to a large wing of
rooms. Skaldryk removed everything of
value from one room and
shoved both Diz and Padr into it, locking the door
behind them.
"I just want to look," [xwas the response of Diz as he
pounded
on the door. "Me no touchie," was all that Padr
sobbed as he too attempted
to strike the door, but probably hit
the wall from the "OUCH" that was
heard.
There was a warm
fire in the room that Mariala was shown to. Tapestries of
the
moons of Krynn hung on every wall, seeming to stare at her as
she
explored and looked at everything. She first stopped in front
of the
tapestry depicting Solinari, brilliant and glowing in its
white theme. She
bowed her head deeply, giving herself moments to
offer her thanks to the
moon that she followed. When she moved
on, she stopped in front of the red
tinged tapestry that depicted
the existence of Lunitari. Mariala had seen
this strange moon,
knowing that her own magical ability was less effective
when red
light seemed to fill the sky. She also knew that she had seen a
few
apprentices in the towers that seemed to relish the full red
moon. Quickly,
she bowed her head to the tapestry...acknowledging
the possibility that
another moon could carry the power that
Solinari could. Resuming her walk,
she stopped in front of the
tapestry that depicted the Black moon. She had
only heard rumors
of the existence of Nuitari and, by all rights, was
intreaged by
the mere possibility of it. Yet, she knew that there were
also
apprentices and mages what walked around the towers of
Wayreth with dark
robes and seemed to gain power when the skies
were dark to her. Again, she
bowed her head...only this time
giving the tapestry, and thought of
darkness, a quick bob of her
head before continuing on.
A rap on the door gained her
attention. She opened the door and accepted a
note from a well
dressed dwarven woman. 'What you seek in the land of the
Neidar
is from the glow of a Solamnic that no longer exists. Look for
what
you need at the battlegrounds of old. Ask the right question
to the right
person.' The note seemed rather vague in its
meaning, but gave her a
direction.
Hledge was just getting ready
for sleep when he was startled by a knock at
his door. He opened
it, surprised to see Mariala standing on the other side.
He bowed
his head. "What can I do for you, apprentice?" he asked.
She
blushed. "Forgive my intrusion, but this was delivered to
me," she said,
handing him the note. He took it, reading it.
With a sigh, he motioned for
her to enter. He closed the door
behind her. "The battle that took place
here..." he began.
"My family were protectors of the land and friends to
the
Knights of Solamnia. One of their knights came here, seeing
protection and
healing when he was ambushed by followers of the
dark ones. My family took
him in, healing some of his vast
wounds. I was away...learning from the
clerics at the temples
dedicated to Mishakal...when evil slaughtered
everyone there."
Hledge sighed. "They left no one alive...then just left.
When
others from the hill got there, there was no one left." Hledge
shruged.
"Wiped completely out..." he said with a tear
slipping from his eyes. He
sniffed once, then wiped his nose on
his hand. "If the note says you go
there...then lets go."
Mariala nodded.
They quietly walked through the halls,
careful to not disturb anyone. Once
they got outside and started
walking toward the old battlefield, Hledge
turned, pulling his
mace from his side. "Something follows us," he said,
pointing
toward a moving shadow. Mariala nodded. She raised her
hands,
calling on a lightning bolt to strike near the shadow. Diz
and Padr
shreaked, throwing up their hands. "Me no die...Me no
die," Padr cried,
dropping to a bundle of cloth on the ground.
Hledge roared with laughter. "I
should have known that a kender
could not be contained by dwarven locks."
The strange quartet
walked onward...after they convinced Padr that Mariala
would not
bar-b-que him. The battlefield loomed before them when
Hledge
turned toward a nearby tree. "Should have figured you
three would be
nearby," he said. The three elves carefully
stepped out of the trees,
lowering their weapons. Zole nodded at
the dwarf. "Your buildings do us no
good. And the trees sing
mournful tunes. It's not good for sleep," she said,
quietly.
The Bauvan song seemed quiet and subdued when they reached the
outskirts of
the battlefield. The silvery figures were more
prominent under the light of
Solinari. Mariala squinted, looking
for one of the ghost-like figures that
was taller than the
ghostly dwarven woman. Near the center of the ruins of
the house
the knight haunt stood...tall and majestic...bathed in a
yellowish
light. With quiet steps, Mariala left her traveling
companions and
approached the apparition.
It looked at her
through sightless eyes, its armor, sword, and shield held
at
ready...as though awaiting a battle. She lifted the Disir staff
from her
pack. It looked at the staff. After a bit it nodded.
Touching the tip of its
sword to the staff, the area soon became
bathed in a brilliant blue-white
light. When the light faded, the
knight haunt simply raised its sword in a
knightly salute before
it faded from sight. Mariala turned toward Hledge,
her face
contorted in confusion. Diz was the one who broke the silence.
"I
guess it's task was finished," he said, his eyes glowing.
To be continued
Author: Mariala
Date: Sat Mar 20 19:32:53 2010
Subject Shedding
Light - Home of Hledge (continuation)
He looked up at
their entrance, smiling. "From the looks on your faces, I
take
it that the Lord Knight has finally ended his walk on this
land."
Mariala and Hledge looked at each other, then nodded at
the old dwarf. He
smiled. "Good. It's about time he finished
what he remained here to."
end
Author: Mariala
Date: Sat Mar 20 19:46:18 2010
Subject
Shedding light - Home of Hledge (continuation)
The walk
back to the building was quiet. Once there, Hledge left Diz
and
Padr with Skaldryk and escorted Mariala through a maze of
halls to an old
chamber filled with books. Inside was a grey
bearded man who was hunched
over books. He looked up at their
entrance, smiling. "From the looks on your
faces, I take it
that the Lord Knight has finally ended his walk on this
land."
Mariala and Hledge looked at each other, then nodded at the
old
dwarf. He smiled. "Good. It's about time he finished what
he remained here
to."
Author: Mariala
Date: Sun Mar 21 01:34:39 2010
Subject Shedding
Light - Meeting up with the Disir
Reeling from the fact
that the knight haunt disappeared in front of them,
Hledge and
Mariala spent the next few days in the Neidar lands in a
room
with the old dwarf. He explained to them what the knight had
probably been
sent to do and why he was probably doomed to walk
the worlduntil the Disir
had been found and the quest had been
started. When the group of nine
finally left, both Hledge and
Mariala felt that they had done what was
necessary. Mariala even
went so far as to send a note, as well as a copy of
the note, to
people she felt needed to know about what had happened.
From the
land of the Neidar, travels seemed to wind through plains
and
forest. The three elves that had joined the group led them
toward the lands
of the Qualinost. A strange euphoria seemed to
drop over Malryx and Nayala
when they entered a forest on the
eight day of travels. Hledge laughed when
Nayala lifted Padr up,
setting him in a tree as they were setting up a camp
that night.
Mariala laughed quietly, ducking her head when Malryx turned
and
smiled at her. Camp that night was amusing. Poor Padr,
Wanderrynd and Diz
seemed to be destined for harassment no matter
what they did. Padr ended up
calling for Rar-Rar, his god, to
help him when Zole took him up to the top
of a tree. Diz fared
little better, himself ending up stuffed in a hole in a
tree for
getting into Nayala's pack. And Wanderrynd...well the poor
gnome
got the shock of a lifetime when Mariala found him looking
for the Disir
staff and placed him alongside Padr in the top of
the trees. All in all, it
was rather amusing.
Sleep came late to
all of them...morning coming shortly after. They were all
tired
as they stumbled out of sleep and made their way deeper
into
Qualinosti lands. This let to trouble when a group of
bandits set upon them.
Shoving Mariala in the middle of the
group, Skaldryk drew his sword to
defend her. The others followed
suit. Mariala realized at that time that her
safety was a major
concern. With a vow to Solinari, she raised her hands to
help
defend the group.
She managed to get off a few spells when an
arrow lodged itself in her left
shoulder. She dropped to the
ground, her fingers touching the shaft of the
arrow. She pulled
her hand away, looking in surprise at the blood on her
fingers.
Hledge and Nayala saw her collapse, both of them kneeling
beside
her. Nalaya yelled something to Malryx. Both clerics
worked on removing the
arrow while the others dealt with the
bandits. When the last one had fallen,
Skaldryk turned, looking
at Hledge. The dwarf shook his head. Skaldryk
cursed, striking at
a dead body.
Malryx seemed quicker, whistling for his own
mount. He climbed up, Nayala
lifting Mariala to him. He settled
her in front of him, whistling again at
the horse. They set off
deeper into the forest, leaving the others behind.
The last thing
the young mage remembered seeing were trees flashing by
her
before sleep overtook her.
Mariala woke surrounded by the
smells of the forest. She slowly opened her
eyes, looking around.
Wooden walls and soft sheets were closest to her.
Hledge sat in a
chair nearby, snoring quietly. She turned her head.
Immediately a
soft elven voice was at her side. "Easy, apprentice."
