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[Larry_OHF]

Echo ??/??

The Echo was still here, as Rhianneth would soon discover. He had not yet made himself known to her, and for all she knew he was still in those caverns. That was not so, however.

When the baying of the hounds began, the Echo recognized their stunning effects of thier song. It was a death sentence to listen to that tune for very long. Thus, he did what his Master would have expected him to do in a time such as this. Protect those that are loyal to Him. Echo had many great talents, involving sound. In this case, he surrounded Rhianneth in a shield of sorts made from his own composition, and this proved to be an effective barrier against outside noises. There was a certain decibal that needed to be filtered, and the closer the hounds came, the heavier the filter had to become. At first, no human would have noticed a bit of ambient noise being filtered from thier ears, but after a while, the louder things were suppose to be, the more noticeable it would become that she was being shielded. He wanted to tease her a bit, however and find out just how long it would take before she figured out what was going on and who was behind the work. It would make him so proud if she figured it out soon.

OOC>>>
Your question is, "If the filter is blocking out the grave tune of the beasts...then how could she still hear them as well as other noises of equal decibals?"

Answer: Echo is allowing the echo's of the sounds to penetrate the filter, not the sounds themselves, so in theory only the sounds of the wolves would stun and cause pain to listeners...not the echo of those sounds, for an echo is but a shadow of the real thing.

[TAOWolf]

Snarling, she lightly taps one paw on the ground close to the statue....

small cracks appear in the base, and gradually lights begins to flow thru them, spilling onto the ground and forms a circle around her...

Lifting her head to the darkening sky, she howls........

[Cyril Darkcloud]

Within the Ley Lines

One of the Lines has been severed but the desecrating taint within them remains. And within this taint lies an avenue along which grasping emptiness might reach outward. Power has moved within the Lines and their weakened magic has been evoked. There is a stirring within the Lines, small at first as if something wakes slowly from slumber into attentiveness, and then mighty as a limitless appetite begins to feed on the power of the enchantments that have been made. Hunger holds sway within these lines and not even the power of a goddess shall stand long against it. Even as the first of the Banewolves arrives the enchantments begin to fail.

ooc: No attempt to use the lines will have much success until the Hunger is destroyed. The enchantments will all have been consumed in a matter of minutes.

TAO - The first of the Banewolves has already arrived near you – I’ve simply been waiting on you to eliminate it. Act quickly.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

For Arcades

Desolate is this land and the few things that grow here are pallid and stunted, products of a soil that withholds life and a dark taint within the air itself that blunts the warming rays of sun. Harsh and pitiless is such a place and more harsh and pitiless still are the keening notes of a song that hearkens the hunger of the dead to feast upon the living. Two throats in particular sound the bitter notes of this song with a shocking and sinister clarity, throats within which the last breaths of entire packs linger and speak a fierce hatred of all that lives. Banewolves are these and they bound forward over the desolate earth with no other object than the life of the dragon before them.

ooc: The initiative, for the moment lies with you.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

For Brendon

The terrible howling has drawn near but fortunately it does not approach for it seems to be focused upon the pursuit of another prey than yourselves. At first it seemed as if a great many wolves were on the hunt or that perhaps the great Wild Hunt of druidic legend had been unleashed in this most desolate of lands. It seems, however, that these pluriform calls sound from within no more than a handful of throats throats whose growling is thick with many voices. These voices are moving rapidly in the direction from which you saw the lightning streak arise and toward which you noted the dragon had been moving.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

For Rhianeth

They move in the distance and to the eye their forms are small. Such small stature, however, is but an artifact of distance, for any who have seen them know well their size. A band of Giants, many more than the two which nearly destroyed the group a short time ago has emerged from the looming shadows beneath a cliff face. They too move it would seem according to the direction of the howling.

[Larry_OHF]

Brendon 78/78

Falling into despair, Brendon had almost given up. But giving up when things are difficult is not something he was akin to doing. He raised his head and heard the powerful wails of the beasts in the distance, moving not for their location, but forward in hunt of the Dragon. The Gold dragon that would help them win this battle. But it seemed that he had his own troubles. If Brendon expected to rely on the dragon for aid against the Hunger and the Giants...then the dragon should be equally dependent on Brendon to help him with these wolves of fright.

He pulled himself up, grabbed his bow, notched an arrow and charged onward through the brush and foliage, screaming his own battle cry of rage at the assault upon his ears and his mind. The rage helped blanket some of the howls from the wolves, and this only strengthened Brendon's determination to put an end to it all. He forgot all about being with others that were following him. Rhianneth and Ruby were not even considered in this desperate attack he had undergone.

