Part 5>>>The Shadow of Love (an LoF adventure)

[Larry_OHF]

Anarrima 67/67

Anarrima was oblivious to any of this going on around her, for she had entered into a prayer that required her full attention, so she neither heard nor saw anything around her. It had to be perfect, for to bring a man back from the dead was more than just a normal spell. It was the fate of a soul that she literally held in her hand, being trusted by her goddess to perform the prayer perfectly.

While she prayed, her hands searched her pocket for the sprinkle of Holy Water that was required. She found it and administered it over the corpse as she continued to focus her thoughts on calling back the spirit of the man that had passed from this body. Already, the wounds were healing on the dead body so as to allow a hospitable enviroment for the soul to return to. A little more time was needed, and then it would be done.

[ 03-09-2005, 10:33 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[dplax]

OOC: Part 2 of Andrion's history. I learnt that due to a teacher's strike I don't have five hours of physics tomorrow morning, meaning I don't have to study for it, so I managed to do this today.

It was Andrion's twelth birthday. But he had nothing to celebrate. He had never had a real birthday. Only days, which were like every other day in his life. His father made his life hell and although Andrion wanted to be able to love him lately he had found that feelings, which once might have been love between a child and his father were turning into hate.

At times he felt a hate so profound that it must have shown. But his father never noticed anything. Whether it was due to the effects of alcohol, or the lifestyle Edward Wilgor led, all the attention he payed to his son, was a negative comment here and there, or frequent beatings.

Lately Andrion had frequently crept out at night, when his father was in his drunken dreams. He knew the risks of being caught, but for the first time in his life he felt as if he was slowly starting to fight back against his father. The "despised one", he sometimes called him.

Andrion had even found a friend two months ago. A cast out by society. Cast out, as himself, who had never been able to integrate his own age group. The woman, known only under the name of Callana, practiced the most ancient of professions. She sold her body. Yet although she knew more men in the town than any other woman, the society would never accept her, and her company was only desired in nighttime.

One night after a customer left her home she spotted Andrion on the street. Surprised at what a twelve year old boy could be doing on the street she called him in. It was when they met for the third consecutive night that Andrion started telling her about his father.

It turned out that she had already "met" him a few times. They shared stories, and slowly an unlikely friendship was formed between them.

But a week ago everything had gone wrong. Andrion's father visited Callana again, and the woman accidentally let slip a comment about Andrion. Edward Wilgor proceeded to beat the truth out of her, and that night when Andrion sneaked out he was waiting for him.

After that incident Andrion was locked up in his room for three days without food and water. The day he was let out of his room Andrion had lost over eight pounds and was suffering from an illness.

For several days he could only crawl out of his room for a few bites of food, some drink, or to relieve himself. All the time he was at a war with himself. The part of himself, which still regarded his father as someone worthy of respect was slowly losing ground to intense feelings of hate and disgust.

The years had not been kind to Edward Wilgor. In the last five years he had gained 70 pounds and his health had gotten worse due to regular intake of large amounts of alcohol. Andrion, even though he was only twelve years old realised that at this rate his father was going to die in less than a decade.

But he was not sure, whether he wanted to wait.

He finally healed from the illness, which had made him weak, on the day of his birthday. The whole day his father did not speak a single word to him. At least he did not give Andrion a new beating. But for Andrion it was the last drop. The inner battle had been decided. Tonight it was going to happen. He just hoped that his father was drunk enough when he got back, and after that Andrion would have no problem doing what he had in mind.

[Bozos of Bones]

