Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - Part 7>>>The Shadow of Love (an LoF adventure)

dplax · 07-26-2006, 06:28 PM

Andrion Wilgor, chosen of Shadow

A wide smile broke on Andrion's face as he glimpsed the bell tower of a familiar small church through the portal. Without another word, Andrion stepped through the ethereal gateway and arrived in the main square. The dirty little square was flanked on two sides by the pathetic village's two shops. The butcher, and a generalist shop. The square was dominated by the temple, raised in the honour of Demeter.

All in all, the village was fairly typical of the region, both in its architecture, and the views of its inhabitants towards strangers. Andrion was familiar with both. When first arriving in the world of Ironworks, this was the settlement he arrived in, through a small portal behind the butcher's shop, and in just a few minutes he had been fully acquainted with the phobia the inhabitants had of strangers.

A woman carrying a basket of apples looked on in disbelief at the man appearing out of thin air in front of her. As Andrion turned to face her, recognition seemed to flash in her eyes, but she had no time to speak as Andrion swiftly muttered a spell to silence her. The woman's lips moved, but no words left her parched mouth. As full recognition hit her, and terror set in at the promises this dark stranger had made when leaving the village, the basket fell to the ground, sending the apples rolling all over the main square.

She turned to flee, but found herself rooted to the spot, as a shadowy web entangled her feet. Unable to speak and move, all she could do was dart her terrified gaze all around her, seeking anyone willing to help her. But at the height of the day, almost everyone was indoors, sheltering from the heat. Andrion smiled. He only vaguely remembered the woman, who had glared at him as he left the village, but it pleased him to see her suffer from her fear.

Andrion decided that he would allow her to watch the rest of the village being destroyed before taking care of her.

Andrion sent his mind probing for the shadow's within, and called upon them for his next spell. A shadowy ball of flame shot out from his finger tips, straight into the butcher's shop. The force of the blast sent one of the week wooden walls flying, and the roof collapsed a few seconds later. The lack of screams from within indicated that the butcher and his wife had probably died instantly in the explosion. Even stronger than the smell of burning wood was the pleasant smell of roast meat spreading through the town as the shop's stock was set alight.

A minute later, and the fire was already spreading to nearby dwellings with inhabitants rushing out to escape from the rapidly spreading shadowy inferno. It seemed as though wherever there were shadows at the side of the building the fires seemed to spread with an astonishing speed. An unforeseen positive effect of the shadow influence, Andrion realised.

Simple magic missiles and lightning bolts flew from Andrion's fingertips, bringing to end the lives of all those who fled their homes. So far it was going very nicely, but there wasn't much satisfaction at killing thus, from afar. Knowing that the next few spells he was going to cast would endanger himself if not properly prepared. A Protection from Evil later, he was ready. Unfortunately his plans for killing the woman last would be stopped by the demon he was going to summon, but with an evil grin, Andrion realised that watching the demon do its work would be far more satisfying.

Calling upon a spell he hadn't used for many years, Andrion touched upon abyssall energies, and through almost a minute's concentration managed to complete the portal to summon a fiend. For the first time in the history of these forums did a balrog reply to the summons of a magic user. As it emerged from the portal, Andrion realised how fitting a creature it was for one touched by shadow to summon, for even a great writer once described these demons as creatures of shadow and flame.

Rearing its horned head, the beast surveyed its unfamiliar surroundings. Only one tiny human was protected against his malice. All the others had to perish and suffer for disturbing him, and bringing him to this cold plane.

When the balrog finally returned to its native plane only Demeter's temple remained untouched. The rest of the village was burning, the shadowy tips of the flames licking against the stone sides of the temple, but not able to harm the building itself.

Andrion picked up an intact apple from the ground. Gently wiping it in his robes, he cleaned it, and took a bite. The taste was excellent. Two hours passed, and Andrion ate half a dozen apples, all the while letting those inside the temple grow ever more fearsome of what was outside, and waiting for the flames to gently die down. The shadowy fire had burned throught the wooden buildings in the village at a speed Andrion had never seen from normal flames, and after just this long merely smoking embers remained of the once proud village. Smoking embers and a stone temple. The second part needed to be remedied.

The main entrance would surely be defended by the handful of survivors, but Andrion had just the spell he needed. To the surprise of the aged priest praying at the altar of Demeter a two foot large, five foot tall section of the wall, behind the altar simply turned to mud, and the mage against whom the handful of peasants had prepared a trap at the main entrance stepped through the hole, and then suddenly time stopped. When things started moving again, the bodies of the peasants by the door were horribly wilted, and the priest found himself lying on the altar, a dagger placed above his heart.

The shadow within Andrion moved his hand and lips as he murmured words in a tongue he did not know he was capable of talking.

"Demeter! Te ofrece el cuerpo de tu adepto! No merece de vivir mas! Es el decreto de mi Dios, el Dios de SOMBRA!"

As Andrion shouted out the last word, the dagger plunged down.

OOC: translation of what Andrion says:

"Demeter! I offer you the body of your servant! He does not merit to live anymore! That is the decree of my God, the God of SHADOW!"

