3rd Discussion Thread for Shadow of Love

[Larry_OHF]

The second thread is here...in case you missed some of the last pages of questions and answers.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

My post makes use of a number of details that have been laid out at greater length in the Tavern by the Creek and original LOF games.

Those familiar with those games are most likely already aware that because of events in Cyril's backstory, his loathing of paladins is second only to his hatred of the Modding Mage and the Reaper. With regard to his opinion of Larry Silverfall ...... that will need to be determined.

[dplax]

Larry if you still have Plaxica's char sheet could you pm it to me? It seems I lost it during one of my pm cleanups.

[Larry_OHF]

Sorry...looks like that is the only one I do not have. How about looking on the ship game where you initially announced your character? Did you post it there?

[dplax]

I was actually looking for the version which got modified for this game, so looks like I'll have to make a new char sheet.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

As we have a number of participants on the boards now who were not around for the original Lord of the Forums series of threads, or who did not participate in the sequel, perhaps a bit of extended background might be helpful. I also thought Larry might appreciate a summary of the two LOF games in one place [img]graemlins/blueblink.gif[/img]

In the distant days of the original Blue Boards there was a ranger, Larry Silverfall by name, who championed the cause of goodness. But the passing of time saw the laying aside of the original blue color of the forums in favor of the present brown theme of the IronWorks boards. This same passing of time also saw the death of Larry Silverfall’s wife. Grief and loss gave rise to anger and hatred within him, a hatred and an anger that came to be directed toward the other characters in the forum and the happiness they enjoyed. He gave in to the seducing call of the darkness of modding magic and Larry Silverfall was no more and in his place stood Larry, the Modding Mage of the IW Roleplay Boards.

From his lonely tower of shadowed stone, the Modding Mage drew those who longed for mastery over others to his banner, and began to bend the entire realm of IronWorks to his will. The forces of good, led by a number of the original IW clans, rose in opposition to the Modding Mage and his allies. The armies of good attacked the Modding Mage in the very heart of his kingdom, but valiant as their effort was, they fell before the dark might of Modding Power.

The Modding Mage emerged from the struggle even mightier – not only were his enemies defeated but he had come into possession of the One Ring whose software had been written by Ziroc himself. As the few survivors of the doomed attack sought out weapons mighty enough to defeat the Mage that Mods, Larry increased the powers of his generals and began to prepare his final assault to conquer all of IronWorks for himself.

There came during these days a grim and silent newcomer who risked death by standing in open defiance of the Modding Mage at the very base of his tower. The Windbringer, as he came to be called, took refuge in the rugged mountains at the borders of the Mage’s domain and soon after his arrival great storms appeared over these peaks. Shielded within the storms, he waged a silent and foolish struggle against the power of the Modding Mage. He planted a strange grass that withheld the life within the earth of the forums from the Modding Mage’s grasp and after slaying a dark creature of hungry chaos, trapped that hunger within the very ground of the Modding Mage’s kingdom. This great and terrible hunger after power and life attacked the Modding Mage when he had attempted to use the power of the Ring. Realizing that he could no longer safely use the Ring, Larry gathered the last of his generals around himself and prepared for battle.

But among his generals, was a betrayer who had turned his own forces against him. And others had joined the struggle against the might of the Mage that Mods including a mysterious druidess, a young ranger and a mysterious agent of Ziroc bent upon recovering the Ring. Using the power of the Ring that the Hunger had stolen, the Windbringer breached the tower’s defenses and after a desperate struggle, the Modding Mage’s forces were defeated and the Mage himself lay dead, struck down by the Windbringer. With the death of the Modding Mage, the tower of shadow collapsed. Leaving the victors to struggle to freedom.

They emerged from the ruins wounded to the verge of death, but alive. The Ring was restored to Ziroc’s possession and the survivors made their way to other threads in the Roleplay Forum. The wind-gatherer never disclosed his reasons for opposing the Modding Mage, nor did he still the great storms that raged within the mountains or disclose how the great and terrible Hunger might be removed from the ground at the heart of the forums.


The events outlined above summarize the original LOF game.
* The Lord of the Forums - The Two Powers
* The Lord of the Forums - Tempestuousness and Shadowiness
* The Lord of the Forums - As the Storm Passes

[ 12-07-2004, 06:59 PM: Message edited by: Cyril Darkcloud ]

[Cyril Darkcloud]

With the passing of time even so great a series of events as these grew dim within the minds of many and players arrived in the Forums who knew nothing of the struggle against the tyranny of shadow. Others, however, could not forget the struggle and a villain from another game, the Devouring Wind, manipulated and teased their memories with doubts about the victory. These doubts, nagging questions about whether the Hunger remained a threat to the safety of the Forums led to the awakening of a terrible appetite within the first IW game ever to have an ending. A party gathered called together by Azrael, the agent of Ziroc, Morguerat the Fallen, and a young ranger named Brendon Grey, a refugee from the NWN board that was seized and nearly consumed by the Hunger within the roleplay forums. And so it was that the game that had ended was opened once more.

