[Wizard Guild Exclusive] Eternal Darkness {~Part One~}

[Willard]

This story I like to call "Eternal Darkness". "Part One".

Each person makes his or her own character to play in the story. PM your Stats to me and I'll post them here.

Archadien Fletcher
Portrayed by: Willard
2nd level Human Ranger
Items: Longbow, a Quiver of Arrows, Dagger, Dagger, green boxers, brown tunic with matching leggings.
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting

Gilvan "Harpunch" Mortanis
Portrayed by: Secretmaster
2nd level Human Monk
Feats: Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Evasion, Stunning Fist, Deflect Arrows

P.S- No 3rd edition rules, but 3rd edition feats! Now for the story!!!
Also- don't post until I'm done the beginning! I'll erase this once the beginning is finished!

[ 07-07-2003, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[Willard]

Prologue


"Now you go get that milk young man!"
The voice of young Archadien Fletcher's mother rings loud in the town's ears. "Be back from the store in an hour or you'll have to deal with your father once he gets back from plowing. Here's 10 gold, be sure to pick up a new axe too."
Grumbling, Archadien walks out the door with the coins in hand. "This sucks," he mumbles to himself. "Why do I have to get the freakin' milk? And dad already has an axe, but he sends me out to get a new one!"

The road seems to go on forever, as the general store is 2 miles away from the house. Just as he rounds a corner, he hears a voice from the shadows.
"Psst. Hey kid. Over here."
Archadien tries to ignore him, walking past.
"Hey! C'mere, I've got something to show you."
Archadien reluctantly walks over towards the voice. "Yeah?"
"You look like a resourceful young man," the guy says. "You don't the farming type."
"Well, I don't really want to be a farmer like everyone else," answers Archadien. "I'd like to be an adventurer, see the world."
"If you're going out into the world, you'll need this!" the man dressed in black says, and then he pulls out a belt, glowing strangely blue in the darkness.
"What is it?"
"It's a belt, stolen from, uhh, an Ogre King in the frozen north! Yeah! If you wear it, it'll give you special powers! And I'll sell it to you for 10 gold."
"10 gold? Wow, okay!" Archadien hands the mysterious man the money and takes the belt.

The boy puts on the belt and returns home without the milk. And without the axe. And without the gold. And he gets a severe butt-whupping from his dad when the plowing is done.

[ 07-07-2003, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[Willard]

10 Years Later

It is a hot summer day. The scorching hot sun beams down relentlessly on 21-year-old Archadien Fletcher, working tirelessly plowing the field. When he is finished, torrents of sweat are running down his sunburned cheeks. He picks up his bow and heads over to the town Barracks.

Once there, he spends a couple of hours fine-tuning his archery skills, pelting the targets with makeshift arrows. Then he spends the rest of his day hunting in the woods. He is slowly becoming a skilled ranger, with the help of his tutor Marek.

When night falls, Archadien returns to his small home, bringing the game he has killed. He eats dinner, then heads to his room. Checking that his bedroom door is locked, he pulls out a box from a secret hiding place, and opens it. He takes out the treasure inside: the glowing blue belt that a dark stranger said was magical! He examines it for a few moments, puts it away, and drifts silently off to sleep.

Thus ends a normal day in the life of Archadien Fletcher.

[ 07-03-2003, 08:45 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[Willard]

The Next Day

"Wake up, son." The voice of the middle-aged man reaches Archadien's ears. "It's time to get to work. We got a long day ahead of us."
Archadien gets up, dresses, and goes outside to their family farm. Dawn had not yet come, for it was still dark outside. "Split the wood," his father says. "I'll milk our new cow."

Picking up the rusted axe, the young man sets each log on the stone slab and splits it. Two hours later, when he finishes, he realizes that the sky isn't getting any brighter! "That's odd," he says to himself. He goes to the barn to check on his dad.

Grasping the latch to the barn door, Archadien realizes that it is locked! He knocks for a time, but with no answer. He then peeks through the windows, but they are strangely blocked by a mysterious fog. Concerned, Archadien runs back to the woodpile and picks up the axe, then uses it to hack away at the barn door. Finally, he breaks through.

