Antagonist's Anarchy: Destruction in the Darkness - Chapter I (Open)

[DrowArchmage]

Everyone ready? Zak put his hood over his eyes and put his hands together.Dark energy started rolling across his body,as if a dark god had just struck him. His eyes rolled back in his head as his hand struck out in front of him he yelled. Shadow Eclipse! The grounds around the tower turned black, as if the sun had been blotted out. Zak closed his eyes. Wow, thats big one.I'll stay here to keep it up but it only lasts so long, it should give you the cover you need. Good luck. and just then, he really meant it.

[Ivelliis]

Telryn Gale

Telryn stared as Zak did some kind of magic. The area around the tower became extremely dark.

"I can't see through that," Telryn said, removing his tower shield from his back, equipping it into his left hand.

"Anyone else going in?" He added hastily before grabbing his flail.

Secretly he hoped others would join him - but if not he would have to go in alone.

[shamrock_uk]

Detheriel
After feeling his way blindly through the darkness towards the tower, idly wondering if a patch of darkness moving towards it might look quite conspicuous, he crept cautiously into the room behind the large reassuring form of Telryn.

An arrow held partially drawn, he scanned the room - seeing no exits he wrinkled his nose in disgust and began to move round the room looking for anything suspicious.

[ 09-20-2005, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[DrowArchmage]

This should be interesting. The bandits are no where to be found. he called forth fire into his hands and mixed it into the darkness, just enough to heat their armor but not enough to hurt them. He used a voice projection trick he liked to use to scare people to whisper to them, Dont touch your armor.Its hot, it wont hurt you, but it will burn the hell out of an opponet if your sword gets away from you.

[Ivelliis]

Telryn Gale

"I'd rather be protected the old fashioned way than by you and your accursed magic, thankyou," Telryn grumbled to Zak, "If you can, get the magic off me."

Telryn stared about the room. At the point of each star, on the wall, was an empty bracket.

"There has to be a connection" He thought to himself, "Eight brackets, eight points of the star."

He reached into his backpack, removing an unlit torch.

"Here goes nothing," He said, placing it in the bracket closest to the doorway, waiting for any kind of reaction.

[ 09-25-2005, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: Ivelliis ]

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Nivram followed Isokla through the bushes, to a small clearing among them where she was sitting on a flat rock, deep in her thoughts.

Without looking up, Isokla did not acknowledge Nivram's presence. If she even knew he was there, he did not know.

If she did, she gave no sign of it.

Nivram put his pack on the ground and sat on it, then looked at Isokla.

"I do not mean to dwell in your past, or try to be overly inquisitive, so if it be your wish you do not need reply, however earlier you evaded my question about what your objective was." - he said, only glancing at Isokla for a short moment before observing the trees not far away. The birds in them were still singing, unaware of the bloodshed, which was soon to come in the bandit's tower.

"Go on." She answered softly, still not looking up.

"You said earlier that maybe this was a simple journey for you. I disagree. On a simple journey you do not get into a situation where the bandits at the bridge wound you. A simple traveller would have given in to their demands, don't you think?"

"I don't know." Isokla answered, her pale blue eyes meeting Nivram's, "You tell me what a simple traveller would have done. Or maybe, a simple character couldn't meet their demands."

Her body language wasn't hostile - but it wasn't welcoming. At best, it was neutral. At worst, cold and standoffish. Cautious.

Was his curiosity taking him too far? Shouldn't he continue? On a first glance everything seemed to be completely normal about Isokla, but Nivram suspected that there were things she did not want to talk about. Possibly things from her past, secrets in her past. His curiosity pushed him forwards, yet another part of him cautioned him. He felt that it would be a grave mistake to make himself an enemy here.

"For me a simple traveller is someone who goes from one place to another with this being his or her only purpose. His or her objective is to get to his or her destination. He or she shall do what is necessary to get to the destination. Someone who would have needed to get to a destination over the river would have known about the bandits and would have known what to do to meet their demands prior to meeting them, since in the small village on this side of the river he or she could have found out about them."

The sentence was long, and Nivram took a long breath when he finished.

"So," she asked, her voice dangerously quiet, "If they had asked you for your belt purse, would you have given it to them?" Her question was not cutting; but it was pointed, but only slightly. "Or..." she asked, without waiting for him to answer, "If they had demanded something else... say, a kiss, would you have gifted it to them? What if they had asked for more?" Now her tone was edged, "Where would you draw the line?" She asked icily, "When is enough, enough? Where does it end? When do you stop allowing others to walk over you?"

Her tone softened, "Some prices are too high to pay."

This was the point to stop, Nivram realised.

"I'm sorry, I did not know." - he said.

"I did not mean to offend."