Mariala
her head toward the voice. Nayala knelt there, smiling
at her. "You gave us
a scare. We couldn't get the arrow out
during the fighting. Malryx brought
you to our home and our
mother took care of the arrow...and put you to sleep
with herbs.
You've been sleeping for more that 20 hours." Mariala started
to
sit up, but Nayala was there...helping her sit. "We are
sorry. We should
have been better prepared...but...there is no
excuse to the fact that we
were tired and not ready," the elven
cleric said, bowing her head. Mariala
shook her head. "It's not
your fault. I should have been ready for
anything," Mariala
said quietly. "My thanks to you and your family for
atching out
for me." Nayala lifted her head, smiling broadly. "Malryx
will
be pleased you are ok. Mother, Hledge and I have already
healed him and
Skaldryk. They BOTH think it's their fault that
you got hurt," Nayala said,
leaning forward to pull the sheet
down...peering at the wound. "I would say
you can get up, but
DON'T do anything with that arm until Mother looks at
it."
Mariala nodded.
Mariala walked into the room, Nayala at her
side. Her traveling companions
looked up from what they were
doing, meeting her with smiles. Padr ran up to
her. "Rar-Rar
save you. Me know he do," he said, dancing around her.
Diz
walked up to you...holding out her dagger. "You dropped
this," he said
blushing just a bit. Mariala took the dagger
smiling at him. "And you made
sure I didn't lose it?" she
asked. He merely nodded. Zole approached her,
nodding. "It came
from behind us. None of us saw it," she said, turning
and
walking away. Mariala merely shook her head. The two
warriors, human and
Qualinost, sat where they were, their
expressions mirroring each other. To
them she smiled slightly.
"It's neither of your faults," she said. "You
could say
that was the first REAL fight I've ever been in." Both
warriors
looked at her, their jaws dropping. Skaldryk was the
first to shake his
head. "I wish Mistress Kah'rihn had
mentioned that to us."
The greetings were interrupted when
Nayala bowed deeply to an older elven
woman. "How does the
shoulder feel?" she asked, smiling. Mariala nodded.
"It
hurts, but...I thank you for taking care of me," she
replied to the woman,
her voice a bit shy sounding. The woman
nodded, walking away. Malryx
approached her, glancing at his
sister. She laughed and walked away. He
cleared his throat before
speaking. "With Mistress Kah'rihn knowing how to
fight, we
assumed that you did too. I'm sorry that we didn't know that
you
did not know how to fight," he said, a sorrowful look on
his face. Mariala
shrugged. "I didn't tell you...I take
responsibility for it too. I have
never learned to fight," she
said, quietly. He merely looked at her and
smiled. "Maybe next
time we travel...I can teach you," he said,
wandering
away.
Nayala's mother approached Mariala a bit later.
"Please follow me," was all
she said. Mariala stood up,
following the lady. She led Mariala to a room in
which six
Qualinesti elves sat. Closing the door behind them, she
nodded.
"High Archmage Kah'rihn has sent word that you have a
quest to find the
Disir creature." Mariala nodded at her. The
lady smiled, continuing. "My son
has seen the beast wandering
around. I have asked him to take you near the
creature so you
might be able to see if the staff works...and so you can see
for
yourself what it looks like." Again Mariala nodded. The lady
shook her
head. "I don't agree with this since you were
injured...and that injury is
not healed, but I leave this up to
you and him." Mariala looked at the lady.
"I do agree, the
staff does need to be tested. And I am in no condition to
try
it." She pulled out the staff, looking at it. Looking back up
at the
lady, she smiled.
to be continued
Author:
Mariala
Date: Sun Mar 21 01:37:02
2010
Subject Shedding Light - Meeting up with the Disir
(part 2)
"Malryx," Mariala said quietly as she exited
the room. "Would you mind
taking this to where you find the
Disir creature?" she asked quietly. He
looked at her, then
bowed deeply. "I will, but you are NOT going." She
laughed,
nodding.
With an anxious feeling, Mariala watched them leave.
Her expression worried,
she sat quietly near a window...watching
for them to return. It seemed like
forever until she saw the band
walking slowly back. They carried something.
She went to meet
them, seeing that it was Padr that they carried. Hledge
shook his
head as she met up with them. "He thought he could grab
something
you might want. The creature just waved his hand and he
flew into the
wall...hard. There was nothing we could do,"
Hledge said, his voice
saddened. Mariala nodded. Malryx grasped
her arm as she started to follow
the dwarf. "I think it works.
It also started glowing and got warm when we
got close to the
Disir. I didn't pay too much attention to it. The gully
was
killed and we were dealing with that," Malryx whispered,
handing the staff
to her. Mariala nodded. "Would it have been
any different had I not been
injured? Could I have done anything
to help?" she asked. Malryx just shook
his head as he walked
away.
Author: Mariala
Date: Sun
Mar 21 18:15:55 2010
Subject Shedding Light - Knowing what
is in the world
They once rode out as nine, but
now...with sorrow...they set out as
eight. They set out from the
lands of the Qualinesti elves a few days later.
They had all said
goodbye in their own ways to the Gully dwarf who had died
trying
to get some little something from the lair of the Disir creature.
It
seemed to hit Mariala harder since she had been unable to be
there to
attempt to save Padr. Instead she had been injured by an
arrow and confined
to stay near Malryx and Nayala's mother.
It
was almost surreal to see the childsized box that held Padr being
lowered
into a hole in the ground. Mariala stayed even after the
others had retired
back to the house. She just stared at the open
hole, tears falling freely
down her face. After a while, the
strength seemed to sleep from her and she
dropped to her knees.
She looked at her hands, seeing the staff that had
caused the
death. She almost threw the staff into the hole...until she
saw
the white of the cuffs of the robe she wore. Fighting to her
feet, she
blindly stumbled back to the house. Ignoring the stares
of everyone, she
went to the room that had been set aside for
her, shutting the door. Once
inside, she threw the staff in a
corner. She heard the door open and
close...then arms wrap around
her. "No one could have forseen this," the
familiar voice of
Nayala's mother said. "The little one thought of
you
first...and thought that you needed something from the
trip...since you were
unable to see what they did. Malryx said
that he felt nothing. He also said
that the little one succeeded
and managed to grab something." Mariala felt
her hand
opened...something placed into it...then her fingers were
wrapped
around it. "Join us when you are ready, but take little
time...you are
needed to finish what was started," she said,
releasing her hold on Mariala
and leaving the room with little
sound. Mariala opened her eyes and cleared
the tears. She opened
her eyes, seeing a small shiny red stone. With a small
smile, she
closed her hand again. "Thank you Padr."
The sun seemed to
play hide and seek as they traveled back to Mariala's
homeland.
Little was said by the eight travelers, each of them keeping
watch
for anything that the Gods could throw at them. Mariala
rode in the middle
of the group...at the orders of both Skaldryk
and Malryx. The clerics,
Hledge and Nayala, rode close to her.
The others flanked out from
there...protecting her. Even the
kender, Diz, rode in a subdued silence.
They entered the
Silvananesti town this way.
Greeting warmly by Mariala's
parents, the group was taken into the large
home. A Silvanesti
servant laughed, making the joke that now they didn't
have to
worry about the dirt left behind from a gully dwarf. Malryx
turned
to the elf, hissing at the servant as he slammed him
against a nearby wall.
Skaldryk pulled the Qualinesti aside,
shaking his head. Mariala followed
turning her head toward the
servant and shaking her head.
Her childhood nurse was waiting
for her when she entered her old rooms.
Fussing over the
improvised sling on her left arm, the nurse went to the
vast
closets and disappeared into them, returning moments later
with
something for her to wear. Mariala allowed the woman to help
her change her
clothes, looking at the new cloth with surprise.
She could not remember ever
seeing them before. Thinking nothing
of this, she merely shook her head.
She followed the nurse to
her father's study. Once there, she
entered...confused as to why
she would have been summoned. Her parents
warmly greeted her.
"Well...we have good news for you," her father
started,
hugging her tightly. "We have arranged for your
marriage to the grandson of
the current speaker. He is pleased to
know that you are undergoing training
for your 'skills'," he
said, his voice full of satisfaction. She pulled back
from him in
horror...which both he and her mother took for happiness.
Mariala
stepped back, putting distance between her and them. "No,"
she said,
shaking her head. "But darling," her mother said,
stepping forward. "When
you are finished with your
studies..." she started, but Mariala raised her
hand. "My
studies will never be finished. There is always something new
to
learn," she said. Her father shook his head. "But you will
tire of it and
come back..." he started. Mariala shook her
head, turning toward the door.
She raised her hand and splintered
the door open with a lightning bolt. With
one last glance at her
parents she left the room and went to find her
traveling group.
