Part 4>>>The Shadow of Love (an LoF adventure)

[Morgeruat]

Morguerat

Larry was through, and the cat shifted and shimmered, either a weretigress, or a doppleganger thought Morguerat as he slammed the door on the lunging woman/beast, and then quickly turned the key locking it (then pocketing the key). "Where are we, and how do we leave, that door will be lucky to last more than a few moments against a true lycanthrope, if that's what she is." The knight looks left and right trying to identify this place, but the years and a fractured consciousness left far behind any hope of recollection from this game. For the first time Larry was able to get a good solid look at the man, large, more than six and a half feet tall, broad, obviously strong and moving with the practised ease of either a dancer, or longtime warrior, bearded just beginning to show hints of grey in his hair. The knight is clad in simple, yet antiquated clothes that have not been fashionable in decades. The intelligence in his eyes leads one to wonder if perhaps he wasn't a warrior who took up the magicians craft.

[Elif Godson]

Vincent Pathfinder 98/98

" By your leave Sir Marcos, if you didnt hear there appears to be a murderer amongst us downstairs " Vince spoke in a very calm fashion while getting up from his chair just as plaxica burst into motion as well. " No offense but I think this hearing can wait, especially since my fellow comrade, Larry is down there unarmed and obviously not strong enough to defend himself " With that he headed to the door a few steps behind Plaxica while keeping his eye's on the silent inquisitor.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

Kiria’na

The form is the one who has arrived is that of a wolf, but the breathing is that of the woman. The specificity of her breathing, even more than the silver band upon her throat or the feather placed upon the stone, communicates the identity of the woman without ambiguity. The girl waits a moment before making herself known to the woman until she is sure that the air of this place bears no trace of either the beast or of any other who might intrude.

“Tell me,” she laughs brightly, “what is it about this place that makes so many of those who dwell here require more than one form with which to move?” There is a lightness about her spirit and an ease in her laughter which mark her as her mother’s child. “He has sent me to you, but in all truth,” she smiles, “I would have sought you out on my own, for I have wanted to meet you.” She pauses, then, an awkward expression briefly flashing across her face. She laughs once more in spontaneous good humor. “I am sorry,” she says quickly, “but we do not have shapeshifters among my people and I simply do not know how one holds a conversation with a wolf .......”

[Larry_OHF]

Larry 13/13

Larry stared with astonishment at the man. He had just defended himself against one of the Mage's main creatures of darkness and had not even earned a scratch! Then he had a strange thought. He knew this man. His memory told him that he knew him. He had met him before, somewhere. But no time for that now. They had to get out of this place.

"Quickly! Out that door, we can find the stairs up and into the main level of this place, then it is a short run to the main exit! I have friends here as well. I do not know where they are though. We need to find them! They can help!"

Larry was already running to open the door out of this place. He turned the knob, then motioned for the knight to follow.

"This way!"

Her Master would not like this at all. Even worse would be for Andrion to see her caged like a circus animal.

In her fury, she slammed against the bars, bending them, but not yet gaining a way out. She tried again.

Again.

Again.

She watched Larry escaping her, and she cried a horrible snarl of fury.

Again she assaulted the bars.

"Larry! You will die! You cannot run forever! I will track you! I will kill you!"

[Larry_OHF]

Two guards see Plaxica and Vincent running out, and were about to stop them but they too had now heard of the commotion downstairs and did not really know what to do in this time of madness. They had never actually been in a situation where their own castle was beseiged by a murder from the inside.

They decided to report to Marcos.

"Sir! Shall we contain them, or shall we accompany them?"

Down below on the first floor and near the doorway, the other guards had already rallied together and decided to investigate without seeking permission, nor caring about the two witnesses, Vincent and Plaxica...for they were seen as guests in this house,,,and had not commited the alleged crime, so there was no reason not to let them come along to see what the fuss was about.

The 5 guards from the first floor, accompanied by Plaxica and Vincent ran through the middle hallway and into the right wing of the castle, stopping when they reached the first body.

[Legolas]

Inquisitor Marcos of Snowdale - 98/98

"Contain them, and bring them here," he replied.
"I have not given them leave, and they will be safer here."

The inquisitor turned to the second guard and gave him additional instructions.

"Station more men near the jails. Let nothing approach Silverfall. We do not want dangerous prisoners escaping.

"Anyone caught in the halls not wearing the uniform is to be arrested. At the first and smallest sign of resistance, take no chances. They are to be incapacitated or slain instantly. Why were we not alerted by the sentries?"

