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Story Hour
Dusk in the land of Fading Stars - Femerus' Story hour (updated 2-20-03)
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<blockquote data-quote="Femerus the Gnecro" data-source="post: 260234" data-attributes="member: 2381"><p><strong>Chapter 2 goes the way of the dodo</strong></p><p></p><p>Chapter 2, concluded</p><p></p><p>After an uneventful trip to the docks, the team takes time to explore their surroundings somewhat in the hours before dusk. The docks are crowded at this time of day… at least a dozen ships of varying sizes float lazily in the river, resting as though from a hard journey. The setting sun reflects brightly in the river until it falls beneath the canopy of the forests on the west bank… birds fly swiftly from tree to tree, finishing up their daily business before settling in for the night. As the sun sinks lower and the workmen depart, the only audible sounds are the farewell chirpings of the birds and the lapping of the river’s water against the piers. </p><p></p><p>Night falls, and with it comes the strange, distorted mirror world of evening. The pale moon rises, in mockery of the yellow sun, while hundreds of bats flitter noiselessly through the sky in imitation of their feathered brethren. The lingering storm clouds refuse to allow starlight through their dark shroud, and a light river’s fog begins to seep over the area. </p><p></p><p>It’s a perfect night for a robbery.</p><p></p><p>The party has been instructed to guard the west wall of the warehouse, which they’re doing in shifts. The warehouse itself is an elegant design (for a warehouse) with a second level open-air catwalk extending around the entire building, so that stationed guards can watch the inside and the outside of the warehouse with equal ease. </p><p></p><p>During the third shift, the night is beginning to turn an ashen shade of gray, as the inevitable sun threatens to shatter the night’s peace as it does every morning. Dawn is still three hours away. </p><p></p><p>Kerim and Merileene (and Pin, ostensibly) are awake for this shift… they huddle close to their cloaks in a futile attempt to keep the dark morning’s chill from penetrating their bones. Nary a sound can be heard, save for the muffled movement of the unsleeping river against the docks. Until, that is… they hear what sounds like a strangled cry, followed closely by a muffled thump.</p><p></p><p>Kerim and Meri look nervously at each other, neither of them exactly sure what they should do. </p><p></p><p>Kerim whispers “Wake the others.” As Meri moves to comply, she notices several figures sneaking across the lower wall. Below them, one of the female guards is lying on the ground… from this distance it’s impossible to tell if she’s alive or dead.</p><p></p><p>The figures footpad silently across the wall, jumping down to the floor without a sound. Two of the four head towards the hapless inner warehouse guards while the other two make for the warehouse’s lower east gate. </p><p></p><p>“Let’s brighten things up, shall we?” asks Lucien as he begins to cast. Magical streaks of energy shoot forth from his fingertips, striking two of the thieves in the back, but not before they manage to drop another one of the guards. Everyone is awake by this point… Saryna strings her bow as she prepares to shoot, while Kerim judges the distance from the catwalk to the ground below. Lucien, bringing another spell to mind, opens a mental link with Pin for reconnaissance.</p><p></p><p><em>Pin… keep a watch on the gate and let me know if anyone manages to leave the building.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Wha?!? Go away… sleeping.</em></p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the remaining guard, beset by two foes at once, drops to the ground, her body cruelly pierced by one of the thief’s swords. Lucien angrily releases another spell, this time aimed at the thief by the gate. Bolts of pure force slam into the thief’s back, but he begins to open the gate. </p><p></p><p>Merileene, horrified by the death she is witnessing, decides to act. Running as fast as her legs will carry her, she makes for the nearest stairway, fully intending to charge at the murderous thieves as soon as she arrives at the bottom floor. Kerim, on the other hand, decides to eschew stairs altogether. Taking a deep breath, he makes a running leap from the catwalk and lands on the ground in a perfect summersault, his momentum carrying him to his feet. Seconds later, he’s running full tilt towards the thieves. Stealth be damned! </p><p></p><p>Having strung her bow and nocked an arrow, Saryna takes aim at the thief opening the gate. Though his companions have gathered around him to shield him from the wizard’s magic, they can’t keep a perfectly placed arrow from imbedding itself deep within the man’s thigh. He cries out in pain, but continues to winch open the gate. Suddenly, several