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

[Larry_OHF]

Larry Silverfall 23/23

In the short stillness of waiting for Joseph to respond to his request, Larry felt the hairs at the back of his neck prickle up as he heard an odd sound coming from the enlosure of the forest.

"Hey...did you guys hear something? It sounded like a cat......."

! !

"A cat! Morg! We gotta go! Its her! She found us!"

Larry was already looking about for a tree to climb or in which direction to run.

[ 03-29-2005, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Larry_OHF]

The clean-up crew outside the castle:


Long into the night they worked and still they had not finished clearing the rubble away.

They labored on, knowing that this would take a while. Nothing had been seen moving anywhere within the debris, so they were fairly confident that there were no survivors. Still, a were-creature as was the one they were searching for was tough to kill, and so everyone took the necessary precautions as they overturned heavy boulders, ready to stab their silver into anything that moved. Guards were placed around the outer perimeter of the destruction site, armed with crossbows, and ready to react if needed.

[ 03-29-2005, 11:52 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[dplax]

Andrion Wilgor 22/22

Nothing. Still nothing. West of the caste he found nothing. Small animals moved, as did some larger ones, but there were no signs of the passage of a human, or several. Andrion turned slightly towards the north, making the direction he moved in north-north-west and continued on. If he didn't find Larry in that direction he shall have to turn towards the east later.

[Morgeruat]

Yevaud

The elven warrior was busy trying to keep the soldiers at their posts, and also to keep their spirits bolstered. His lean frame covered in his dark cloak, He removed it in a single fluid motion, as though it had been practiced hundreds of times before, and tossed it to Vincent. The elf was wiry, his muscles taut and strong but stick-thin, and lean in the manner of elves. Today was a good day to be alive he decided, banishing fear, apprehension, and thoughts of a drowish bogey man. When the sun arose fully he would lead the men into the keep and clear it. Holding their position safely was good for the night when the men had been terrified by the collapse of the tower, the devilish fiends inside, and the loss of their compatriots and commanders. The dawn would give the weary men hope, and with that hope inspiring them on he would lead them to destroy the drowish menaace in the fortress.

[ 03-30-2005, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Morgeruat ]

[Elif Godson]

Vincent Pathfinder 98/98

" Many Thanks, this will help at least, Thankfully my weapons are still here so I am not totally defenseless ". Slipping the fabric on just as smoothly as the other elf had taken it off, he smiled again happy to be alive. he bowed slightly to the elf and then picked up his scattered weapons. Readjusting his swords and then picking up his bow he inspected it for any damage. At least my pouch's and a few of my belongings are still intact, a bit charred but here. Reaching up to his neck he checked to make sure he was still wearing his necklace. Feeling it as if for the first time again he would have smiled more but his muscles were already hurting. At least I still have it ." I am ready now for what ever may come, my weapons and myself are ready. And I still have a few tools of the trade as well"

[ 03-30-2005, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: Elif Godson ]

[Morgeruat]

ooc: Sorry I should have been updating a while ago, but life gets in the way I suppose. Anyway here is Morguerat, and I've got a couple more ideas brewing that may take a while to put fingers to keyboard for.

IC: Morguerat


Morguerat mulled over the offer, the gift of the journal was beyond strange, even beyond mystical and magical. There was a power within the book that he could feel reading his soul, bridging ancient and lost knowledges with the present, and those confined within it, moving about. Much like the one who had given it he supposed. The correct course was clear to him, He knew too little of what the book was capable of, as well as too little of this “Joseph” character to fully trust the one with the other, at least for now. “[b] I shall make you a deal, once you’ve made your attempt to find further knowledge of the book, I will allow you to view it, as well as the pages inside, If you manage to locate Ardent Justice and we make it there safely, I will tell you of the one who gave it to me, or allow you to study the book in depth, that will be your choice when the time comes.”


"Hey...did you guys hear something? It sounded like a cat....... "A cat! Morg! We gotta go! Its her! She found us!"

Seeing his companion panicking, Morguerat reached out and grabbed Larry by his shoulder and pushed him down into a sitting position. His grip on the frightened rranger then relaxed from the viselike grip to merely resting on Larry’s shoulder. “Cats are stealthy hunters, I had one collared with a bell once, he could still catch birds across the practice yard. Barring injury or surprise, we’d never here the ‘were until she was ready for us to hear her, and that cry was too far away to be her trying to lure us into a mistake through fear. It was something else…” He looked at Joseph, then back to Larry. “Whatever it was, we should find it. I’ll not let innocent blood be spilled through inaction, nor leave you behind unguarded.” The big man then grabbed a long staff he had cut and looked at Larry, trying to decide whether it would be safer to bring him, or leave him. He then looked to Joseph, “The were is some sort of elder amongst their kind, she dispatched no less than four well armed and experienced men the last time we saw her. If you think there is reason to believe she is near, hide yourself and Larry. I am going alone to track down whoever called out, clear heads are needed and frankly Larry, you’re too terrified of everything at the moment to do more than get yourself, or us captured or worse.” Morguerat then set out in the direction of the cry jogging lightly for better speed, but keeping a pace that he could maintain for an hour or more if need be.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

Joseph

While disappointed at the delay, inwardly he is pleased with the large man’s response – he at least respects what is in his possession. “The things one does for the sake of art,” he laughs. “Very well, it shall be as you say. This means a bit more work for you. Whatever details you choose to give me need to be exactly correct right down to the spelling of the name of this blade and the identity of its previous owner .....” he pauses thoughtfully “..... and whether the names are written in better or worse penmanship than the rest of the tale.”