The door slammed open on the single small room that the group
had been
given. They jumped up to see Mariala enter. "We are
leaving now," she said,
dropping a heavy pack to the floor by
the door. Malryx nodded, seeing the
anger in her face. They all
stood and shouldered the packs that they hadn't
bothered opening
and followed her out of the doors. They were in the stables
when
servants approached them. "Your parents demand you return to
them,"
they told Mariala. She ignored them, mounting up as the
others did. The
group reined the horses and left the area.
Mariala heard the demands of her
parents, but never looked
back.
They pulled their mounts to a stop under a large tree.
Skaldryk stalked off
into the woods, returning moments later with
an armful of branches. With a
smile, Mariala sent a single
fireball into the middle of the wood, bursting
it into flames.
Malryx laughed. "I take it they pissed you off?" he
asked.
She looked at him, nodding. Hledge smiled. "Put it all
behind you. You will
be back at the Wayreth towers before too
long...and if Mistress Kah'rihn
isn't happy with your
progress...come see me at the hill. I'll put you to
work boiling
water to help me," he said, a broad smile on his face.
Mariala
laughed, bringing a smile to everyone's face. That seemed
to break the mood
of the night...everyone sitting around the fire
and talking about things.
Morning dawned. The group left the
camp, taking the group full circle as it
made its way back to
Wayreth.
Days later, the towers loomed before the group. Mariala
smiled, pulling the
staff from her pack. It seemed to glow a bit
more, and she dipped her
head...remembering Padr. They entered
the area surrounding the towers. And
Mariala sent a notice to her
Mistress.
Author: Mariala
Date:
Sat Mar 27 01:53:13 2010
Subject The annoying black
robe
* Kah sits within the Hall of Mages during the late
hours of the evening
awaiting the arrival of my absent
apprentice, hoping she would return with
good tidings. *
Kah ICs
in Common 'I wonder what is taking her...' Looks up and watches
the
moons move about on the ceiling of the great chamber.'
*
Mariala stands quietly at the entrance to the Hall. She closes
her
eyes...then makes her way to the door. With a sigh, she
knocks. *
* Kah looks towards the door sharply and calls outs
"Enter" *
* Mariala opens the door and enters. "I take it you
received my note?" *
Kah ICs in Common 'That I did. I would like
to thank you. That soul deserved
to rest.'
* Mariala nods. "But
the other didn't deserve what he got." *
* Kah sighs deeply, a
sense of great lose carried on the sound. *
You IC in Common 'I
take it that you heard the news from Skaldryk?'
Kah ICs in
Common 'Yes Padr was a very loyal friend. It is a shame to
hear
of his passing.'
* Mariala nods. "He was a pain in
everyone's butt...yet he DID grow on me."
*
* Kah smiles gently
at Mariala. *
* Mariala smiles. "And Diz DID get him stuck in
the tree." she says
laughing. *
Kah ICs in Common 'I am glad
that your time outside these walls was not
wasted.'
* Xorn walks
from the shadows in the corner, smiling, his ice blue
eyes
penetrating the two elf mages. *
* Kah chuckles lightly as
she remembers some other occassions that Diz had
done something
crazy to Padr and had everyone laughing merrily. *
Xorn ICs in
Common 'Always scutinizing what is not there. Why am
I
surprised.'
* Kah stops laughing and turns to the new comer.
*
Kah says 'Ah welcome Xorn. I did not expect to be meeting you
again so soon.
Nor within this chamber.'
* Mariala turns,
looking at the interruption. She waits for mere moments and
bows
her head toward him. *
* Xorn smiles at the huntress. "Of course
you find goodness when none is
present. That is your way after
all." *
Kah ICs in Common 'I see the ways of life. Nothing more,
nothing less. So
what brings you to this place, this night?'
*
Mariala merely watches as the newcomer banters with her Mistress.
*
Xorn ICs in Common 'A dark coma, a......gift.........a vision
from my God.'
Xorn ICs in Common 'You would know mistress.'
*
Kah smiles at the black robed man. *
Kah ICs in Common 'Good
timing then. Please take a seat and represent your
order.
Gestures the man towards the seven dark chairs.'
* Xorn walks to
one of the seats in the hall and rests, relying heavily upon
his
staff, his demeanor dishevled, his look haggard. *
Xorn ICs in
Common 'As you wish my
most...........tempting........liege.'
Kah ICs in Common 'So
what news do you bring?'
* Mariala studies the dark robed man.
She finally rolls her eyes and walks
to stand behind her
Mistress. *
* Kah smiles at Mariala and gestures towards the
ivory seat beside her. *
* Xorn looks to the sweet elven girl
present beside the huntress.
"Isn't
she..........just..........lovely Silver Moon? *
Kah ICs
in Common 'She is. But, enough with her looks lets hear what
news
you bring. Maybe it will help with what news my apprentice
brought me'
* Xorn smiles to the huntress, and twirls his own
black hair before he
answers. "I brought my source to you, and
with great cost. Would the
innocent elf maiden like me to prove
it as well?" *
Xorn ICs in Common 'Tell me sweety? What is
the..........real truth worth?'
* Mariala glares at the dark
robed man. Shaking her head, she again rolls
her eyes, yet
remains silent, ignoring his remarks *
Kah ICs in Common 'Enough
games, I have business I need to take care of.
What news have you
brought?'
Xorn ICs in Common 'The elf woman doesn't want to
play. How sad does this
makes my moon? '
Xorn ICs in Common 'As
the lich said, the temple is near the ruins of what
you call
Zhaman.'
Xorn ICs in Common 'I have found.........another.'
Kah ICs in Common 'Another?'
* Xorn turns and again looks at
the newcomer, and smiles at her beauty.
"Huntress, she is
so.........lovely." The black mage smiles at the elf
maiden, his
ice blue eyes, seemingly torn. *
Xorn ICs in Common
'Yes.......another. I willed by my God to help and I
shall.
Yes...........another. '
Kah ICs in Common 'Another lich?
Another Temple? Another Disir?'
* Mariala glares at the dark
mage. Under her breath she whispers..."And you
are a blubbering
baffoon." She quickly raises her hand, hoping that no one
heard
her remark. *
* Xorn stands and walks down the isle he was
assinged, coming close to the
two white robed elves. "Same
temple, same problem, and same DISIR. And for
that matter same
advice you took from my "friend" sand woman. *
Kah ICs in Common
'That still does not tell me what "another" is...'
* Xorn
wiggles his fingers into the young elfs face, as if giving her
the
evil eye, and he smiles to the white robed newcomer, his ice
blue eyes,
cold, but also.......kind. *
Kah ICs in Common 'Have
you been sniffing your potion powders?'
* Mariala ignores the
man. Instead she yawns...then chokes at her
Mistress's
question...covering it by acting like she was
coughing. *
Xorn ICs in Common 'A.......newcomer. He wishes to
meet you, because I told
him you would not judge...........like
the otheres.'
continued in next story
Author:
Mariala
Date: Sat Mar 27 01:59:06
2010
Subject Then annoying black robe (or...trying to
understand a prophet) part 2
Xorn ICs in Common 'He comes
from somewhere else.............kind of like
me.'
Xorn ICs in
Common 'Will you live up to what you say?...............Will
you
be...........compromising white robe?'
Kah ICs in Common 'I
am always willing to weigh out a situation objectively
and make
compromises when nessicary.'
Xorn ICs in Common 'Excellent my
most lovely Kah'rihn. Will you give me a
moment
to.............disect your very lovely pledge? I promise only
words
of course.'
* Xorn winks to the elf woman. *
Kah ICs in
Common 'Very well. Mariala, just be kind to the man. I can see
he
irritates you, but he will be a valuable aid in our quest.'
*
Mariala returns the man's wink by merely raising her eyebrow at
him.
"Irritates...no. Annoys...definately." *
Xorn ICs in Common
'And this does not have to be.........lovely.'
* Xorn walks
closer to the elf maiden, and sits in one of the chairs of
the
white robes next to her. He places his staff across his lapp,
and looks to
the sky above the tower. *
* Mariala watches the
man with a strange curiousity. *
* Xorn smiles to her, giving
the elf maiden a wink. "Your superior
is...away.....You and I
only exist in this time and place. Let us........get
to know one
another. Such chances are rare in the order of things." *
You IC
in Common 'That they are, but you are just a bit annoying. Why
must
you be so?'
Xorn ICs in Common 'I never mean to
be.......what do you call
it.......annyoing. I only serve my
purpose, and my God. And I do this in all
things. But when an
oppritunity strikes...........seize
the........moonlight.'
*
Mariala shakes her head. "How does one "seize the moonlight"? It
honestly
is nothing that can be held or grasped." *
* Xorn just
smiles to the elf maiden, and slowly shakes his head. "Of
course
it can be grasped. Solinari leads you......does he not?
Even though it is
not tangable, you know his grasp? The lights of
the moons, they direct us
magi." *
Xorn ICs in Common 'And you
can seize that light, and take it into your own
destiny.'