Running and screaming, at last he came upon what he was looking for and made ready to attack.

Brendon has entered into a desperate rage, and aims and fires at one of the two banewolves that he sees charging Arcades.

[Morgeruat]

{edit: ack you posted while I was typing}


Reaper

In the distance wolves howled, the sound of a pack on the hunt, carefully telling each other their location, coordinating to bring down their prey, the fallen had always liked wolves, they were canny hunters who used tactics well, only by thinking carefully could one avoid being brought down, but the fear they inspired by seeming to be everywhere at once often caused the prey to make foolish mistakes, it was no concern of his though, let the wolves make their kill, if they were rabid and came after him, he would deal with them as they deserved.

The tower was broken, the land desolate, it wasn't a lack of living things that bothered the fallen one, it was the total absence of soul in the land, as though it had been drawn out of the land, like blood by a leech. Life if brought back to these lands in the form of green and growing things could stunt the Hunger, and even destroy it, so the Hag had said, and even hiding from the normal plane, she was still at risk from the Hunger, he trusted in her self preservation(as much as he trusted anything) that she would not give him false information if it was detrimental to her own well being. The mountains were where Larry had sent the Hound, all those ages ago, that must have been where the beast fell, and it's all consuming hunger was released. Reaper Recalled the tales of the Chaos Hound, it had devoured the right hand of Tyr himself, feasting on his divine energy, so powerful was the Hunger that that feast had sated it only long enough for Gond to bind it for a time (ooc going off of forgotten realms mythology of course, Fenris took the Norse Tyr's Hand as we all know).

The stormbringer had been beyond the power of the Hunger, could that have something to do with the Hunger's apparent weakness for growing things... it would have to be something special, the normal plants had had their essence devoured, leaving them stunted and broken. Seeds would need to be sown, and a cleansing rain, one of Cyril's own storms would have to nourish them, to wash the taint away. In the far reaches of his mind the Hag cackled at his frustrations, taunting him with shadows of images, like a vision glanced from the corner of ones eyes, there only long enough to draw attention to itself, but gone before it could be identified, classified, or put to use. The powers he had gained as his soul had been struck by Larry's blackened arrow gave him a few minor spells, but they could do little more than conjure up a small amount of static electicity. Chanting quickly he voiced the prayerful words of a spell, it's twisted and despoiled syllables darkening the area in shadow as he called upon Sithas for the answer to his questions.

OOC: the effect I'm imagining is similar to the darkening in Rivendel in Fellowship of the Ring when Gandalf uses the Black Tongue of Mordor. Cyril and Larry i will have PM's to you in a moment.

[ 03-12-2004, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Morgeruat ]

[Cyril Darkcloud]

ooc: The good news is that Brendon has wounded one Banewolf and distracted the two of them.

The bad news is that Brendon now has their attention.

For Brendon

A new voice suddenly lends its notes to the aggressive song of the wolves as the angry shouts of the ranger burst into the area. There is a curiously muted character to his words, however, as if they are simply deadened by the snarling of the Banewolves. The call of the grave touches his ears and they begin to numb and it becomes difficult to hear clearly. Still, however, his aggressive charge has purchased a few moments of unexpected surprise. Arrows fly, 3 in total. Skilled is the archer and well-aimed are his hurried shots and 2 of them strike home, one with violent impact upon the first of the creatures. Both wolves pull up short in their charge. The second fixes its gaze upon the manling and as it does so the full horror of its form, a strange cobbling together of many dead wolves strikes him. His vision as well seems to be growing numb. Drawing closer as all of this take place are the howling calls of the remaining Banewolves.

ooc: Arcades - Brendon’s surprising appearance and attack has given you a free shot on the wounded Banewolf. An aggressive attack might just cripple it. Knowing what to expect from these wolves, you have another round or two before their howls and presence affect you as they are now doing to Brendon.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

For Reaper and TAO

Of all the things that move through the air none moves so well as the owl. Silent is its flight and deadly is the swiftness of its strike. Soundlessly they move, these gray owls that have heard the call of the woman. These are the owls that have feasted upon the blood and entrails of the Chaos Hound on that night when the firing of Rune Arrows and the whispering of prayers to gods not of these forums buried its ravenous appetite in the depths of the ravine. Many of their number have been consumed by the Devouring Wind. Many, but not all, and those that remain gather in the sky near the jagged cliffs that mark the entrance to the ravine and, having gathered, glide in silent flight through the heavy dusk of evening following after words whose trace still lingers upon the wind.

ooc: Reaper would be in position to note this curious gathering and movement of owls.

[ 03-12-2004, 03:14 PM: Message edited by: Cyril Darkcloud ]