Inside the barn is a horrible sight. Their prized cow, Sue, is on the floor dead. With a pitchfork in hand, Father is battling a strange man in black robes. "That guy looks strangely familiar..." Archadien thinks.
With a groan, Dad thrusts the pitchfork towards "Black"'s chest. But with supernatural speed, the man jumps back in the nick of time. Then "Black" takes out a dagger. Amazingly swift, he dodges another pitchfork thrust and shoves the knife into Father's stomach.
Dad looks down at his slit-open belly unbelievingly. He gasps and blood seeps out of his mouth. With stomach acid leaking out, he collapses to the floor, dead.

"What have you done?!" shouts Archadien. But the man in black does not answer. Instead, he pockets the dagger and starts slowly walking towards the boy. Frozen with fear, Archadien does not move. Within inches of Archadien, "Black" stops. Then he begins to speak.

[ 07-03-2003, 08:47 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[Willard]

Archadien takes a good look at the man. He is masked, yet Archadien can sense something strange about him. Like something's not right...

"Remember me, kid?" the man inquires. "See how I whacked your pop? It'll be the same for you if you don't hand over the belt.

"What belt?" Archadien wonders out loud.

"Don't play dumb with me kid. I sold you that blue belt. Give it here, NOW!

"Why do you want it for so much anyway? You sold it to me yourself!"

"Black" goes on to tell about how he stole the enchanted belt not from an Ogre King, but a powerful Sorceress. He says how he thought it useless, so he sold it. He tells Archadien that it was actually created by the Goddess of Darkness, Shar, and her minions want it back.

"Don't you see? If I don't give her the belt, she'll torture me for eternity, kid! And I'd kill anyone to get out of that."

"I don't care about your torture, all I care about is that you killed my Dad! You're not getting that belt without a fight!"

"So you want to do it the hard way, eh punk? So be it!"

Taking out the dagger, Black leaps towards Archadien, swiping with deadly accuracy. Luckily, Archadien parries the blows with the rusted axe, but it is broken into splinters in the process. "The only way is for me to get my bow," Archadien thinks. He bolts, heading towards the house. Luckily, Archadien is a very fast runner, so he gets to the house before "Black" and bolts the door. His mother is still in bed, fast asleep. He grabs his bow and arrows, readies himself, and pulls open the door.

[ 07-03-2003, 08:53 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[Willard]

Ready for him, Black takes his dagger and throws it. Just in time, Archadien dives to the side and lets loose an arrow. It strikes "Black" in the leg, knocking him to the ground as well.

Hearing the commotion, Mother awakens from a deep sleep. She comes out of her room and sees what is going on. "What in the world..?" she says.

Black uneasily stands up, and then yanks the arrow from his leg. He howls in pain, but then picks up the dagger and comes for Archadien.

Once he gets up, Archadien realizes in horror that when he dived to the floor, his arrows had spilled! He bends over to pick one up but Black is already onto him. A swipe of the dagger draws blood from Archadien's side. He scrambles backwards, trying to get away. But, he trips and falls onto his back!

Mother is terrified. In horror, she runs into the kitchen....

Black chuckles. "You put up a pretty good fight kid, but this is where it ends." He slowly raises the knife, glinting evilly in the light of the lamp.

Archadien says a silent prayer. Just when he gives up all hope, he sees a figure creeping up behind "Black"! Down on black's head comes a heavy steel frying pan, and he is knocked out cold.

[ 07-07-2003, 06:21 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[Willard]

Over Black's unconscious body stands Archadien's mother, breathing heavily.

"Thanks for that," says Archadien.

"Who was that? And where's your father through all this? If he's at that bar again I'll..."

"No, no.... dad's not at the bar.... it's hard for me to tell you this... but father... he's dead. That man killed him."

"You mean...? Ohhhh..." Archadien's mum falls to the floor in a cold faint.

Without warning, the candles and the gas lamp flicker and die! Out of nowhere, a mystical portal comes into existance, and out of it step two grim-looking creatures.....

Black groans. Whatever hit him was real hard. Coming back into consciousness, he sits up, and sees the glowing portal, along with the two creatures. Once he recognizes them, his heart fills with fear. One of them is short and skinny, with sharp horns sticking out of its body at odd angles. The other is tall and muscular, with glowing red eyes and the stench of a sewer.