*
Mariala shrugs her shoulders. "I've never thought of following
Solinari in
those terms." *
Xorn ICs in Common 'Those that serve
Nuitari.......We KNOW when the time is
right. You elves.......you
live your lives in contemplation, and always
questioning
everything.'
* Xorn laughs up to the heavens. *
You IC in
Common 'But wouldn't it be better to ask questions instead
of
following something like a mindless moron?'
* Xorn cackles to
the heavens in glee. "Better to know the plan........than
to be a
puppet!" *
You IC in Common 'But would you call someone who does
things differently...a
puppet? Would that not be better suited to
call those who serve your moon..a
puppet?'
Xorn ICs in Common
'And I might add dear.............Mariala. *Xorn laughs
at her
mockingly* I was shown your recent...........problems. You who
come
from a rich noble home. You who travel in the Sand
Mistresses name. And you
hope to find........humilty'
* Mariala
glares at the man. "You know NOTHING about me." *
* Xorn cackles
with glee, once again looking up to the heavens and an
invisble
moon to the elf. "You who think you know
suffering........or
humility!" *
You IC in Common 'I know what I
know because of what has happened to me. I
don't CLAIM to know
anything more. '
Xorn ICs in Common 'Take my hand then, and
forget about all of that. You are
beautiful.........Take my
hand...........and have a little peace. The other
didn't die in
vain you know.'
You IC in Common 'I'm not taking your
'anything'. '
Xorn ICs in Common 'Your choice
elf....princess... Soon your mistress will
return.......and she
WILL......take my hand.'
You IC in Common 'At least I know SHE'S
NOT a mindless puppet. Others I am
not too sure of right
now.'
Xorn ICs in Common 'And you think
I
am..........How....................delicious'
* Kah chuckles
at that last comment from her apprentice as she returns. *
Xorn
ICs in Common 'I look forward to more...........disciussion'
Kah
ICs in Common 'Are you two playing nice?'
* Xorn turns to the
sand mistress and the head of the white robes, and bows
to her.
"I always play nice Huntress." *
* Mariala turns toward her
Mistress. "I'm...trying." *
* Kah smiles gently to the two mages
as she takes her seat once again. *
Kah ICs in Common 'Now Xorn,
you have had you fun. Now time for the
information.'
* Mariala
looks toward the man. "Discussion...maybe another time. Right
now...you are the least of my worries." *
to be
continued
Author: Mariala
Date:
Sat Mar 27 02:05:58 2010
Subject Then annoying black robe
(or...trying to understand a prophet) part 3
* Xorn does
not leave the seat he has taken, his staff still resting
across
his lap. He winks the the elf maiden, grinnign evilly, his ice
blue
eyes boring deep into her as she speaks. *
Kah ICs in
Common 'Xorn...'
Xorn ICs in Common 'Yes Silver Lady?'
Kah ICs
in Common 'The information please?'
Xorn slowly states 'I was
given to help, and so I have...........I
know
someone.........'
Xorn slowly states 'He can find out
more............'
Xorn slowly states 'And He wants.......very
little in return...........'
Kah ICs in Common 'Very little
eh?'
Kah ICs in Common 'What does he want in return for his
aid?'
* Xorn turns to Mariala, and wiggles his bottom to her,
reprising her
derision with.......lust *
Xorn ICs in Common 'He
is not exactly...........one of us master.'
Kah ICs in Common
'What do you mean? Not one of us?'
Xorn ICs in Common 'You
already know his name. He spent time in the master's
dungeon.'
*
Mariala rolls her eyes at the man. "What a waste." she says
quietly. *
Kah ICs in Common 'Recently?'
Xorn again turns to
Mariala and winks to her, his ice blue eyes boring holse
into her
pure elf soul.
Xorn ICs in Common 'Evil is as evil
does.............sweety!'
* Xorn again turns to Mariala and
winks to her, his ice blue eyes boring
holse into her pure elf
soul. *
Kah ICs in Common 'Xorn, go set up a meeting between
myself and your "ally"
and I will be along shortly.'
* Xorn
turns back to Kah and whispers into her ear one word and one
name.
"Nestos" *
* Kah nods to Xorn as he departs. *
* Mariala
watches with a bit of glee as the man leaves. *
* Kah turns back
to her apprentice as the black robe fades away from view as
he
walks from the chamber. *
* Mariala composes her face as Kah
turns toward her. *
* Xorn smiles to the sandwoman after he
drops the name, and then back to the
elf woman. "You are
so..........lovely. I cannot wait to see what the future
brings."
HE stands and walks out. *
Kah ICs in Common 'Now, tell me of
the staff.'
You IC in Common 'What do you wish to know?'
Kah
ICs in Common 'May I see it?'
* Mariala pulls the staff from her
pouch. She holds it out. *
You IC in Common 'The council of Sea
Elves gave us direction to add to the
staff.'
* Kah takes the
staff from her apprentice and focuses upon it's magic,
calling
forth its properties. *
* Kah nods to Mariala as she hands her
the staff back. *
Kah ICs in Common 'You have done a fine job,
but it feels as if the staff is
incomplete.'
You IC in Common
'More was added to it with help from the dwarves. I was
unable to
personally see to the addition in the lands of the
Qualinesti.'
You IC in Common 'But Malryx said it was done'
Kah
ICs in Common 'Yes you added to it with the sea elves, the
dwarves, the
solamnic spirit, and Malryx did complete the
Qualinesti infusion...'
You IC in Common 'The Qualinesti
infusion was saddened by the loss of one of
us.'
Kah ICs in
Common 'Yes...'
You IC in Common 'What more do you want to
know?'
Kah ICs in Common 'In kendermore there is a creature
there that glows during
the Night of the Eye.'
Kah ICs in Common
'Which is also the only time it is seen.'
* Mariala nods. "What
about this creature?" *
Kah ICs in Common 'It will try to devour
the entire region of kendermore
this coming Night of the Eye.'
Kah ICs in Common 'I know this may sound quite grusome for one
of our order
to do, but I must ask you to slay this beast and
then make a paste from the
blood and brain tissue to coat the
staff in.'
* Mariala nods. "This creature is necessary?" *
Kah
ICs in Common 'Unfortunately. If it was not the case, I would
slay the
best myself. But you must do it with the staff...'
Kah
ICs in Common 'The coating will be needed for the final task.'
*
Mariala nods again. "Then...I guess I need to contact Diz and see
if he
would mind helping." *
Kah ICs in Common 'Yes especially
since it affects him and his kind.'
You IC in Common 'Then I
will be off...with your permission.'
Kah ICs in Common 'Of
course, you have my leave.'
* Mariala bows deeply, turning and
walking away. *
* Kah stays seated thinking awhile before
heading back to her quarters to
get some rest. *
Author: Mariala
Date: Thu Apr
1 15:04:43 2010
Subject Night of the Eye
The Night
of the Eye...a seemingly eerie time for mages. It seemed
strange
as Mariala followed behind Skaldryk and Diz, with the others of
her
group gathered around her. She felt the presence of the white
moon pulling
fiercely at her. Diz turned back to her. "You do
know that it's a massive
beast?" he asked. She nodded. "Mistress
Kah'rihn mentioned it," Mariala
said, nodding. Diz
nodded.
Kendermore seemed largely...chaotic. Kenderkin of all
ages ran in and out of
crowds...'borrowing' from each other, some
of it enciting riotous fights
between them. Diz laughed, sliding
off his horse. He rushed forward,
throwing his arms around
another kender. The traveling group followed suit,
sliding to the
ground. Mariala stepped closer to Hledge. "Don't they get mad
at
each other for stealing?" she asked. Hledge just laughed. "Their
society
doesn't look at it as stealing. They are 'holding on to
it' so no one loses
it," he said. She looked at him with a
strange expression. He laughed. "Keep
your hand on that bag," he
said, nodding toward the pouch at her side.
They left late the
next morning...after she spent most of the morning
getting things
back from the kender children who had borrowed them from
her.
They group rode the the last place where the creature had
been seen. Sure
enough, there was quite a few signs of the
creature's passing. Mariala
watched as Malryx, Nayala, and Zole
slid from their horses, looking around
them. Mariala glanced at
Hledge, then slid to the ground. She walked over to
the other
elves. "What do you see?" she asked. Malryx looked up at her,
a
slight smile on his face. "We need to track which direction it
went." She
nodded. With a smile, she whispered some strange
words, lifting off the
ground. From her vantage point, she was
able to see the destruction that the
creature had created. With
another word, she floated effortlessly to the
ground. With a
smirky smile at Malryx, she described what she had seen.
With
careful steps, the group tracked the creature, finally finding it
in a
grove of destroyed trees. It was a cross between a huge
lizard and a
groundhog. They approached it quietly...Skaldryk,
Malryx and Zole in fhe
front....Hledge and Diz closer...with
Nayala and Mariala at the rear.
Somehow the creature either
smelled them or heard them and turned to
attack.