[ 07-28-2006, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: dplax ]

07-26-2006, 06:28 PM	#284
dplax Jack Burton Join Date: July 19, 2003 Location: an expat living in France Age: 40 Posts: 5,577	Andrion Wilgor, chosen of Shadow A wide smile broke on Andrion's face as he glimpsed the bell tower of a familiar small church through the portal. Without another word, Andrion stepped through the ethereal gateway and arrived in the main square. The dirty little square was flanked on two sides by the pathetic village's two shops. The butcher, and a generalist shop. The square was dominated by the temple, raised in the honour of Demeter. All in all, the village was fairly typical of the region, both in its architecture, and the views of its inhabitants towards strangers. Andrion was familiar with both. When first arriving in the world of Ironworks, this was the settlement he arrived in, through a small portal behind the butcher's shop, and in just a few minutes he had been fully acquainted with the phobia the inhabitants had of strangers. A woman carrying a basket of apples looked on in disbelief at the man appearing out of thin air in front of her. As Andrion turned to face her, recognition seemed to flash in her eyes, but she had no time to speak as Andrion swiftly muttered a spell to silence her. The woman's lips moved, but no words left her parched mouth. As full recognition hit her, and terror set in at the promises this dark stranger had made when leaving the village, the basket fell to the ground, sending the apples rolling all over the main square. She turned to flee, but found herself rooted to the spot, as a shadowy web entangled her feet. Unable to speak and move, all she could do was dart her terrified gaze all around her, seeking anyone willing to help her. But at the height of the day, almost everyone was indoors, sheltering from the heat. Andrion smiled. He only vaguely remembered the woman, who had glared at him as he left the village, but it pleased him to see her suffer from her fear. Andrion decided that he would allow her to watch the rest of the village being destroyed before taking care of her. Andrion sent his mind probing for the shadow's within, and called upon them for his next spell. A shadowy ball of flame shot out from his finger tips, straight into the butcher's shop. The force of the blast sent one of the week wooden walls flying, and the roof collapsed a few seconds later. The lack of screams from within indicated that the butcher and his wife had probably died instantly in the explosion. Even stronger than the smell of burning wood was the pleasant smell of roast meat spreading through the town as the shop's stock was set alight. A minute later, and the fire was already spreading to nearby dwellings with inhabitants rushing out to escape from the rapidly spreading shadowy inferno. It seemed as though wherever there were shadows at the side of the building the fires seemed to spread with an astonishing speed. An unforeseen positive effect of the shadow influence, Andrion realised. Simple magic missiles and lightning bolts flew from Andrion's fingertips, bringing to end the lives of all those who fled their homes. So far it was going very nicely, but there wasn't much satisfaction at killing thus, from afar. Knowing that the next few spells he was going to cast would endanger himself if not properly prepared. A Protection from Evil later, he was ready. Unfortunately his plans for killing the woman last would be stopped by the demon he was going to summon, but with an evil grin, Andrion realised that watching the demon do its work would be far more satisfying. Calling upon a spell he hadn't used for many years, Andrion touched upon abyssall energies, and through almost a minute's concentration managed to complete the portal to summon a fiend. For the first time in the history of these forums did a balrog reply to the summons of a magic user. As it emerged from the portal, Andrion realised how fitting a creature it was for one touched by shadow to summon, for even a great writer once described these demons as creatures of shadow and flame. Rearing its horned head, the beast surveyed its unfamiliar surroundings. Only one tiny human was protected against his malice. All the others had to perish and suffer for disturbing him, and bringing him to this cold plane. When the balrog finally returned to its native plane only Demeter's temple remained untouched. The rest of the village was burning, the shadowy tips of the flames licking against the stone sides of the temple, but not able to harm the building itself. Andrion picked up an intact apple from the ground. Gently wiping it in his robes, he cleaned it, and took a bite. The taste was excellent. Two hours passed, and Andrion ate half a dozen apples, all the while letting those inside the temple grow ever more fearsome of what was outside, and waiting for the flames to gently die down. The shadowy fire had burned throught the wooden buildings in the village at a speed Andrion had never seen from normal flames, and after just this long merely smoking embers remained of the once proud village. Smoking embers and a stone temple. The second part needed to be remedied. The main entrance would surely be defended by the handful of survivors, but Andrion had just the spell he needed. To the surprise of the aged priest praying at the altar of Demeter a two foot large, five foot tall section of the wall, behind the altar simply turned to mud, and the mage against whom the handful of peasants had prepared a trap at the main entrance stepped through the hole, and then suddenly time stopped. When things started moving again, the bodies of the peasants by the door were horribly wilted, and the priest found himself lying on the altar, a dagger placed above his heart. The shadow within Andrion moved his hand and lips as he murmured words in a tongue he did not know he was capable of talking. "Demeter! Te ofrece el cuerpo de tu adepto! No merece de vivir mas! Es el decreto de mi Dios, el Dios de SOMBRA!" As Andrion shouted out the last word, the dagger plunged down. OOC: translation of what Andrion says: "Demeter! I offer you the body of your servant! He does not merit to live anymore! That is the decree of my God, the God of SHADOW!" [ 07-28-2006, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: dplax ]