A noise from the distance and Larry’s frightened shout bring this conversation to an abrupt close.

As the warrior turns to Larry, Joseph – yet another name to settle into, a name better than some and worse than others he has used – casts a practiced eye about the area. Seeing no cause for immediate concern he relaxes outwardly. Inwardly, however, he takes a swift mental inventory of which prepared castings remain to be used and considers the order within which he might employ them. In a response of quaintly predictable nobility ~ ..... and, one might suspect ~ he thinks ~ a very understandable desire just to hit something ~ the warrior Morguerat sets off to track down endangered innocents.

He sighs. The details! They always forget the details.....

“Hold!” he calls out after the large man. “Hasty generosity is certainly the province of the hero.” He smiles and once more his voice easily slips out of its formal cadences into another, less refined but equally natural manner of speaking, “but it’s also what gets heroes killed.” He extends his arms, emphasizing his point, and as the warrior turns, he stoops slowly bringing his left hand in a downward arc through the still air to rest upon the grass. This simple gesture completes the spell he has chosen. “Not much I can do right now about the sound of that tin suit,” he says as he stands, hand movements naturally following the cadences of his speech. “But I can at least mute its rattling and mask your scent.....” His eyes meet those of the warrior, “..... should the lycanthrope be in the area.”

Turning to Larry, he laughs, “If this is what you put folks you just happen to meet through, you must be murder on your friends.”

ooc: A simple, but effective, enchantment to give Morguerat a bit of an edge. His scent has been blended into the that of the natural background scents of this area. Even those with the keenest of noses would need to be concentrating fairly hard to pick it up. The sounds of his armor as he moves have been muted, but not eliminated, they remain audible but the distance from which they can be heard has been greatly diminshed.

[Bozos of Bones]

Kynnen 84/85

Kynnen peered into the dimly lit field infront to make sure noone could see him. He looked down, to gauge the height of the fall. He realised that the fall wouldn't hurt him, but the ruckus his armor would make falling would make sure every guard within earshot would be here in seconds. Maybe the inherent powers might help me in this. Kynnen thought as he began summoning the ability all Drow share, the ability to lift off the ground effortlessly "Ilythiri Vola.." Alarm bells rang in his head, interrupting his concentration. Was he being watched? He could feel it, he could feel someone watching his every move. Kynnen reached slowly back, seeking reassurance in his falchion's grip, when he sensed the familiar presence in his mind. He eased himself, knowing it was his master here to help him. "What is good?" his master asked. What is good?
Kynnen's response came from his own image of himself I am good. No! I am excellent. I am excellent at what I do! Kynnen took the Ender Falchion out, and asked in his mind Should I show how excellent I am?
But... It couldn'thave been that easy... After the thought, Kynnen mused about why the master would ask Kynnen such a trivial question. There mist be something deeper, something that held more meaning. And then he remembered how the surfacers thought, how they used the word good for themselves, how they twisted the meaning of the word to depict themselves, the rivvil use it to describe their foolish, gainless benevolence, or justice, or whatever these men thought of. Even the darthirii, the very same who cast out his people to live deep below where the sun never shines, they called themselves good too. Lesser races. So what is good? A word. Often misused, too easily attributed or tainted completely out of it's true meaning. But a word, nothing more.

OOC: Ilythirii are Drow, rivvil are humans and darthirii are elves.

[ 03-30-2005, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: Bozos of Bones ]

[Morgeruat]

Reaper

The drow had failed the test. His answer was the answer of a footman, or skirmisher, not a captain, or knightmarshal of the dark kingdom. His talents lent themselves well to causing strife and chaos, but he lacked the answer of a leader of men. An answer of depth, ambition, bravado, even courage might have amused the dark knight enough to allow him to aid the drow, but for now, his dealings with the drow were at an end. If Kynnen was resourcefull enough to return on his own with the head of the mageling then he might be given a second chance, but for now...

Kynnen felt the presence withdraw, the invasion gone, and he was once more alone.

[Larry_OHF]

For Kynnen:

As your master has indicated, you have been left to your own devices at escaping the tower undetected. It is still dark, though morning fast approaches within this section of the game.

On the up-side, your dexterity and unreflecting self should help you in the attempt to save your own life. Remember that the fallen tower ruins lay to your left, and in the dark distance you remember that the gardens lie to your right. Marsh land is beyond the tended grounds round-about. Guards are covering much of the left-side of the ruins where the threat of danger is most likely, since everyone is still looking for a were-cat of terrible power.

Escaping this area will be your next challenge.

Good luck. Ask questions if needed.