"Ahhh... Shank Werben.... I see you have failed in your task," the short one growls. You shall be punished by the mistress.... for all of eternity. Now come along quietly.

"Black", whose real name is Shank, starts screaming wildly. "I'LL NEVER GO WITHOUT A FIGHT! YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME!! NEVERRRRR!!!!!"

The tall creature sighs. "They always go the hard way. Oh well.." He then starts chanting a horrible spell. When it is cast, the darkness surrounding them seems to come alive.

Shank picks up his dagger and charges towards the two monsters, but for some reason he can't get to them. Suddenly, the shadows themselves throw him to the ground. Shadowy hands grab Shank and start dragging him towards the portal. He desperately tries to grab something to cling to, but it is no use. "NO!" HE screams over and over. "AAAHHHHHHH!"

Just as he is about to be sucked into the portal, he desperately drives his dagger into the wooden floor. Grabbing onto that with one hand, the rest of his body dangling in the endless void inside the portal, he tries to pull himself back out. The short monster laughs and stomps on Shank's foot. He lets go and gets sucked into the portal, to the endless torture awaiting him.

The short creature then casts a spell, and the belt creeps along, floating in the air towards him. But looking closer shows that the shadows are actually carrying it towards the monsters. The short one grabs it out of the air.

Throughout all of this, Archadien Fletcher was kneeling above his mother, trying to get up. After Shank is gone, the large, buff creature stomps towards Archadien. "Hey, we can find all sorts of uses for this one. C'mere Phil, look at this."

The skinny monster walks towards the others. "Yeah, we should bring her along. Let's go, or we'll be late for lunch. They're serving meatloaf today."

"Hey, let go of her!" Archadien yells. But it is to no use. The big creature picks her up and walks off towards the portal, just as she wakes up.

"Huh...what? Hey! Archadien, help!!!!!" she screams.

Archadien runs after them, but they jump into the portal. The lights in the house flicker on, and outside the sky automatically turns light, as if it were noon.

[ 07-07-2003, 07:06 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[Willard]

Archadien Fletcher is stunned. His father (along with his cow) had been killed, his mother had been kidnapped, and his prized belt stolen all in one morning. He sits down on a chair, thinking about how hopeless the situation looked, when he notices something shimmering on the floor.

He gets up to take a closer look. It's the portal! In the light, it had been harder to see. In their rush for meatloaf, the monsters must have mistakenly left the portal open. Archadien picks up his bow and arrows, his father's hunting knife, and Shank's dagger. He takes a deep breath and jumps inside.

The whole world around Archadien is a blinding rush of noise and color, everything moving at impossible speeds. Or maybe it's Archadien that's moving. Just he is starting to slow down, he stops abruptly, without warning. The monsters must have just closed the portal! He lands hard on his back in a creepy deserted apple orchard, filled with dead apple trees. Actually, all the vegetation for miles around looks to be dead.

"Great," Archadien mutters. "Now this is just great." He sees smoke rising to the east, and heads off in that direction.


The prologue ends. And so begins the story.

[ 07-07-2003, 07:42 PM: Message edited by: Willard ]

[SecretMaster]

Gilvan had been traveling through a sea of endless decay. Rotting trees were all around him, and the grass was rough, dry, dead. He had no idea what this place was, and as some sort of animal scurried by, he realized that he'd best keep his wits about.

Deciding it would be best not to panic, he climbs what looks like a sturdy tree for his weight. At the top, he eyes the land carefully, and notices a man some 10 rows north of him. This man appears to be going to the east, and when Gilvan looks to the east, he sees smoke rising. Gilvan kicks off from the branch, flipping in the air, and lands on the ground. He soon started heading towards the man stealthily...

[Willard]

Archadien walks off towards the rising smoke. "I wonder why everything's dead here," he thinks. Just then, he hears a twig snap behind him. He fingers his dagger and looks out of the corner of his eye.

He sees a strange man is sneaking towards him from behind.... thinking quickly, he ducks down in the dead grass, tall in this area. Then Archadien, with the strange man preoccupied with finding him, crawls behind him and presses his dagger to the man's throat. "Who are you?" he asks harshly. "And why are you following me?"