ruby takes the unfamiliar sword and holds it revernetly as it goes through it's changes. in her mind she whispers, "thank you." replacing her own short sword with sir morguerats she offers him her old blade. opening her mouth she says, "it is all i have to give in return. your gift will help not only myself but many others, i only wish i could do more."

wyrd looks away from the fallen paladin, licks a paw and lays down. his manner is obvious, telling all that he trusts sir morguerat.

<font color=white>Myron Epimetheus</font>

<font color=orchid>One by one the dry and thin fingers of his hands hold the trifles he pulled from his pockets before his sunken eyes which scrutinize them carefully. As he studies the objects his mutterings take on the character of a running commentary on the nature of physical reality. He begins to shuffle around the room stopping from time to time and mumbling rhyming syllables in a strange tongue. Finally he returns to the center of the room and clutching his small collection of scraps of cloth and string and wood and metal he fixes his gaze upon the wooden floor and walls of the structure. His face tightens as he concentrates – if one must go through all this trouble, one might well be certain he is clear about what it is he wants – and having found the idea he was seeking he names it, speaking carefully for this dialect of magic language is difficult to pronounce. The entire structure shudders and the area is filled with sound of warped boards snapping back into place and broken lumber suddenly repairing itself. He does the same things with each of the scraps he holds and soon the derelict building is once more structurally sound and has the makings about it of a proper place to study.

As he looks around the space a stray thought crosses his mind and he laughs happily. Once more lifeless fingers reach into the folds of his garment and draw out a few bits of stone and metal. He speaks in a slightly different dialect and a steaming kettle with a cool stone base appears upon one of the newly made tables. Dried lips curl back in what seems to be a smile. He just can’t seem to be rid of this chill in his body and it will be so very pleasant to have something warm to drink.</font>

<font color=white>The Gorge</font>

<font color=cadetblue>Seeking wealth and power a band of foolish Duergar perished in their greed, the very vigor of their limbs drawn out of them and lost forever within a terrible emptiness. This same emptiness has begun to reach now through the fissure they made in the strange black stone that had separated the land of the Modding Mage from the deeper recesses that ran underneath the forums. In the lightless reaches of these places, the Hunger once more begins to feed. A clan of deep dwelling gnomes is ravaged as the very healing magics their priests seek to use on behalf of their people are snatched away and consumed. The researches of a Drow wizard also come to an abrupt end as the sword he had been enchanting is drained of all power with such force that the spells within the wizard’s mind are seized with it. When the terrible and empty grasp of the Hunger recede a broken and gibbering man lay on the stone floor of his tower, all facility to use magic ripped from his person along with his sanity.

And within the Gorge the shrieking stormwinds above the silent Hunger burst into even more violent movement.</font>

<font color=teal>Alongside what used to be a beautiful forest edge, the remains of trunks and ashes blow in the fiercesome winds.......

Next to a certain huge Rowan tree trunk, splintered and covered with ash, a single leaf struggles to break thru to what little sunlight there is in this bleak place......

The result of some powerful seeds that were cast........

As a gust of wind blows around the trunk on its way down to the center of the valley, a silver ear is uncovered and twitches.....

In an explosion of ash, dirt, leaves...........a silver wolf emerges and shakes herself, purple/silver eyes surveying the land around her as a single silver tear rolls down her muzzle, landing on the moonstone set in the center of the platinum bracer around her neck.....

She looks for the young ranger, the man who controls the wind.....

She sees no one, but can sense people........somewhere....

And she senses that a greater evil is awakening in the realm......

Laying her head on her paws, she waits.....

She has waited this long............longer will not matter.......</font>

<font color=white>OOC: ;) .... if you don't mind Cyril dear, *L* I might pop in once in awhile during the next two months if you could mail me the posts, and I'll mail you my posts? It would greatly help my boredom while overseas, and help to pass the time! PM me, and I'll give you details on how to reach me... btw, Heath and I are now officially married [img]smile.gif[/img]

P.S. for those who don't know, I am the mysterious druidess to whom Cyril is referring *S*</font>

[ 10-15-2002, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: TAOWolf ]

<font color=silver>ooc: <font color=skyblue>TAO</font> - There is certainly space for you in this thread! :D

I'll do my best to keep you informed and up to date on the doings here. Besides, once word gets out that a certain mysterious druidess has shown her face, a certain windgatherer just might have to stop by for a visit as well [img]graemlins/blueblink.gif[/img]

Once again, <font color=skyblue size=+3>CONGRATULATIONS!</font>
Best wishes to you and Heath.</font>

<font color=skyblue>Brendon Grey

Brendon stared wide-eyed at the sight before him. Forgetting about all the chattering war-ready cast behind him...he simply stood there and watched this seemingly deaf old guy turn the broken down treehouse into a marvellous dwelling!