figures slip into the warehouse from the opening he has made. </p><p></p><p><em>(author’s note: this is simply the first of many encounters where we refused to admit, or even notice that we were outnumbered and outclassed. I’m still amazed we survived)</em></p><p></p><p>On his way to the gate, Kerim is intercepted by one of the thieves, who manages to slice a deep gash along Kerim’s arm with a rapier. Before Kerim can react, another thief bends down to the remaining guard slices his rapier across her body in a rapid arc… blood sprays from her neck and she goes limp. </p><p></p><p>In a loud voice, Lucien calls forth the power for another spell. Arcane energies coalesce into a sphere of fire, which Lucien then mentally ‘rolls’ at the thieves clustered around the gate. They avoid it easily. Merileene, in the meantime, clanks noisily down the stairs, finally arriving on the field of battle… totally out of breath. </p><p></p><p>Suddenly, a crooked grin splitting his face, one of the thieves by the gate approaches Kerim, drawing a greatsword as he moves in for the attack. </p><p></p><p><em>(author’s note: How did he manage to sneak over the wall with that behemoth weighing him down?)</em></p><p></p><p>His muscles flex impressively as he brings the greatsword down at Kerim, who easily dodges out of its path. Kerim’s dagger shoots out like lightning, but is in turn deflected by the first man’s lightning quick rapier.</p><p></p><p>“Enough of this,” mutters Saryna, nocking another arrow. Seconds after she lets it fly, Kerim nearly faints as it whizzes past his head to spout unceremoniously from the chest of the greatsword wielding maniac. He staggers, clutching his chest… but does not fall. </p><p></p><p>Suddenly, a war cry is heard from beyond the gate, and several armed guards enter the fray. They quickly engage the enemy thieves in a desperate life or death struggle. Two of the thieves hold back though. One begins to chant as he casts what can only be a healing spell for the badly wounded thief by the gate. The second smirks as he points to the catwalk and speaks a word of magic. Lucien swears vividly as the inky black of a magical darkness spell surrounds him. Saryna’s cursing indicates that she is trapped within the sphere as well. Unbeknownst to Lucien and Saryna, however, mere seconds after opening the door to the ground level, Meri is stopped a surely as if someone had glued her feet to the floor… blinded. </p><p></p><p>One brutally effective spell later, Kerim finds himself facing six thieves, with only two hapless guards to support him. </p><p></p><p>This day couldn’t possibly get any worse. </p><p></p><p>In fact, it doesn’t. Lucien uses his last mental image of the battle’s layout to bring his flaming sphere 30 ft towards him, mowing down one of the thieves in the process. Then, taking a cue from Kerim, Lucien hangs down from catwalk by his hands and drops to the ground perfectly, rolling up into <strong>A Dramatic Pose of Righteous Fury and Magical Impressiveness!</strong> </p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, the one athletic moment in Lucien’s life goes unseen by all, as he is still within the sphere of darkness. However… Lucien quickly takes advantage of this situation and casts a spell, making himself invisible. Like a good chess player, Lucien is already several moves ahead of his opponents. All his friends have to do now is live until he can act.</p><p></p><p>Merileene, in the meantime, has yet to lay smack to jack, having wasted time using the stairs only to suddenly find herself caught in the darkness spell. She moves towards the sound of battle in front of her until her head is barely poking out from the black sphere of magic and surveys the scene.</p><p></p><p>Her heart freezes as she sees the chaos in front of her… and she does nothing.</p><p></p><p>Kerim, beset by two thieves at once, is barely managing to hold his own. His agility is just barely keeping him alive… it is obvious that he won’t be able to keep up this pace much longer. The two guards on the other hand, each engaged in battle with one thief each, are obviously outclassed. Rapiers flick out like the tongues of twin snakes, turning aside swords and inflicting deep wounds with equal proficiency. Meanwhile, the two remaining thieves, though badly injured, are still strong enough to carry out their mission. Crate after crate of boxes find themselves loaded on an empty wagon by the gate.