Part 6>>>The Shadow of Love (an LoF adventure)

[Cyril Darkcloud]

The Circle of Standing Stones

An eruption of light, dusky blue in color, provokes cries of surprise and fear from the woman’s wolves. Chill accompanies the light, touching the area within the great stones with the clammy fingers of a forgotten tomb. It is a numbing touch that stiffens the limbs and robs them of movement. The light dissipates, falling away into the sightless black of night after a long moment, but the chill lingers and a presence, the outline it presents to dazzled eyes is very much like that of a wolf. The growl that sounds within its throat, a dull and hateful monotone, however, marks it as something other than a wolf of the woman’s pack.

How this creature found its way here so suddenly, or the nature of that light which played the herald of its arrival, so much like the woman’s magic, but dull and dark in aspect, these are things best puzzled over when the mind is free of the business of survival. For here, in this sacred place, great jaws tear into the frightened flesh of wolves and dying howls sound plaintively beneath in the shadow of the standing stones.

Pity the woman and the choice she must make for even as the killing of her wolves begins, that banewolf which had found stable footing upon a stone leaps forward toward her, its teeth, the teeth of the grave hungering after the flesh of the living.......

Two banewolves remain trapped in the mire and are in danger of sinking completely below the surface. A third is leaping directly to attack KayLisa. A fourth is attacking her wolves and has already killed one of them. As for the fifth – that’s anyone’s guess at the moment.

[Legolas]

Inquisitor Marcos of Snowdale - 98/98

Marcos looked at the guardsman, one of just eleven remaining.

"I shall be outside shortly," he said. "First let us visit the well.".

With the smell of death slowly wafting through the stone corridors, the inquisitor marched him to the kitchens. The cooks had long since found their way to safety, leaving pots and pans to dominate the room. At its center, a pair of buckets rested beside a circle of bricks. Darkened timber covered the opening of the pit, and fresh water flowed gently below.

The inquisitor continued on, into one of the servants' passageways and down. Though he had a good idea of where he was going, the local guardsman guided him the rest of the way to the waters.


It was not a cavern. The influence of man was too obvious to name it one. Arches supported the high roof, and thick pillars supported the arches. Few ever came here to watch, but the subtle decorations were legion. The waters here were clear and fresh, free of the mud in the swamps. The only lack was light, for little more than shy torch flames illuminated the source.
Dust covered the patterned floor, and in many places the ground was uneven. The waters moved past in something which was neither river nor flooded canal, once more suggesting a kind of man-made natural environment.

Brushing aside a cobweb, the inquisitor scanned the room and found what he was looking for. Nothing.

"It does not appear they passed this way," he announced, his eyes lingering on the undisturbed terrain. "Let us go and see what the men have discovered."

There were no screams inside the castle.

Marcos looked at the guardsman, one of just six remaining.

[Morgeruat]

Yevaud 45/45

The elf made his way back to the chamber where he had left the guard with Anarrima, the drow still troubled him, as though fate were warning him that they would meet again, and likely at a time much less advantageous to the bladesinger and those he travelled with. He muttered as he walked "Naa eller engwar sul sinome," and then he heard the screams. His first reaction was to head for the keep and determine what had happened in his absense, and from the sound of the cry his sword-arm, weary as it was, would be put to use again soon.

[Bozos of Bones]

Kynnen 73/85

Kynnen sat opposite the hole, and kept his eyes fixed on it. He looked in until his eyes have recovered from teh sunlight outside, and he was confident he could explore whatever it is beyond the hole. He was interested. It might be a simple animal making it's home, or a way to the underworks of the field. There had to be some kin of structure under the marsh, the stones he saw infront o the building could not float in the swamp. The falchion on his back would get in the way of maneuvering the tight passage, so he took both the weapon and the cage off, to carry them forward in his hand. He started to crawl through the hole.

[ 05-26-2005, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: Bozos of Bones ]

[Larry_OHF]

For Kynnen: You step through the hole and look about. You find yourself in a hidden room of the tomb, and cut into the ground is a hole with a rotted wooden ladder. The water from the swamp broke through the wall on its own ages ago, and a small trickle of water is running down into the hole, splashing down below. The ladder looks much too rotted to support your weight.

[dplax]

Andrion Wilgor 22/22

He tried and tried, but still he got no reply from his master as he flew towards the Shadow Tower. The one, who was possibly willing to give him a new body for the information he now had had simply ceased communicating with him. Starting to dread that he might have to stay in this owl body forever Andrion put in a last burst of effort as he neared the Tower.

Only two more miles left. - he thought to himself as he recognized the landscape below, then flying over a small uprise he spotted the towering structure ahead of him and flew towards the entrance.

[dplax]

OOC: after some discussion with Larry there is no need to wait for him to post for Andrion.

Andrion Wilgor 22/22

His shadow sense, first developed when he had travelled in the shadow plane, helped him in sensing the hidden entrance to the tower. It was only a small hidden shadow window, but thanks to the magic of the spell which had tied his soul to this owl body he could pass through. The entrance was about halfway up in altitude on the Tower's northern side and was only big enough for a bird to pass through. Maybe the mage had previously used it to have his winged spies exit and enter the Tower.

Andrion fluttered to the small window and opened it with a claw, pulling on the shadow magic cloaked handle. The window opened and Andrion fluttered inside, spotting several guards looking at him curiously.

[Larry_OHF]

Anyone else would have frozen in fear at the sight of two guards at the very entrance that the owl took, but Andrion was no sranger to the beasts of the Tower. Two Nightwalkers stood as sentinals. This time, the Mage was going to have the very best employment in his tower. They recognized the mage Andrion, even in his owl-form, and did not make a move to end his life.

[dplax]

Andrion Wilgor 22/22

He only briefly acknowledged the two guardians as he quickly made his way towards the Throne Room through several winding passageways. It reminded him of the first time he had been called by the Mage to the Throne Room. He had been afraid then, afraid that the Mage might have seen that he had wanted to try to move against him, but in the end the Mage had not only seen it but had used it as a lever against Andrion.

In the end his service to the Mage hadn't been that bad apart from the small detail of his death. He had not expected his life to be given back to him after his failure, but now that it had happened Andrion wanted to have a body at least similar in form to his previous humanoid body. He did not care whether he did or did not stay human, he just wanted to be able to cast spells again. This owl form made him feel insecure. It did disguise him well, but in the event that he was found out he would not be able to defend himself well.

So he needed to find the Mage. The Mage, who had not replied to his mental message even when he was just outside the Tower.

Andrion turned a corner, and flapped his wings one last time before reaching the Throne Room. Inside Brendon the Grey looked up at him with his expressionless eyes in the same way he would have looked at a hostile intruder. The only difference was that he did not move against Andrion. His exquisite looking bow stayed motionless in his undead hands.

Andrion flew around the room inspecting it, but did not see any sign of the Mage. Frustrated he tried to contact him again mentally, without success. Again. Frustrated he started hooting at Brendon, but the ju-ju zombie did not understand him. Andrion then flew around the Tower's levels and rooms trying to find someone he could communicate with.

[Bozos of Bones]

Kynnen 73/85

The ladder would be in the way for Kynnen to jump down, and he thought about pulling it up, but having any kind of escape out of the hole was a good idea. He lied next to the hole, and moved so his feet dangle in the air through the hole. Holding on his one hand, hanging through the hole, Kynnen moved the falchion in through the hole before letting go.