"You didn't." She said simply, "Just as I've not said what they asked for. I merely showed you an example." Isokla sighed, "I do not blame your curiosity, but, be aware, there are some things that you would be better off not knowing. Innocence is a wonderful ideal to keep - if you can. Time will erode it by itself; there is no need for you to hasten the process." She sighed and looked away, "Some of us learn the hard way."

"Now that I have tried to satisfy my curiosity, I shall ask you whether you want to know anything about me?" - he said. It was not an attempt to give information and probably get some in exchange. He was just trying to be friends, although was probably making a bad try at it.

"It is all right," Isokla soothed gently, "If there is anything you wish to know, I will tell you. I just warn you of the price first. Yes, perhaps," she reflected, "I should have given the Gate Guards their due, but... I did not. I did not wish to pay their price - not of gold, nor of... other means. So instead, I paid another price. The price of their blade penetrating my flesh."

Looking at Nivram with troubled eyes, she asked, "And what of you? Has there ever been a price that you did not wish to pay?"

"There were times when I could not pay the price..." - he paused thinking back. "But about when I did not wish to pay..." He paused again, trying to think back. "Once when I was seven years old I took a chicken from the village cleric's pen, without telling him, but I guess that doesn't count."

It was hard thinking back to his past. There were many dark episodes in it, and some to which he would rather have not thought back.

"There was one time when the price was too high, but I'd rather not talk about that now. It reminds me too much of why I had to leave my sister's place." - he said, his voice weak.

She nodded, and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "You'll find your sister," she soothed gently, "After all, that is the destination of your journey, is it not?"

"It is." - he said simply. "If only I knew where to start looking..."

"You've already begun," she smiled. "Your feet are already upon this journey; do not falter now."

He felt that Isokla understood him much better, than he understood her. He sighed and lay back on the grass.
---
OOC: No one else can hear these two btw - and Isokla will know if anyone creeps up. Therefore, no one can hear a word they say. So sayeth your DM.
Edit: I'll wait for you others to do something, and then I'll post a reaction to Ivelliis's post.

[ 09-25-2005, 08:17 AM: Message edited by: Calaethis Dragonsbane ]

[DrowArchmage]

I appologize for not asking first, it will be done. Zak bowed his head and whisperd. Source of all life come back to me. and the glowing energy left the armor and back into Zak.

[shamrock_uk]

Detheriel

Watching Telryn place his torch, Detheriel realised what he was trying to do. He quickly rummaged in his pack, but the sinking feeling in his stomach as he searched reminded him that he had forgotten to replace the last one when it burnt down.

He looked up at Telryn apologetically. "Well, I can light your torch" he offered. "But if we need eight torches to reveal any magic doorway then I fear we are out of luck" he thought aloud.

Turning away he spat on the floor near the star, uneasily clutching the shaft of his bow tighter at the thought of whatever foul magic could hide an exit.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

The first torch did nothing, nor did the second, or the third. Assuming that everyone puts in eight torches (which I assume you'd try), there is a grating sound. A ring - or more accurately - star of steel lifts from the star. It reaches about half a foot from the original and there is more grating. Those standing within the circle feel a sinking feeling as the circle beneath them gives way to a staircase.

The ring of steel slowly begins to sink back down and as it does, the torches in the brackets are slowly pushed out - and the staircase gradually closes. This happens over a period of five minutes.

The staircase down is darkened and leads to a basement, with a few discarded but sealed crates in good working order.

There are two sidedoors both closed, on two of the walls. No doubt they lead to the bandit's lair.
---
OOC: I'll post a bit more once you're all actually there.

[Ivelliis]

Telryn Gale

Telryn wasn't the sneaky type. He remembered being younger, hiding was simple for him. He was scrawny, small and weak. He wasn't very good at sports, and wasn't too bright. He was just an average kid, not excellent at anything, but not terrible at anything either.
Then, all of a sudden, he grew - and did he! This didn't happen overnight, of course, but over the years Telryn moved from being a child to being a man, he changed considerably. People who knew him when he was younger didn't recognise him. He liked his new physique, his height, his strength. No one would have guessed the scrawny Telryn would grow up to be like he is now.
Although his new found height made him a bit clumsy...

Telryn peered down the stairs, nearly falling down them before balancing himself. He couldn't hear anything, and crouched down as low as he could.

"Going down," He muttered quietly as he descended.

His flail and tower shield scraped loudly on the side of the wall. He paused, only a few steps down, and listened. Silence. He proceded to walk down the stairs, hold his shield in front of him, making sure neither of the sides scraped against the stone wall, and his flail over his shoulder, the morning star dangling behind his back.

[ 10-05-2005, 06:34 PM: Message edited by: Ivelliis ]