</p><p></p><p>In frustration, Saryna begins to curse in a strange amalgamation of common and Elven. Hoping to find her way out of the darkness, she begins to inch her way along the catwalk. </p><p></p><p>The air ripples slightly as Lucien pierces the cover of the darkness spell and surveys the situation. Two thieves are still busily packing up the wagon while the other four are engaged in battle with two guards and the halfling. Lucien smiles as he positions himself behind the four thieves, who have unwittingly played right into Lucien’s hands. Placing his hands in a double fan-like position, Lucien begins to chant the eerie words of magic. Great jets of flame billow from his hands as he winks back into visibility. </p><p></p><p>The thieves don’t know what hit them. Two of the thieves die instantly… the heat from the flames searing their lungs, stealing what little breath remained in their bodies. Kerim and the guards, untouched by the flames, suddenly realize that the tide has been turned. Again. </p><p></p><p>Merileene, shocked into action by the surprise immolation, rushes forward and swings her mace in a heavy blow, intending to cave in the skull of the nearest n’er do well. </p><p></p><p>*whiff*</p><p></p><p>Kerim, relieved to have support, quickly runs between the legs of his remaining opponent, shoving his knife upwards as he moves. The man drops, mercifully dead. As the two guards overpower their enemy, Lucien sees the final two thieves loading the final crate onto the wagon… 80 feet away. They’re a mess. One of them has an arrow sticking out of his leg and energy burns on his back. The second has several knife wounds and what looks like a line of burnt flesh from his ankles to his blackened head. Unfortunately, by the time anyone gets to the gate, they’ll be long gone. </p><p></p><p>Suddenly, the two men fall to the ground, dead… an arrow protruding from each of their backs. </p><p></p><p>Glancing upwards, the team can just make out Saryna in the darkness, grinning like a cat with canary feathers in her mouth. </p><p></p><p>By dawn, the crates had been returned to the warehouse, the bodies of the thieves picked clean <em>(by the rare scavenger known as the ‘adventurer bird’)</em> and the slain guards lain out in a row of honor, their swords clasped in their hands. Merileene, having already healed everyone’s wounds, sits in the corner, recovering from the chaotic emotions of her first real battle. </p><p></p><p>By nine o’clock, the team has been paid, thanked and sent on their merry way. Kerim is quick to point out that they’ve already missed at least two good breakfasts, and hightails it back to the inn where everyone takes the opportunity to eat, sleep and heal. In the interim, Lucien takes time to sift through their newly acquired inventory. He is pleased to find several scrolls and potions as well as a half full wand of “Burning Hands.” The thieves, it seems, were very well equipped… their armor and weaponry is of extremely high quality. They must have been hired by someone very well funded. But who?</p><p></p><p><em>To be continued…</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Next post: A pompous new friend! A mysterious, creepy-ass stranger! Kerim and Lucien oversleep… and Saryna finds out why the rogue should always take point.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Femerus the Gnecro, post: 260234, member: 2381"] [b]Chapter 2 goes the way of the dodo[/b] Chapter 2, concluded After an uneventful trip to the docks, the team takes time to explore their surroundings somewhat in the hours before dusk. The docks are crowded at this time of day… at least a dozen ships of varying sizes float lazily in the river, resting as though from a hard journey. The setting sun reflects brightly in the river until it falls beneath the canopy of the forests on the west bank… birds fly swiftly from tree to tree, finishing up their daily business before settling in for the night. As the sun sinks lower and the workmen depart, the only audible sounds are the farewell chirpings of the birds and the lapping of the river’s water against the piers. Night falls, and with it comes the strange, distorted mirror world of evening. The pale moon rises, in mockery of the yellow sun, while hundreds of bats flitter noiselessly through the sky in imitation of their feathered brethren. The lingering storm clouds refuse to allow starlight through their dark shroud, and a light river’s fog begins to seep over the area. It’s a perfect night for a robbery. The party has been instructed to guard the west wall of the warehouse, which they’re doing in shifts. The warehouse itself is an elegant design (for a warehouse) with a second level open-air catwalk extending around the entire building, so that stationed guards can watch the inside and the outside of the warehouse with equal ease. During the third shift, the night is beginning to turn an ashen shade of gray, as the inevitable sun threatens to shatter the night’s peace as it does every morning. Dawn is still three hours away. Kerim and Merileene (and Pin, ostensibly) are awake for this shift… they huddle close to their cloaks in a futile attempt to keep the dark morning’s chill from penetrating their bones. Nary a sound can be heard, save for the muffled movement of the unsleeping river against the docks. Until, that is… they hear what sounds like a strangled cry, followed closely