The battle was
long and drawn out, but few injuries to anyone or anything
except
to the creature. In the end, it was a well crafted spell
from
Mariala's hand that dropped the creature to the ground. And
it Mariala's
hand that drained blood to take back to the Towers
of the Mages.
Author: Mariala
Date:
Sat Apr 17 01:32:18 2010
Subject After the
trip
+ Kneeling in the center of the pentagram, the focus
of the Altar of
Solinari, Kah'rihn whispers a deep conversation
with the White Moon as she
awaits her apprentice.
Mariala
returns to the tower. She sighs as she dismounts, turning the
reins
over to a nearby groom. She smiles as she enters the
grounds and makes her
way to the White Tower.
Kah smiles to
herself as she hears the mundane clatter of hooves
approaching
the tower, a sure sign her apprentice had
returned.
Mariala climbs the stairs, pulling her robes closer
around her. She winces
as the cloth rubs against the raw burns on
her neck. With a sigh, she bows
deeply after she gets to the
Altar room.
You slowly state 'Mistress Kah'rihn...'
Kah asks
'Mariala. *smiles up at the Silvanesti woman that entered
all
travelworn* How were your travels?'
Mariala nods. "They
were......eventful. The kender showed us a good time at
Diz's
wake and funeral."
Kah says 'Yes, a funeral given by Kender is a
facinating occurence.'
Kah slowly states 'If only all peoples
viewed death in such ways...' Mariala
giggles. "I would
definately say interesting. I think Hledge and Skaldryk
wanted to
kill Diz's brother. Malryx made sure I wasn't bothered,"
she
finished with a blush spreading up her face.
Kah nods
sympatheticly.
Mariala straightens her expression, carefully
blanking it. "I recieved word
that you sent for me in my absence.
What may I do to assist you?"
Kah says 'Yes. I found out some
very interesting information while you were
gone and wanted to
share it with you.'
+Standing Kah'rihn beckons for you to follow
her as she heads and leads the
young mage deep into the White
Tower to a secluded library.
Mariala nods. With a sigh, she
follows you. Her eyes widen as she enters the
library...her
fingers itching to read the books.
Kah walks over to a table
laden with books of various sizes and colors and
stops before an
extremely large and ancient tome laying open upon
the
center.
Mariala stands next to you. Her fingers twitch to
touch the tome.
Kah traces her finger along the text without
touching before stopping at the
paragraph she was looking
for...
Mariala leans closer...skimming over the text.
Kah says
'The Exiled Scholar: There is legend told throughout the
dwarven
kingdoms of times before the Cataclysm. Times where
beings of death and
disease ran amock.'
Mariala looks at the
text, confused. She looks toward you then back at the
text.
Kah
says 'In one such story it is told of a race of beings. A race
dedicated
and cursed by Morgion, the god of disease.'
Mariala
sighs, as she feels the weight of the staff. "The Disir..."
she
whispers
Kah says 'The race is known amongst the Dwarvenkind
as the Disir. They are a
race of humanoid insects.'
Kah looks
towards you and speaks, "Yes, this tome is what we had sought
this
whole time..."
Kah looks back to the tome and picks up
reading.
Mariala closes her eyes. Immediately the creatures come
to her mind. She
shutters, her face contorting with pain and
anger.
Kah says 'The Disir live in a society very closely
resembling that of bees.
As such they mostly comprise of Warrior
Droids (males) and the workers
(females).'
You ask 'Is that much
different to some of the races of modern races?'
Kah says 'As
such one female from each colony is chosen to become the
queen,
and will birth the next generation of it's species.'
Kah
slowly states 'It is very different in most races the individual
has
it's own mind, it's own morals, it's own goals...'
Kah says
'In the Disir race, being an individual would lead to your
demise.
And quickly.'
Mariala nods. "So this creature seeks to
do what it wants...even if it
deters anything we wished to do or
learn."
Kah says 'This creature has the capabilities to learn
and function like many
other humanoids, however they tend to
follow their insectiod heritage
stronger.'
Mariala nods.
Kah
says 'But, let me finish reading and you will have a firmer grasp
of our
situation.'
Kah looks back down at the book trying to
find where she was before being
interrupted.
Kah slowly states
'ahh... stronger.. yes...'
Kah slowly states 'Okay..'
Kah says
'The Queen Disir gives birth to all Disir in the
individual
colony's hive and also directs the hive through very
strict orders. Whenever
a Disir does not comply with the norm
they are recycled.'
Mariala shakes her head. "Murdered...' she
whispers.
Kah says 'Now it leads into some things about the
environs they inhabit,
what kind of food they eat.... Kah'rihn
scans through the book, flipping a
few pages before
stopping.'
Kah says 'Ah yes, here we
go.'
(continued)
Author: Mariala
Date: Sat Apr 17 01:36:56 2010
Subject After
the trip part 2
Continuation
Kah says 'One year prior to
the Cataclysm it is recorded of a strange
occurence amongst the
Disir people. Several hives who had on no prior
happenings ever
worked together, banded together and began to ravage
the
underground caverns of Krynn.'
Kah says 'The destruction and
bloodshed left behind them was horrifying and
many dwarven kind
began to build fortifications around their cities in hopes
of
repelling this force.'
Kah says 'One day in the throne room of
the High Thane of Thorbardin a great
clatter and boom as the
great metal doors blew open brought light onto the
problem.'
Kah
says 'Three mages, all human had intruded on the ancient Hylar
homeland.
A beautiful woman with fiery hair and long red robes
strode forth with two
men flanking her.'
Kah says 'The one on
her right wore robes of the deepest black and the one
on her left
wore shining white robes. Both men hid their features
beneath
their robes from the dwarven king.'
Kah says 'The woman
was the only one to speak to the king that day and she
spoke in
sweet, soothing tones. She told the High Thane how a being
of
normal animalistic intelligence had prayed for the privledge
to learn and
become more.'
Kah says 'And that her companions and
herself were here to grant the being
his wish. And bid the High
Thane erect a temple devoted to the three moons
in the center of
the Disir lands.'
Kah says 'The Thane heeded the woman's words
and the temple was finished in
less then a fort night. No dwarf
ever saw a single sign of a Disir
throughout the whole
campaign.'
Kah says 'As the temple was finished and the dwarves
began their march home
a strange light coming from the direction
of the temple returned their gaze
that way.'
Kah says 'As their
eyes focused upon the temple it was bathed in three beams
of
light. One white, one and uncanny form of black and lastly a
deep
crimson.'
Kah says 'Where the lights collecsed they saw the
form of a lone Disir
limping into the temple. As the figure faded
from view so did the light.
With the light's fading the temple's
foundation cracked and it sank below
the sandy turf of the Disir
lands.'
Mariala slowly opens her eyes. She looks upward,
quietly whispering a prayer
toward the white moon.
Kah looks up
at you and says, "The only thing else it says is no other
Dwarf
has seen this lost temple since, but there have been
reports of a Disir with
a hint of a limp seen amongst the normal
civilizations when things of magic
disappear.
Kah says 'So it
seems the creature we saw in the vision is the one these
mages,
whom I believe to be the avatars of the moons, had the temple
built
for.'
Kah says 'The same one recorded periodicly in
association with missing
relics of the moons.'
Mariala looks
down, blinking her eyes quickly to cover her emotions. She
nods.
"That is how it sounds."
Kah slowly states 'I am truly sorry to
have to give you that news. I know it
is heard to know that you
lost a friend to a beast that is nothing like we
will
encounter...'
Mariala looks directly at you, her eyes seemingly
blank to all emotion.
After a few moments, she shrugs, looking
back down at the tome.
Kah says 'If you wish you may return here
later on and look around. Digging
around in her pouches Kah pulls
out a pendant and hands it to Mariala.'
Mariala looks at the
pendant in her hands. With a sigh, she puts it in a
pouch at her
side. "I don't know what good it would do."
Kah says 'With that
pendant you will be able to see and enter this library.
You never
know what you will find in here. It is the High
Archmage
Library.'
Kah says 'And I am sure that I don't need to
warn you to be careful, some of
these books are extremely
dangerous.'
Mariala shakes her head. "Then it's yours. I have no
business here without
you present."
Mariala pulls out the
pendant, holding it back out to you.
Kah says 'It is ok. It has
a timer spell on it. It will vanish after seven
visits.'
Kah
says 'So I would visit it the first time to look around, then
save the
six remaining visits for when it really counts.'
Kah
says 'But we really must go now. We have business to attend
to.'
Mariala nods. With careful movements, her eyes seemingly
focused somewhere
else, she puts the pendant into her
pouch.
Mariala sighs. "That damned blackrobe and the traitor
again..." she says
under her breath.
Kah smiles at her
apprentice, knowing a few books have already caught the
young
mage's eye.
Kah nods knowingly.
Kah says 'Yes the black robe
and his traitor. We must bring along one from
the black order to
aid in carrying back the relics. It was his request to
have the
renegade.'