As the guards hurried to pass the orders, the inquisitor recovered his gauntlets and loosened the hammer in its belt. Whatever it was, he would not allow these people to get involved. He was not convinced they were without their own agendas. The guards could handle this.

[ 01-12-2005, 05:20 AM: Message edited by: Legolas ]

[Legolas]

The castle Lesismoore.

A lone tower rises crookedly from the misty bog. For ages the earth which is water ravished man's work. An unceasing appetite slowly devours the structure, a bodyless throat deep enough to swallow it whole as some men swallow feet of steel. There is no mirth as on a fair here, the keep inexorably sliding to the side until it will topple under great protest.
But not just yet.

Wings extend to either side, making the whole into a single structure. The walls of the structure extend, sturdy, unusually high, yet not so dense as that which other castles use. They reach around towerlessly, embracing the earth to form a courtyard, rimmed with tiny shacks. Where both arms touch the gate is found. There is no drawbridge, as the weak ground would fill any moat. Oaken gates and metal porticulli are all that guards the exit.

There is little need for more. What great trees grow here to construct a ram of? What planks build a siege tower in this deserted place? Who in his right mind would carry heavy equipment into the swamps where they delay the advance, and sink into the ground when camp is made at night?

One may ask why the castle stands where it does. And be told there are very good reasons.

If there is any explanation given, it is muted by the sound. A scraping, a protest of the hinges. The dull thuds of wood on wood as the grand arched doorway of the keep is shut. The rattle of chains comes louder, a steel fence sliding down to stop all traffic.

[Larry_OHF]

Elite Guard 1:

Sir! Yes Sir!" The elite guard ran after the two guests to aprehend them, and to keep them out of harm's way as instructed by Marcos. He ran to catch up to the two, seeing that they were now accompanying other guards of lesser status. "Halt! Sir Marcos has instructed that I bring you two back into the Right Wing for your own safety. You will accompany me now, or suffer the consequences. I have my orders, sirs." He saw the dead body on the ground. Looked like Jon. But he had his orders to get these two back to the Right Wing.

Elite Guard 2:

"Yes Sir!" He had been given instructions to get down to the prisons with more troops. He ran out the back way as to avoid the mess in the main hallway and circled around by cutting through the gardens, entering in from the back door. He was accompanied by four men of his selection, all bearing heavy arms.

When he got to the position where he was to take up his stand, he saw the prisoner Larry escaping with a large man, coming from one of the holding rooms. Inside that room that they just come out of, he heard the voice of a shouting woman, as well as what he thought sounded like a large cat, yelling profanities and something being slammed against something else. He'd have to investigate this further, after he stopped the jail break.

"Halt! Sir Marcos the Inquisitor has given me the authority to place you under arrest! You shall place your hands upon your heads immediately!"

Of the four men that were with the elite guard, two of them had drawn crossbows and had aimed at the two men escaping the holding room.

[ 01-12-2005, 08:52 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[dplax]

Plaxica 70/70

The Inquisitor was a fool. If the mage was on the loose then he could not permit himself to have guards guarding prisoners simply. No one could know what powers the shadow had given him. Larry's life could be in danger! He had no time for this guard. Sparing only one glance at the dead body he realised that it was the work of the weretigress he had seen earlier.

"Tell the Inquisitor that I'll explain later!"

He looked at the guard and before his eyes his human form melted, feathers sprouted in his body and his human limbs disappeared and gave way to two wings and owl feet. He sprang up into the air and sniffed it, looking for any traces of Larry, Nanashi or Andrion.

[ 01-12-2005, 09:17 AM: Message edited by: dplax ]

[Elif Godson]

Vincent Pathfinder 98/98

Having no large weapons on himself since his main weapons had been takin to a holding place, Vince thought to follow the gaurds and possibly aquire one along the way. Just as he was about to grab dirk from one of the gaurds a booming command came from behind requiring him to halt and to come back. At that moment the gaurds in front of him stopped and turned on him and Plaxica shifted into the form of an owl leaving him there with cry of " Tell the Inquisitor that I'll explain later " bah, damnint of all the time's for this to happen with a shrug. " Aye, I'll come back with you, if the Inquisitor insits it, but be warned by the smell of it there are things about that not as they seem. "
with a sigh he follows the Elite Gaurd back to Marcos, waiting mildly impatiently for this tribunal to be over with.