Kynnen 57/85

Opening the old wooden doors with a loud creak, Kynnen saw the guard spoke the truth. The long curved blade caught his eyes first. Darkness was it's name, the Ender Falchion. He lowered his bloodied halberd gently to the floor, and stood infront of the dark grey weapon. Someone might pass through the hall, and see me here. he interrupted his awe to close the enforced door, making another creak. Alone with the falchion again, he gripped the flats of the blade carefully, knowing that both incurve and outcurve were sharpened to kill. This weapon's purpose was only to kill, not to show around, not to practice with, but to deal tremendous cuts, and it's design clearly showed it. Not a single curve, color or line existed on the blade that wasn't needed. Kynnen looked to the sides, to find the Cage, the weapon's open scabbard, to the left of the weapon, on the floor. He gripped the sword's grip, picked up the carrier, and put the blade in, with a soft metallic sound rebounding in the room.
Gently, respectfully, he put the blade down on the table, and found the rest of his equipment thrown about the room in a hurry. The blue crystal shard was there, the magic gem of the amulet he wore. He took it, and quickly inserted it back in the mask of Vhaeraun around his neck, reactivating the enchantment of the Face of God, how he named the amulet. He liked to name every part of his equipment that earned a name. The Infernal, the monicker of his chain armor, lay infront of him on the floor. Unclasping the cape, and putting it away, opening a strap here, a buckle there, he was quickly shed of the elven suit, and ready to wear his own. Being naked again reminded Kynnen of his injuries, of the open wound on his back, the pierce in his thigh and all the other cuts he recieved in his ventures through the castle. Putting both hands on his chest, he opened the dark tunnel to his deity, and called for the magic to heal himself.
The adamantite chain was, just like the falchion, the same color as the Drow's skin. With a ritualistic perfection, care and dedication, Kynnen started fastening the greaves, pauldrons and boots of the armor. The familiar feeling of the imbued magic being complete as soon as the Drow buckled the final buckle of the gauntlets made Kynnen stand for a moment in silence. His hands took the helm, with the front side made to look like the mask symbol of Vhaeraun, and put it over his head as a king would put on a crown. His hand found Darkness, and he put the weapon complete with the scabbard on his back. Complete, that is how he felt as he lifted the blade's grip, and took it out. Ready. He took back the cloak, tied the bag with Andrion's head to his back, and exited the room with another creak from the door.
To get out, and fast. My task here is complete, the chaos inflicted, and now it's time to continue my reign elsewhere. Kynnen though as he walked towards the rear exit, the room of the slaughter earlier.
Voices? Sure that he heard voices, Kynnen slowed his pace to a creep, and carefully looked into the next hallway through a small crack in the door. More guards, two at watch, two patroling. He could just see the door to the room he aimed for at the opposite side of the hall. These men were under orders, and are organised. Either the guard finally got it's act together, or some reinforcements came. Judging by the havoc Andrion unleashed earlier, and his own rampage, it was most likely the home guard were killed to a man, and that these were newcomers. Kynnen crept back, and started for the other direction, to find a door outside that maybe wasn't guarded yet. If the new soldiers just arrived, it will take them some time before they were positioned on all the castle's exits. Kynnen had to move faster if he was to ever get out alive.

[Larry_OHF]

Anarrima 62/67


Anarrima was hard at work and concentration in trying to succeed in reaching out and finding the lost soul to this human, who she was advised by her goddess to awaken first. The holy water had already been administrered and the wounds on the corpse had been mended. Now was the task to entice the spirit to return. Her voice took a different octave and she called out in a high voice, which to any listener besides elven, would sound like the climax to an elven ballod. She reached out and found the spirit who belonged here, and sang to him, calling him back to the mortal realm of Ironworks.

Then she stopped singing and fell silent, opening her eyes and reaching out to the body that lay before her.

"Marcos? Marcos...you can open your eyes now. You have made it back."

She then tried to stand, but her knees were a bit wobbly.

"Yevaud? A hand, please. I have more work to do."

[ 03-13-2005, 02:02 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Morgeruat]

Yevaud

At a word from Ana Yevaud flew to her side, and offered his arm, with concern evident in his eyes he asked "Are you ok? You shouldn't tax yourself so." He bit his lip then, wary of another scolding from her, and reminded himself that she had indeed been through events that would have broken a great many elves, and had come out only little worse for wear, the odd drowish word inserted carelessly into a sentence, or an odd inflection to her voice, but although he had never laid a finger on her without her express permission she did not recoil from his touch when invited, a promising sign that she was not broken in spirit.

[Larry_OHF]

Anarrima 62/67

She thanked Yevaud for the assistance and then looked about at the other bodies that lay upon the floor. Who was she supposed to help next?

She closed her eyes and opened her mind towards the promptings of the Goddess, and saw her next task.

She walked over to the corpse of one that had elven in his blood. He had been known here as Vincent. She thought of the name as she began to pray again, opening up dialog with her goddess and supplicating for the powers she would need, gathering the energy given to her and beginning to mend the body.

[Larry_OHF]

Larry Silverfall

"Ardent Justice? A noble man named Alfred? I am sorry, but I do not know anything about him. I have travelled far in my days, but those names are not in any of the lore I have encountered."

Larry then realized that they could be followed and he did not know how easy it would be for the were-tiger to pick up on their scent.

"We need to be moving. It is dangerous to stay still so long. Morgeruat, do you know where it is we are to go? And how will my friends find me? I left two back there, Vincent and Silt. Surely they will be attempting to find me. And exactly "who" sent you here to rescue me?"

OOC>>>We can have this dialog without the input of the outsider for now, if Cyril cannot join us for the moment.