Kah says 'But the must be waiting patiently in
Tarsis.'
You ask 'Yet none of the neutrals have stepped forward
to assist...are they
all in hiding?'
Kah slowly states 'It would
seem so...'
Kah says 'But let us be off. Taking a sparkling blue
gemstone from a pouch
on her waist she whispers a few words and a
portals opens leading to the
tavern in Tarsis.'
Mariala masks
her look of utter disgust and walks toward the portal
Kah enters
the portal after her apprentice and leads them to a table
to
await the others.
Author: Mariala
Date: Sun Apr 18 18:04:13 2010
Subject Relics
from the past
+ Entering the Stormy Sea Inn, Kah'rihn
notices that the two followers of
Nuitari are not there yet and
heads to the same large table she had used the
last time there.
She takes a seat and orders a bottle of the finest as a
wench
walks by.
Kah pays the wench a single gold coin for the bottle
of the Innkeeper's
personal brew and pours herself a glass
waiting for her companions to show.
She looks up as her
apprentice slowly enters to Inn looking
about
apprehensively.
Mariala walks into the Inn. She looks
around, her eyes scanning. Seeing what
she's looking for, she
walks to the table and sits down.
Kah says 'Glad you made it,
thought that dog would never stop chasing you.'
Kah chuckles
lightly as she hands a full glass of the liquor to Mariala.
Kah
takes a sip from her own glass and says, "So how did you escape
that
mangy mutt?."
Mariala glares at Kah'rihn. "I have no clue
what you were talking about. I
didn't get to see the town last
time we were here...remember. You whisked me
here without a
chance to see anything."
Kah grins teasingly at the young elf
maiden before speaking, "I am just
teasing. Sit. Have a drink, it
will relieve some tension.
Mariala snorts. She looks toward the
bar. With a bit of annoyance, she
stands and walks to the bar to
order her something to drink.
Xorn materializes from the dark
corner of the Inn, and walks towards the
white robed huntress, a
delicate smile upon his lips. He watches the elf
walk towards the
bar, and the smile becomes an even wider grin.
Kah sighs and
takes a drink as Mariala walks to the bar forgetting the
drink
her Mistress had placed before her, what a waste of
alchohol.
Xorn asks 'Did someone
mention.............tension?'
Kah looks up at the black robed
man and shakes her head at the comment he
makes upon
entering.
Kah says 'Welcome Xorn. Take a seat, I'm sure your
friend will be along
shortly. And Mariala won't be long at the
counter.'
Mariala gets her drink and returns to the table. She
merely glances at Xorn
before sitting in a seat and siping at her
own drink
Nestos enters the door and walks to the table, leaning
heavily on his staff,
his hood pulled low. As he sits he states,
"Greetings".
Kah nods towards the renegade, a well hidden
grimace on her face.
Kah says 'Welcome Nestos. Glad you could
make it once more.'
Mariala merely looks at Nestos. The look on
her face seems void of emotion.
Instead, she stands and returns
to the bar for more drink.
Nestos slowly states 'Oh, mistress, I
know you are not, but I am glad you
could do my the gratitude of
lying. *Nestos smiles wryly.*'
Kah smiles at the renegade with
sincere warmth.
Xorn rests on a chair across from Kah'rhin. His
grin remains as he watches
Mariala, wander back to the bar for
another drink, but he remains silent as
the others greet one
another.
Kah says 'On different circumstances Nestos you would
be fine company, at
least we don't have to worry bout the
unpleasantness of combat as well.'
Mariala returns to the table.
She sits elegantly back in her chair. When she
takes a drink, she
grimaces and shutters.
Nestos says 'I do dislike combat. I
prefer to stay out if it as much as
possible.'
Kah says 'Combat
is a grand way to exercize one's prowess. I just find the
taking
of life to be unhealthy.'
Kah grats 'You say 'Combat is a grand
way to exercize one's prowess. I just
find the taking of life to
be unhealthy.''
Nestos says 'And that is where we differ.'
Kah
smiles happily.
Kah says 'So enough small talk. Let's get down
to business.'
Xorn nods to the end of small talk, and the grin
on his face becomes a
somber and serious expression.
Kah asks
'First, Mariala would you please inform our friends here about
our
most recent discovery?'
Mariala looks up. "What discovery
would that be? The fact that the creature
is creation of
Morgion...or that the temple was created by the dwarves
after
they were visited by three mages...one from each
order."
Kah says 'I think they have deduced the fact that Disir
are a creation of
Morgion on their own, so please tell about the
dwarven crafted temple.'
You say 'Or the fact that the creature
that inhabits the temple is
alone...outcast from even his own
kind'
Mariala closes her eyes...a look of concentration crossing
her face. After a
while, she opens her eyes
You say 'According
to the tome, the temple was supposedly blessed by the
light of
the Dieties of Magic. The dwarves built it in the middle of
Disiri
lands. After it was done there was a light of the three
colors, then the
creature entered'
You say 'the temple and it
sank into the ground.'
Nestos pulls a pipe out from his satchel
and lights the green herb inside,
taking several big puffs and
inhaling and leans back in his chair,
listening.
You say 'The
temple has not been seen, yet the creature is seen when
items
disappear.'
Nestos grins, under his cowl, at the mention
of the relics.
Mariala tips back the mug in her hand, emptying
the liquid. She gasps as she
swallows, then sits the mug on the
table
Xorn asks 'So in a way it is a renegade to it's own
people. Perhaps this is
good for us. Maybe it has given up its
previous diet. *Xorn pauses a moment
before continuing* And it is
collecting what kind of items. What has
vanished?'
Kah says
'Take it a little slower Mariala, where we will be heading you
will
need your wits. Even if we are being welcomed by the home's
master, doesn't
mean the travels will be safe.'
Mariala snorts.
"I drank this the entire time I was in Kendermore..."
she
whispers.
Kah says 'Items belonging to the Moons. Those
crafted by our kind. Turning
to Mariala, Kah'rihn asks, "What are
you drinking anyway?"'
Mariala smiles slightly. "Hledge called
it 'Guyll fyr'."
Kah says 'Never heard of it.'
Mariala looks
at Kah'rihn. "Common language calls it Wildfire."
Kah shrugs
helplessly.
Kah says 'Still never heard of it.'
Xorn says 'It's
vile. It tastes like gall and it burns going down, but it
does
the trick. '
Xorn grins evilly.
Mariala looks at the mug in her
hand. "It helps forget."
Kah asks 'Now that you all have been
informed on the new conditions of our
mission I think we can
proceed, unless either of you have something to add
that might
make our travels a little easier?'
Nestos says 'There are still
those sickly, pitifully sad dwarves to speak
with.'
Kah says
'Yes, lets go visit them'
Kah stands ready to leave for the
dwarves.
Nestos rises slowly with the use of his staff and looks
to Kah, "A downside
to the test," he says, with a smile, as he
looks to his leg.
Xorn stands, following Kah'rhin's lead, his
expression becoming one of
anticipation. "Well Nestos, we are off
on the grand adventure you were
looking for."
Kah reaches for
her full glass and brings it to her lips, tipping the glass
and
downing the drink in one swallow.
Nestos says 'I do like
adventures.'
Nestos grins evilly.
Mariala stands. In a fit of
annoyance...she kicks the chair out of the way.
The group walks
out of the Inn and makes their way along the harbor, down a
side
street and into the older parts of the city.
Kah stops as she
approaches the place she had last entered and spoke with
the
dwarven folk inflicted with a strange disease.
+ Spotting a
well hidden and very old grate, decaying in time, the
deep
crimson of rust, Kah'rihn squats down taking hold of the
flaky bars and
pulls on them.
Kah asks 'Everyone ready for
this?'
Mariala sighs. "Such a ... WONDERFUL...place you have
brought us."
Xorn says 'I have prepared several spells for
emergencies. If we come across the walking dead I am prepared.'
Kah says 'Yes a grand town, ravaged by time and the gods.'
Mariala glares at Xorn. With a shake of her head, she turns it
and ignores him.
Kah says 'Then we shall continue.'
Continued
Author: Mariala
Date:
Sun Apr 18 18:19:50 2010
Subject Relics from the past -
part 2
Xorn looks around at the sick and dying, coldly.
His expression is one of
certainty, not pity. He remains at the
back of the group, his eyes
constantly scanning, as if on
guard.
Nestos stands takes up a place in a dark corner, his hood
still pulled low.
Kah says 'Good meeting Elder Hotforge. I
apologize for the extended
postponment of my promised
visit.'
Hotforge says 'It is fine young one. At my age time has
no meaning. A day is
like a minute from my point of view. I am
just glad you kept to your word.'
Hotforge says 'I see you have
brought your friends with you as well.'
Hotforge looks over the
other mages accompanying the High Archmage with a
look of hope
and wonder.
Kah says 'Yes. As I explained on my last visit, we
are looking for a temple
that is rumored to be close by to this
location.'