by a muffled thump. Kerim and Meri look nervously at each other, neither of them exactly sure what they should do. Kerim whispers “Wake the others.” As Meri moves to comply, she notices several figures sneaking across the lower wall. Below them, one of the female guards is lying on the ground… from this distance it’s impossible to tell if she’s alive or dead. The figures footpad silently across the wall, jumping down to the floor without a sound. Two of the four head towards the hapless inner warehouse guards while the other two make for the warehouse’s lower east gate. “Let’s brighten things up, shall we?” asks Lucien as he begins to cast. Magical streaks of energy shoot forth from his fingertips, striking two of the thieves in the back, but not before they manage to drop another one of the guards. Everyone is awake by this point… Saryna strings her bow as she prepares to shoot, while Kerim judges the distance from the catwalk to the ground below. Lucien, bringing another spell to mind, opens a mental link with Pin for reconnaissance. [I]Pin… keep a watch on the gate and let me know if anyone manages to leave the building. Wha?!? Go away… sleeping.[/I] Meanwhile, the remaining guard, beset by two foes at once, drops to the ground, her body cruelly pierced by one of the thief’s swords. Lucien angrily releases another spell, this time aimed at the thief by the gate. Bolts of pure force slam into the thief’s back, but he begins to open the gate. Merileene, horrified by the death she is witnessing, decides to act. Running as fast as her legs will carry her, she makes for the nearest stairway, fully intending to charge at the murderous thieves as soon as she arrives at the bottom floor. Kerim, on the other hand, decides to eschew stairs altogether. Taking a deep breath, he makes a running leap from the catwalk and lands on the ground in a perfect summersault, his momentum carrying him to his feet. Seconds later, he’s running full tilt towards the thieves. Stealth be damned! Having strung her bow and nocked an arrow, Saryna takes aim at the thief opening the gate. Though his companions have gathered around him to shield him from the wizard’s magic, they can’t keep a perfectly placed arrow from imbedding itself deep within the man’s thigh. He cries out in pain, but continues to winch open the gate. Suddenly, several figures slip into the warehouse from the opening he has made. [I](author’s note: this is simply the first of many encounters where we refused to admit, or even notice that we were outnumbered and outclassed. I’m still amazed we survived)[/I] On his way to the gate, Kerim is intercepted by one of the thieves, who manages to slice a deep gash along Kerim’s arm with a rapier. Before Kerim can react, another thief bends down to the remaining guard slices his rapier across her body in a rapid arc… blood sprays from her neck and she goes limp. In a loud voice, Lucien calls forth the power for another spell. Arcane energies coalesce into a sphere of fire, which Lucien then mentally ‘rolls’ at the thieves clustered around the gate. They avoid it easily. Merileene, in the meantime, clanks noisily down the stairs, finally arriving on the field of battle… totally out of breath. Suddenly, a crooked grin splitting his face, one of the thieves by the gate approaches Kerim, drawing a greatsword as he moves in for the attack. [I](author’s note: How did he manage to sneak over the wall with that behemoth weighing him down?)[/I] His muscles flex impressively as he brings the greatsword down at Kerim, who easily dodges out of its path. Kerim’s dagger shoots out like lightning, but is in turn deflected by the first man’s lightning quick rapier. “Enough of this,” mutters Saryna, nocking another arrow. Seconds after she lets it fly, Kerim nearly faints as it whizzes past his head to spout unceremoniously from the chest of the greatsword wielding maniac. He staggers, clutching his chest… but does not fall. Suddenly, a war cry is heard from beyond the gate, and several armed guards enter the fray. They quickly engage the enemy thieves in a desperate life or death struggle. Two of the thieves hold back though. One begins to chant as he casts what can only be a healing spell for the badly wounded thief by the gate. The second smirks as he points to the catwalk and speaks a word of magic. Lucien swears vividly as the inky black of a magical darkness spell surrounds him. Saryna’s cursing indicates that she is trapped within the sphere as well. Unbeknownst to Lucien and Saryna, however, mere seconds after opening the door to the ground level, Meri is stopped a surely as if someone had glued her feet to the floor… blinded. One brutally effective spell later, Kerim finds himself facing six thieves, with only two hapless guards to support him. This day couldn’t possibly get any worse. In fact, it doesn’t. Lucien uses his last mental image of the battle’s layout to bring his flaming