The gathered party, prevented from making the journey through the mountains by the storms that still raged after the Windbringer’s departure, risked passing through the Underforums to gain entry to the dark lands of the broken power of shadow. Other forces moved in the lightless depths beneath the Forums, however, and the party soon found itself caught between the savagery of grimlock warriors and the might of the Shadow Giants who claimed to be the children and heirs of the Modding Mage’s power. Terrakis, leader of the Shadow Giants, received guidance from the Devouring Wind who spoke to him by means of the echo of the Modding Mage’s voice. From the Devourer, the Giants of Shadow learned how to bend even the buried Hunger to their will and soon all rivals to the Giants for power below the surface were broken and swept aside. Setting a trap for TAOWolf, the druid, the Devouring Wind seized control of the Ley lines which run through the Fourms, corrupting them and allowing the buried Hunger to reach outward in blind appetite to consume posts across all of IronWorks.

Euryale the ancient Gorgon attacked and destroyed the gnome settlement where the party had taken refuge, taking several members of the party prisoner and petrifying them. While those few that had escaped struggled to press on in the face of growing despair, Terrakis and the Giants of Shadow, aided by their allies, a shadowy race of dwarves they created by using the strange magic of the original Yellow Boards of IronWorks, struck with terrible and sudden brutality, breaking the power of Euryale and destroying her army of grimlocks. To draw the Devouring Wind out of this game the Windbringer initiated the ending of his own story, thus bringing to a halt the plot of another game and carrying the Devourer away with him to the lonely place where they were destined to meet in combat.

Eventually a small band of survivors reached the surface of the Inner Forums where they engaged in desperate struggle against both Shadow Giants and banewolves. Arcades the dragon destroyed the great tunnel the Shadow Giants had built to unite their lightless kingdom to the surface and TAOWolf severed the Ley Lines, protecting the outer forums from the grasp of the Hunger. A great struggle in the lightless ravine ended when the priestess Anarimma invoked the might of her goddess to flood the darkened soil with a mighty burst of pure sunlight, destroying the Hunger.

All was not well, however, for the Giants of Shadow seized Rhianneth the sorceress and Brendon the ranger, taking them to the sight of the fallen tower of the one called Larry. By means of a terrifying ritual, Terrakis pulled the very life from the body of Brendon Grey by making use of the ring of the Windbringer. And so it was that the ancient vessel within which the Modding Mage had sealed away his essence prior to his defeat in the first game was opened once more and the dark Modding Mage of IronWorks was seated anew upon the throne of shadow. The great runestones created to defeat Terrakis were destroyed. Rhianneth was stripped of her powers and Brendon Grey now stands beside the throne of the Mage, a lifeless zombie whose eyes burn with hatred for all who live.

Before the Mage could consolidate his power, the daughter of the Windbringer appeared, bringing with her an ancient enemy of the mage, Chani Ravenwood who still possessed 2 arrows made by the Windbringer in the original game, arrows which bore the very power of the Modding Mage. Wounded greatly by the arrows, the Mage could not prevent the person of Larry Silverfall from breaking loose from the grip of shadow.

And so it has come to be that darkness grows once more in the realm of IronWorks, unchecked by any lingering taint of goodness within the Mage. Morguerat the Fallen has given himself over to the stern might of death, making the derelict complex that was once the proud headquarters of Keldorn’s Order the seat of his power. Larry Silverfall and Rhianneth escaped with Chani to the One-Eyed Wolf tavern. Of the other heroes, some few likewise made their escape from the Inner Forums, others have been destroyed forever and still others remain within the tower of the Mage, mute statues of stone that adorn his throne room.

The events outlined above summarize the LOF II – Aftermath game.
* LOF II: Aftermath - A restless Hunger
* LOF II: Aftermath - Hidden Hungers
* LOF II: Aftermath - Death in the Shadows
* LOF II: Aftermath - The Return of the Nightmare

[ 12-08-2004, 01:36 AM: Message edited by: Cyril Darkcloud ]

[Cyril Darkcloud]

If I missed anything important in the summaries, let me know. The unfortunate thing about general summaries like this is that once can't easily mentioned everyone's specific contributions to what were a series of very well roleplayed threads.

[Morgeruat]

Another participant followed the Devouring Wind as well. The Night Hag Zhydora, who has since disappeared, but who had an important role in Morguerat's total descent into darkness.

not of huge importance, but noteworthy nonetheless.

[ 12-07-2004, 02:28 PM: Message edited by: Morgeruat ]

[Larry_OHF]

Wow! Great summary! I know that must have cost you no less an hour, probably more of work. Bien hecho!