Hotforge says 'Ahh, yes. You speak of the house of
the corrupted moon, as it
is spoke of amongst my people. We are a
forgotten lot in the bloodlines of
our kind, and being cast out
as such we are privy to sights not normally
granted our
breathren.'
Kah nods at the aged dwarf, waiting for him to
continue.
Mariala looks around her. She merely shakes her head
and whispers one word
in dwarven "Antarax"
Nestos says 'Morgion
does know how to make them efficiently.'
Hotforge says 'There is
a tunnel connected to those we inhabit. A creature
guards it's
enterance. A thing of monsterous size and skill.'
Hotforge says
'It protects that tunnel with such ferocity and many of our
young
have perished trying to get by it in hopes of seeing what's
beyong.'
Kah asks 'Would you mind showing us the way to this
tunnel, Elder
Hotforge?'
Hotforge tugs on his beard with his
wrinkled, stubby left hand, thinking on
the question before
coughing to clear his throat and speak once more.
Hotforge says
'I don't feel to well in my old age and my sight has been
failing
me as of late. I think one of my trusted advisors can help lead
you
where you need to go.'
Hotforge says 'A little further down
this tunnel a dwarf with white hair is
there. His name is Delver.
Tell him I request that he takes you to the
enterance to the
House of the Corrupted Moons.'
Xorn remains silent while the
sand mage and the dwarven leader converse. He
watches the sick
and dying people mill about, as they cough and weeze, and
rolls
his eyes with a bit of digust. Then he returns to scanning for
lurking
dangers.
Kah says 'Thank you great elder. We will seek
out this dwarf and relay your
request to him.'
Nestos watches
Kah converse with dwawrve from his dark corner and fiddles
with
the components in his pouches.
Hotforge slowly states 'Good now
be gone I need to get some rest...'
Hotforge says 'But, please
if you can... try and find the... *exhaustion
slowly starts to
take hold of the elder* .. cause of our bane... and.... The
elder
passes out leaning against the cavern wall.'
Kah kneels down
next to the dwarf and whispers to him, "Don't worry dear
friend,
we will do what we can to help you and your people."
Xorn walks
close to Nestos and whispers into his ear. "If you live in a
dank
molded dungeon, you shouldn't have to wonder really."
Kah
stands and says to the group "Let's get moving while we can have
a
chance at saving these people."
Kah says 'Greetings
Delver.'
Delver questioningly hisses 'Oi, How ye know me name
lass?'
Nestos chuckles politely.
Kah says 'The elder told me to
come to you.'
Delver asks 'What does dat ol' fool want wit
meh?'
Kah says 'He wants you to take my companions and myself to
the enterance to
the House of the Corrupted Moons.'
Nestos pulls
out something from a pouch and chants as he walks to up
behind
the group. After finishing the chant, he seems to lean
less heavily on his
staff.
Mariala sighs, leaning against a
'clean' part of the wall. She shakes her
head, getting a bored
expression on her face.
Delver exclaims 'Tha BLOODY fool!!! I am
a' engineer not a bleedin' tour
guide!'
Kah smiles at the fuming
dwarf, his red face making a comical contrast to
the pure white
of his hair and features.
Delver slowly states 'Very well, le's
go...'
Xorn grins at Mariala obviously thinking the same thing
she is, and again
whispers into Nestos' ear. "Now.......I like
this one. "
Kah says 'Lead on, master engineer. A slight giggle
bubbles in her chest
making it jiggle slightly.'
Nestos grins,
"An anxy little elf."
Delver exclaims 'OI!!! Now ev'n eef ye are
laufin in ma expense, wit ay
jeegle like dat dair you can laugh
all ye like!'
Kah says 'I'll laugh all you like once I have
completed my mission, just
lead the way quietly please.'
Delver
slowly states 'Fine lass, this'a way...'
Delver walks off down
the eastern tunnel looking cowed.
Delver says 'This be as far as
I go. You are on ye own now. Delver turns and
rushes off down the
tunnel, back the way we came.'
+ As the dwarf led the group
through the various tunnels and caverns, Xorn
continually studies
the environment, his concentration fierce, as if
committing the
way to memory in every detail.
Kah says 'Are you ready for this
everyone? Mariala you should take point and
ready the staff. The
two of you.." She turns towards the dark mages, "Stand
back and
let her do her thing."'
Nestos turns to Xorn, "A pretty
creature." He then chants and sprinkles a
dust over himself.
A
Disir scholar begins to stand its segmented legs shaking as it
slowly
raises itself to a complete upright position, the dull
grey, tattered cloak
tied about it's neck waving in some unseen
wind gust.
Mariala drops her pack to the ground with a thud. She
unfastens the white
robes and drops them to the ground, revealing
dark blue leggings and a blue
colored top. With her eyes never
leaving the creature she picks up the staff
and steps forward.
A Disir scholar turns it's attention to the woman who just
changed colors
miraculously before it's eye. The glowing blue orb
focuses on Mariala and
the staff she wields.
Mariala takes a
deep breath, then starts whispering...the words not magical,
but
a mixture of dwarven, elven and something unrecognizable.
A
Disir scholar takes a step towards the blue colored woman it's
long
swordlike arms reaching out towards her.
Mariala shifts
slightly, raising the staff in front of her as she pivots to
the
balls of her feet.
A Disir scholar shies back a little as the
blue woman brandishes the staff
before her and takes a more
focused stance.
Xorn watches from behind, watching the creature
come close to Mariala, his
expression one of not really caring if
the elf succeeds or fails. It is
merely inteterest.
Mariala
notices the movement of the creature. "You..." she whispers,
the
word seeming strained and focused. The staff itself seems to
glow a reddish
green in color.
Kah looks back at the dark mages,
their quiet causing her to feel uneasy.
Nestos grins at the High
Archmage from under his cowl.
A Disir scholar crosses its arms
in front of it's eye at the bright harsh
light of the staff. A
high pitched wail escapes it's throat as its
expandable jaw opens
in pain, baring numerous sharp, curved teeth.
Mariala ignores
everything around her, focusing on the staff and the
movement of
the creature before her. Her face takes on even
more
concentration as she forces the staff to dim.
A Disir
scholar slowly drops to the floor it's legs folding underneath it
as
the light dims. A faint rasp of it's steady breathing is all
that is heard
above the drum of the staff's magic.
Mariala
slowly and calculated steps back and squats in front of
the
creature. "Can you understand me?"
Xorn beings to scan the
space, and as he does so, his eyes begin to sofly
glow a pale
greenish color. His gaze wafts back and forth, as he
stands
silently behind the white robes and the confrontation with
the Disir. It is
obvious he is looking for something.'
Nestos
asks 'Seeing anything?'
A Disir scholar looks up at the blue
woman glowing in the pale green light
of the staff, it's mouth
moving awkwardly. "I dooo...."
continued
Author:
Mariala
Date: Sun Apr 18 18:27:30
2010
Subject Relics from the past - part 3
Xorn
silently shakes his head at Nestos, answering his question
without
words. And as the creature speaks in it's crude common,
he turns his
attention back to Mariala and the progress being
made.
Mariala without breaking her focus on the creature, she
shifts into the
common tongue. "Mistress...what do you need to
know?"
Kah says 'I need to know the location of the Relics he
has been safeguarding
for our masters.'
Mariala nods slightly,
her eyes slanting. She dips her chin. "Where are the
items that
have the power of the moons?"
A Disir scholar says 'The Moons
have been kind to me all these years. They
told me many, many
years ago some of their children would come for my
charges and
here you are.'
You ask 'Why would we come? Did they tell you
this?'
A Disir scholar slowly and creakily returns to it's
feet.
Mariala slowly stands. "Can you take me to them?"
A Disir
scholar says 'It was my duty to safeguard these items from the
hands
of mortals while man hide from the gods. One day when the
children of the
moons came, I would be released from my duty and
granted the freedom to
go into the world and learn.'
A Disir
scholar beckons with it's bladelike hand to follow as it heads
down
a dim corridar that hadn't been there before.
Mariala looks
down the corridor. She nods. "Will you take me to them?"
Xorn
begins to scan again, the putrid green glow in his eyes, just a
little
brighter now. At the opening of the secret corridor, He
gasps, all of the
hair on his arms standing on end. This time he
silently nods at Nestos, and
grins an almost unnaturally wide
grin.'
+ Following the Disir down the dark corridor Kah'rihn and
the others enter
an eerily lit temple of ancient dwarven make.
Carved frescos depicting the
gods of magic lined the walls which
were made from black, red and white
marble.
Nestos grins evilly
at Xorn.
A Disir scholar says 'Dark ones you may retrieve your
master's relic down
that hall." The Disir points towards a dark
hall made of pitch black
marble.'
Mariala looks at the creature
again. She focuses on the staff again...this
time causing the
light to dim more, leaving a shadow on her face. "Your
own...they
don't know what you do...do they?"