sphere 30 ft towards him, mowing down one of the thieves in the process. Then, taking a cue from Kerim, Lucien hangs down from catwalk by his hands and drops to the ground perfectly, rolling up into [B]A Dramatic Pose of Righteous Fury and Magical Impressiveness![/B] Unfortunately, the one athletic moment in Lucien’s life goes unseen by all, as he is still within the sphere of darkness. However… Lucien quickly takes advantage of this situation and casts a spell, making himself invisible. Like a good chess player, Lucien is already several moves ahead of his opponents. All his friends have to do now is live until he can act. Merileene, in the meantime, has yet to lay smack to jack, having wasted time using the stairs only to suddenly find herself caught in the darkness spell. She moves towards the sound of battle in front of her until her head is barely poking out from the black sphere of magic and surveys the scene. Her heart freezes as she sees the chaos in front of her… and she does nothing. Kerim, beset by two thieves at once, is barely managing to hold his own. His agility is just barely keeping him alive… it is obvious that he won’t be able to keep up this pace much longer. The two guards on the other hand, each engaged in battle with one thief each, are obviously outclassed. Rapiers flick out like the tongues of twin snakes, turning aside swords and inflicting deep wounds with equal proficiency. Meanwhile, the two remaining thieves, though badly injured, are still strong enough to carry out their mission. Crate after crate of boxes find themselves loaded on an empty wagon by the gate. In frustration, Saryna begins to curse in a strange amalgamation of common and Elven. Hoping to find her way out of the darkness, she begins to inch her way along the catwalk. The air ripples slightly as Lucien pierces the cover of the darkness spell and surveys the situation. Two thieves are still busily packing up the wagon while the other four are engaged in battle with two guards and the halfling. Lucien smiles as he positions himself behind the four thieves, who have unwittingly played right into Lucien’s hands. Placing his hands in a double fan-like position, Lucien begins to chant the eerie words of magic. Great jets of flame billow from his hands as he winks back into visibility. The thieves don’t know what hit them. Two of the thieves die instantly… the heat from the flames searing their lungs, stealing what little breath remained in their bodies. Kerim and the guards, untouched by the flames, suddenly realize that the tide has been turned. Again. Merileene, shocked into action by the surprise immolation, rushes forward and swings her mace in a heavy blow, intending to cave in the skull of the nearest n’er do well. *whiff* Kerim, relieved to have support, quickly runs between the legs of his remaining opponent, shoving his knife upwards as he moves. The man drops, mercifully dead. As the two guards overpower their enemy, Lucien sees the final two thieves loading the final crate onto the wagon… 80 feet away. They’re a mess. One of them has an arrow sticking out of his leg and energy burns on his back. The second has several knife wounds and what looks like a line of burnt flesh from his ankles to his blackened head. Unfortunately, by the time anyone gets to the gate, they’ll be long gone. Suddenly, the two men fall to the ground, dead… an arrow protruding from each of their backs. Glancing upwards, the team can just make out Saryna in the darkness, grinning like a cat with canary feathers in her mouth. By dawn, the crates had been returned to the warehouse, the bodies of the thieves picked clean [I](by the rare scavenger known as the ‘adventurer bird’)[/I] and the slain guards lain out in a row of honor, their swords clasped in their hands. Merileene, having already healed everyone’s wounds, sits in the corner, recovering from the chaotic emotions of her first real battle. By nine o’clock, the team has been paid, thanked and sent on their merry way. Kerim is quick to point out that they’ve already missed at least two good breakfasts, and hightails it back to the inn where everyone takes the opportunity to eat, sleep and heal. In the interim, Lucien takes time to sift through their newly acquired inventory. He is pleased to find several scrolls and potions as well as a half full wand of “Burning Hands.” The thieves, it seems, were very well equipped… their armor and weaponry is of extremely high quality. They must have been hired by someone very well funded. But who? [I]To be continued… Next post: A pompous new friend! A mysterious, creepy-ass stranger! Kerim and Lucien oversleep… and Saryna finds out why the rogue should always take point.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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Dusk in the land of Fading Stars - Femerus' Story hour (updated 2-20-03)
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