[Morgeruat]

Morguerat

The former knight closed the book, stoppered the ink, and put the inkwell and pen away with the ruler. He slipped the book back into his bundle. "I know little Master Larry, less than you even. I do not know where we are to go, but I feel a northward pull. In ages past there was a clan of dwarves near the far norther borders of this land. Elves are aloof and being caught between two dark forces are likely to sit still and destroy any that venture into their sylvan glades. The dwarves however if they are still there... May be happy to have allies against the threat of my... evil twin. Of the two threats to us, I feel he will be the easier to remove from power, or at least to contain. I don't know where we are, your flight lost all sense of direction I had in that shadowed land. You are right though, staying here will mean death, from one thing or another. The part your friends will play is partially up to you, If we can find a point of reference we can go back for them, until then, my suggestion is to travel northward until we can determine where we are."

Feeling the ground beneath his feet once more Morguerat concentrated, closing his eyes and silently called out to Helm, for a vision, for guidance, for a horse expecting a non-sensical answer from the god, but expecting it to bear a clue that would make sense in the future.

ooc the clan of dwarves was mentioned in the first LoF game during the buildup for the assault on Larry's tower, two strongholds sent warriors. (IIRC these strongholds are also where the Shadow Dwarves originally came from when they were enslaved by the Shadow Giants).

The horse he is trying to call is his former bonded mount Clonin, who did not descend into the underforums with the man that became Reaper

[dplax]

Andrion Wilgor the shadow owl 22/22

The castle of Leisismoore had dwindled to a small speck in the distance behind him. Andrion scanned the ground below him. He had noticed that in owl form his sight was much better on long distances. Even from the height of several hundred meters he could see precisely what was happening on the ground. A fox had just caught a rabbit below him. Andrion could also feel the scent of the rabbit, which was sending strong feelings of hunger to his brain.

He realised that the owl body was hungry. His brain was also tired, yet he could not think of resting yet. His hunger did need to be satisfied though.

His sense of smell picked up an animal scent, and although Andrion had no idea of what animal it was the owl body replied with a happy twitch to the smell. Andrion surveyed the ground below and spotted the small hare eating some grass.

Two minutes later Andrion landed in a tree with the dead rabbit among his claws and began to feast. While eating he made up his mind and decided that afterwards he shall go looking for Larry towards the south.

[dplax]

OOC: Part 3 of Andrion's bio.

It had all happened in less than twenty minutes. Running down the street with his father's blood on his clothes Andrion felt totally free for the first time in his life. Then he spotted the three members of the town militia doing their patrol. And they also spotted him. Luckily Andrion had disposed of the knife earlier.

Acting as if he had finally found what he had been looking for he ran towards the militiamen, shouting:

"Please help me! My father has been murdered! He died among my hands."

All of which was true. The twelve year old Andrion led the militiamen to his home. The next day after he acted as he had somewhat calmed down he told the militiamen that his father had had a quarrel in the past with Callana, the local prostitute. After the motive was confirmed it did not take long for the militia to "prove" that she had done it, and she was jailed for life. Thus did Andrion kill his father and betray the only one who had been his friend. He had only done it out of cowardness, and fear for himself, but that day changed him profoundly.

Andrion was put in an orphanage, but he escaped after two months, aiming to realise his childhood dream of becoming a mage. Whenever he had talked to his father about this his father had just laughed saying that only the most intelligent of boys were accepted there.


Andrion wasn't even thirteen when one of the mage's of the Academy of Tarsonna took him as his apprentice. Although the academy was only a small one it had some famous instructors and a good reputation. Andrion learned fast, yet even when learning fast the process of becoming a mage is long.

A young boy called Junni had entered the academy in the same year as Andrion had and they quickly became friends. They did everything together, and for the first time in his life Andrion had a true friend of his own age.

Junni and Andrion were the two most promising students of the whole of the academy and they were quickly put into special classes to be able to use their full potential.

When they wer nineteen years old Andrion and Junni started mental spells and mind reading. It was during one of these sessions that Junni learnt about Andrion's secret.

Andrion had told everyone in the academy that it had been Callana who had killed his father, yet now Junni learnt the truth. And unfortunately he could not hide it and he blurted out to Andrion what he had seen.

Once again Andrion's instinct of self preservation kicked in. He knew deep inside that Junni could never keep the secret, and if he told one of the instructors about it Andrion would be expelled.

Unlucky Junni was Andrion's second victim as during the next mind read exercise Andrion "accidentally" fried his friend's brain. He tried passing it off as an accident to the instructor, but did not succeed and in the first mage on mage battle of his career he succeeded in overpowering the instructor, but then he had to flee.