Brendon takes a couple steps backwards, wondering if this was some sort of foe to fear.

"Guys?...Are any of you seeing this?"</font>

OOC>>>Congrats TAO!!!! Yeah! I wish you the happiest of times! :D

[ 10-15-2002, 08:39 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

<font color="skyblue">"That was pretty impressive, I admit", said Zachary, "that ramblin bag of bones was be powerful indeed."

Zachary gives some thought to destroying the creature (or at least trying). After all, undead are anathama to clerics, a gross perversion of all they seek to preserve. This is why clerics are granted extra power by their dieties to destroy these abominations. Still, he sensed no evil from the creature, and the battle before them was sure to be dangerous beyond imagination. The knowledged contained by this skeletal sage may well prove to be the difference between victory and defeat."

(Speaking of which...)Zachary turns to introduce himself properly to Sir Morguerat and the rest of the group. "I appreciate your concerns for my safety, brave warrior, but you need not fear for me. My place in Valhalla is assured by Odin himself. If I should die in battle to this "all consuming Hunger", I have no doubt that Odin will intercede and direct my soul to it's proper place of honor in Asgards'Hall of Heroes. After all, what purpose could the soul of the Chosen of Odin possibly serve while trapped in the "belly" of this disembodied hunger, rather than in the vaunted Halls of Valhalla?

You and the "woodsman" lead the way and Zachary Thorrson will follow.</font>

<font color=skyblue>Brendon

Hearing these words from Zachary made Brendon come back to reality, and turn once again...taking a chance to turn his attention from the undead old guy...and say to Zachary...

"But Sir...pardon my intrusion, but..I am sure Sir Morguerat felt the same way until he found himself abandoned by his God at the moment of his most urgent need! I fear that the Gods do not care to see us waste away down here. I place faith only in my wits and my arrow. If those fail me...then I go down swinging my swords all the way, never to give up...but knowing all along that I fight for me alone. I am here today because I fear this Hunger is already too strong to be caged much longer. It could even be planning to expand and continue looking for...er...food.

I... mean not to insult you. My words were a bit harsh. Please forgive me."

Brendon peeks over his shoulder to make sure that the old dead guy is not planning some sort of attack.</font>

<Font color="99FF00">
Brendon, you speak truly, I was one of the favored of Helm, but even the chosen can have their spark extinguished by darkness, and then not even the gods themselves may restore it, or perhaps they choose not to, it may be that if your faith is strong enough in Odin that he may save you in the likely event of the destruction of your mortal husk, I pray it does not come to that.

Looking over at the undead sage, Morguerat looked him up and down, shaking his head, I'm certain if it were hostile it would have used it's magic against us, instead of for home improvement</font>

[ 10-22-2002, 09:25 AM: Message edited by: Morgeruat ]

Quickly and soundlessly a ball of swirling shadows decends from a nearby tree. Though the sun shone one could not make out the figure amidst the shadows, it was just a vague outline of a figure, one couldn't even discern height or weight. As the ball touches the ground. It suddenly disipates, leaving only a man standing there with a black robe on, with the hood thrown open. He had jet black hair and sprkling green eyes. He had a small but fine build, almost elven looking, and even his ears seemed to point a little bit more than normal. He carried nothing, but a Katana in a fine sheath, and a bag, though his robe did have many pockets.

"Hello gathered, I am Dantes I wish there was time for a much longer and more elaborate introduction, but I fear we have no time to spare. The hunger we seek to battle grows stronger by the second. Devouring the life and essence of any that come in its path. With each bit of energy it sucks out of a living being, the hunger grows that much stronger. I fear if we wait too long then it will be too late to stop it. Where it came from I have only a guess, and very vague information as to what it really is. How to stop it, I have no idea, but I know a place to start. A friend of mine Dankorona of the Fuild'unger clan said almost an entire mining party was wiped out by this hunger. I know how to reach their home, it is in the Underdark, granted a dangerous journey, but for some reason I think we just might find an answer to the mystery of the hunger down there." Dantes explained.
"Come the entrance is a day's ride from here, we can get better acquainted on the way." Dantes says and with a gesture a coal black lammasu appears. Dantes hops on it's back and heads off toward the east.

OOC: lol sorry about the lammasu, but i wanted to pull out something cool for my character to ride on. A lammasu is a very intelligent (17-18) lawful good creature which basically is a winged lion with a man's face. It can speak the common tongue and is very polite and kind. I expect someone to stop me and maybe ask some more information or something, so if that is what your character would do, feel free, but if no one does then we shall just continue on the journey. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 10-16-2002, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: AzRaeL StoRmBlaDe ]