A Disir scholar says
'Mistresses you may retrieve the relics of Solinari
down that
way." It points towards the white marbled hall.'
A Disir scholar
says 'No Mistress. My kind does not wish to have one such as
I
apart of their society. I would hold up their progress.'
Mariala
nods. "Would you keep that of the red for yours?"
A Disir
scholar slowly states 'No Mistress, I intend to retrieve them
while
the rest of you gather the others. Then I was hoping to
return to the tower
with you...'
Xorn says 'They should go with
us back to the Conclave. Since the Red robes
would not
participate, nor even bothered to care. They should be divided.
'
Mariala sighs. "Shut up Xorn. You know NOT what you speak
of."
Kah asks 'They will be returned to the Conclave, and you
are welcome to come
along... Creature?'
Mariala bows deeply,
taking her gaze from the creature. She remains
that
way...
Nestos looks to the others, "I would like, at the
least, a relic of...each
moon."
You say 'All will not
understand your speech...friend.'
A Disir scholar looks towards
the woman with white patches of fur growing on
her body, "Thank
you Mistress, and you may call me Drsllg."
Mariala stands,
turning to glare at Nestos.
Mariala takes a step closer
Xorn
glares at Mariala. a very menacing look, but he holds his
tongue,
swallowing several times. At Nestos' request he nods. "I
speak for the
Ungod, and he has declared you have a right to one
of his. The others, you
will have to take that up with them'
Kah
says 'Nestos, unfortunately these relics, being from the time
before the
Cataclysm would not be able to be touched by those
other then the followers
of said moon. You will have to be
content with one of Nuitari's trinkets.'
Mariala stands. She
turns to Kah. "Others won't be able to understand it's
language
in the Towers, Mistress."
Nestos says 'I am sure you would find
that I can touch any. Though I recieve
my powers from Nuitari, I
have recieved the blessings from all three of the
moons.'
Kah
says 'As it may be Nestos, you will have to be content with one
of your
Master's possessions. It is more then I am allowed to
warrant you.'
Nestos says 'I would not want to get you in
trouble than. I will have to be
content with one for now it
seems.'
Kah turns to Mariala with an understanding smile on her
face, "One of our
first tasks will be to teach it proper speech
in the common tongue, or teach
it how to cast translate and
understand tongues, mayhaps."
Xorn says 'Ah who cares. It's
fended for itself for three hundred years.
I've heard enough.
'
Xorn turns towards the black hall, and gestures for Nestos to
follow.
Kah says 'Well, if you are getting a little impatient
you are more then
welcome to go retrieve you prizes black
robe.'
Mariala shakes her head. Instead she reaches inside a
pouch pulling out a
piece of stick. She holds it out to the
creature. "Try this friend Drsllg."
A Disir scholar reaches for
the small piece of wood. As the tip of the
swordlike appendage
touches the stick it begins to slowly glow starting with
the same
green as the staff then fading to black, then red, and
finally
white.
Nestos says 'Thank you, High Archmage. *Nestos
bows mockingly before walking
down the black hall*'
Mariala
focuses on the staff in her hand. The light goes out. Mariala
bends
and lays the stick down. "Can you still understand me?"
A
Disir scholar says 'Th..thank you Mistress... I seem to be able
to talk
more freely now, and i dont seem to have the same
irritation in my jaws when
i try to pronounce the words The
Disir's words echo throughout the minds of
those in
attendance.'
A Disir scholar says 'I shall go retrieve the
relics of Lunitari and await
your return. The Disir scuttles off
down the red marble hall.'
Mariala bends and picks up the staff.
She looks at the black hall with a
sigh and heads down the white
marble hallway.
Kah says 'Let's go gather our blessings and
start back home. This has been a
tiring affair.'
Kah heads down
the white marble hall with Mariala and they return shortly.
The
Disir was waiting for them and shortly after they arrived so did
the
dark mages. With a word a gate opens which Mariala and the
Disir step
through and are deposited in the tower.
Kah turns to
the two dark mages. "So long and thank you for your
companionship
in this. Farewell." She turns and steps through the portal and
it
closes behind her.
Nestos says 'It has been a pleasure. Next
time you have an adventure let me
know. I would love to profit
off it again.'
Xorn asks 'Shall we repose to one of your many
doors?'
Nestos says 'I believe that would be a good idea.'
Xorn
places his hand upon Nestos' shoulder, and invokes the darkness
around
them. Swirling into the ether, they are gone to parts
unkown.
FIN
Author: Mariala
Date:
Sun Aug 29 11:53:44 2010
Subject Returning to the
world
This place was definately a far cry from the life
she was born to, far
from the servants that waited for every
command, far from the posh luxury
she knew. Yet, this was right
where she wanted to be. The four bare walls
and the mud floor
seemed to help her ease the frustrations and thoughts
running
through her head.
This all started when the her instructor
found a quest for her. At first,
Mariala was sent with a group of
people she soon learned to trust with her
life. There wasn't a
Silvanesti elf among them, but, after a while, she saw
them for
who they were, not what she thought they were. In that quest,
one
of her friends laid down his life and that, now that she
looked back on her
years, was the start of her change.
You
could say that her change shifted more when her instructor made
deals
with the outcast and the other one in order to find
something. Yet is was
Mariala's work that allowed them to
succeed. The young Silvanesti befriended
something that no one
else could. The creature still spoke to Mariala when
the young
elf decided to return to the place of instruction.
She seemed
torn in the crossroads of her life. Part of her was drawn by
the
way she was taught as she grew older. Part of her wanted the
adventure and
friendship she knew on her quest. Another part
wanted to learn more from the
strange creature she'd met and
befriended. And there was still the strong
annoyance at those who
did not follow the light of Solinari, but that was
just something
she had to deal with.
This day seemed to start like the other
ones that Solinari had blessed her
with since she'd walked out of
the Towers that long ago afternoon. She rose
with the sunlight
blinding her. She stumbled from her bedroll and walked out
into
the brilliantly lit morning. The sea invited her for her daily
swim,
and she enjoyed it. It was when she returned to her little
home on the beach
that things seemed different. A scroll sat in
the doorway. She picked it up
and broke the seal. The creature
she had met and befriended had had help in
writing to her. It
told her of the things that were going on in the Towers
and asked
her to return. With a silent curse, Mariala packed up her bag
and
opened the gateway that returned her to the Glyph. From
there, she quickly
made her way to quarters in the White Tower
and sent a message to her friend
in the Red Tower. It wasn't long
before she met up with the creature and
they made their way to a
secluded place in order to talk.
Author: Mariala
Date: Thu Oct 28 03:25:10 2010
Subject
Times change
Pain was her friend. Pain showed her that
life wasn't a meaningless,
endless cycle of events that had
little to no meaning. Pain showed her that
there was things worth
waking in the morning, things that she could explore
and learn.
She had to laugh a little. Pain was indeed her close
personal
friend.
The sky seemed noticeably different to her.
That was the first major thing
that Mariala noticed when she
stepped to the window high in the black tower.
Instead of the
brilliant white light that was Solinari greeting her from
the
stary sky, there was another light that called to her. The
black shape known
as Nuitari now sang to her, bathing her in the
light of her newly found
calling.
She turned toward the center
of the room, the rustling of movement catching
her ears. Her true
Master sat on a low back couch, a sly, knowing smile on
his human
face as he as he watched her. She merely smiled back at
him,
crossing the room to sit at his feet, her face turned up as
she shyly smiled
at her newly found lover.
A servant scurried
around, picking up the ruined remains of her former life.
Pieces
of destroyed silk and satin in pale lavender, pale blue, white
and
gold lay on the ground, discarded in piles of unwanted
memories. Amongst the
destruction lay also the prize of the
former follower of Solinari, the cream
colored leather belt that
help her spell components, ruined beyond repair,
the pouches
ripped open and spilling their contents on the dark blue
rug.
Mariala turned her elven head slightly, regarding the
servant with a yawn,
her dark purple eyes seemingly bored with
inactivity. She turned her
attention back to Falkore. "Revenge is
a well deserved treat," she seemed to
purr. Falkore merely
nodded, a hand lightly caressing her hair.
Another servant moves
quietly nearby, laying sooty colored clothing on a
large pillow.
Mariala waits until he's finished before she slowly stands
and
picks up a new dress. With a sly smile, she slips the sooty
fabric over her
head and lets the heavy fabric fall in ripples to
the floor. With a
childlike laugh, she lifts the hem slightly,
allowing it to swish around her
legs. She returns to her seat at
Falkore's feet. "Teach me. I'm yours."
The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD
Astinus points to the massive wall of books behind him and bids you to make a selection.
Authors:
All|
A|
B|
C|
D|
E|
F|
G|
H|
I|
J|
K|
L|
M|
N|
O|
P|
Q|
R|
S|
T|
U|
V|
W|
X|
Y|
Z
Astinus sighs as he recants 'We saved 869 books from Ansalon
from before the great Cataclysm through today.'
\n
