Insight
Adventurer
INTO THE DOMAIN OF DREAD
Evil has no age. The only death it knows is long, slow, and lingering. Long after a wrong is avenged or a villain slain, evil twists in the heart, rotting from within - it cannot easily be destroyed and forgotten.
Though the Shadowfell is not evil by its nature, it does collect those of dark thoughts and deeds and embrace them. Misty tendrils of the Shadowfell seep into all worlds and all times, seeking the truly depraved and cruel and setting them up as dark lords. The Shadowfell bequeaths unto each dark lord an isolated domain that bends to his dark desires, but that also serves as the dark lord's prison.
HISTHAVEN, also known as the Withered Lands, is one such domain, ruled by the self-deluded tyrant LORD ARTIUS and plagued by the constant assault of a wretched avenger known as the RAG MAN. This undead warrior defies all attempts to stay his rage, returning night after night to murder and destroy in a never-ending quest to rid Histhaven of the Count. Eventually - inevitably - they confront each other in a mighty bout of bloodshed. If the Rag Man is slain, he reappears during the next new moon to exact revenge. In the meantime, sickness and blight continue to spread across the domain, heralding the Rag Man's return. If Artius is slain, he is quickly reborn, and Histhaven enjoys an all-too-brief period of renewal. The reprieve might last weeks or months, but, inevitably, the Rag Man returns. Terror grips the domain once more as the conflict between Count Artius and the Rag Man begins anew.
***
This is the In-Character (IC) thread for my Histhaven game. All "in-character" discussions and game play should take place here. See the OOC Thread (Out-of-Character) for discussions of the mechanics of the game. See the RG Thread (Rogues Gallery) for the most recent versions of the Player Characters.
As play begins, following are the main characters of this story:
ALEKSEY KHALENDROS, Human Wizard - Cor Azer
CARRIC, Half-Elf Cleric - Walking Dad
ERASMUS, Human Avenger - Goken100
MARKAL, Human Paladin - tiornys
PENNY WHISTLER, Halfling Warlock - Shayuri
As play begins, all characters find themselves in Histhaven under whatever circumstance brought them to the Withered Lands. The characters are somehow tied to the Withered Lands and cannot be freed until the Dread Lord of Histhaven is freed from his own curse. The main focus of this game will be for the Player Characters to discover how to end the curse and free themselves from the domain.
[sblock=Alexsey]Aleksey Khalendros had followed a clan of Vistani wanderers for some time, often without understanding the need for such wanton and irrational travel. Still, the wizard learned much from these travelers and enjoyed their company - and the feeling seemed to be mutual.
It was shocking, then, when Aleksey woke up one morning in the middle of a road that was unfamiliar to him. It was overcast; Aleksey could not see the sun. He did not see any landmarks he recognized. Without a sense of direction or familiarity with his surrounding, Aleksey decided to start to his left (as he laid there) and continue along the dirt road.
As he continued, seemingly walking without end in that same direction, Aleksey suddenly found himself in a bank of gray fog that had a sickeningly greasy texture to it. The wizard lost all sense of his direction and had no choice but to continue walking.
Suddenly, the fog cleared. Aleksey found himself in a gray field of dead grass. A floating woman, enveloped in silver light, appeared before Aleksey.
"Greetings, mortal. I am known as the Raven Queen. You have been brought here, to the Withered Lands, under circumstances most unfortunate. Your soul is now tied to this place. Histhaven is a land cursed with a Dread Lord and his curse is now yours to bear. You must break this curse in order to free yourself. Find allies and use the power you find within yourself to end this.
The woman vanished, leaving Aleksey alone to consider his fate.[/sblock]
[sblock=Carric]Carric had long served the Raven Queen with distinction. Joining the Winter Legion at an early age, the half-elf had enjoyed much success and eventually rose through the ranks to lead a small cadre of priests and other servitors in the Raven Queen's constant war against followers of Orcus and the undead.
Carric learned that a hated priest of Orcus, Votorgun, had holed up in a ruined wizard's tower in the Cairngorm Peaks and was threatening to raid nearby Winterhaven. Carric led his followers into the tower and dispatched the evil priest's undead minions as well as the arcane traps and wards left over from the wizard who once ruled the tower. Carric followed Votorgun below ground, into the tower's substructure. There, Carric faced off with the evil priest. Carric nearly defeated Votorgun when the evil priest activated and jumped into a black portal. carric had no choice but to follow the priest into the portal.
Carric awoke to find no Votorgun. Instead, Carric was laying in a gray field of dead grass and mud mires. Appearing before the priest was the Raven Queen herself.
"Faithful servant, I have news for you. Your soul has been consigned to this place, a domain of dread known as Histhaven or the Withered Lands. This place is cursed by a Dread Lord, who is fated to face his enemy nightly. Until this curse is ended, you and this Dread Lord will not leave Histhaven. My servant, you must find within yourself the power to end this curse and free the people of Histhaven."
The Raven Queen vanished, leaving Carric alone to consider his new place.[/sblock]
[sblock=Markal and Erasmus]Markal recently joined Erasmus in their efforts to raid the ruined tombs known as the Guardamon Crypts. During the most recent of these explorations, Markal and Erasmus found themselves separated from their hirelings. Lost and disoriented in the darkening tunnels, Markal and Erasmus were soon set upon by foul wraiths. Nearly drained of their very souls, the two adventurers escaped, but the wraiths gave chase. Markal and Erasmus continued through the maze-like tunnels below the Guardamon Crypts but ran right into the same wraiths they had been fleeing. The wraiths sucked the rest of the life out of the two men, but death did not come for them..
Markal and Erasmus awoke in a gray field of dead grass. They were alive but uncertain of their location. Appearing before the adventurers was a floating woman enveloped in silver energy.
"Greeting, mortals. I am known as the Raven Queen, and death is my domain. Your souls should be forfeit, but I have decided on a different fate for you. There is a certain power within your souls and I have sent you here, to Histhaven, on a quest to break the curse on this dread domain. The ruler of this domain is cursed to face his hated enemy over and over, in a curse that cannot be broken - or so it is believed. Your fate is now tied to the dread lord. It will be your task to end this curse and in doing so, free yourselves. Find allies and use the power within you to end what cannot be ended."
The Raven Queen vanished, leaving Markal and Erasmus to consider their situation.[/sblock]
[sblock=Penny]Penny Whistler long ago embraced dark powers, but only understood a fraction of the power at her command. During her travels on the King's Road through the Harken Forest, as she sought gnolls who had slain villagers the halfling was sworn to protect, Penny was ambushed by the pack of evil humanoids. Just when Penny thought she had defeated all of her enemies, a hill giant emerged from behind a stand of trees. Penny could not defeat the giant, but as she died, Sehanine came to Penny and explained that it was not her destiny to die at the hands of that giant. Penny's soul would be given to the Raven Queen, who would decide the warlock's fate.
Penny awoke to find herself in a gray field of dead grass and bleak patches of mud and dirt. Appearing above the fields was a floating woman glowing with silver energy.
"I am known to the living as the Raven Queen. Your soul has been granted to me and I shall make use of it. You are now in the Withered Lands, a place also known as Histhaven. Your soul is now tied to this place. A great curse has been placed on Histhaven. The curse is now yours to bear. The Dread Lord of this domain is cursed to fight his sworn enemy and neither can defeat the other. Such is their curse. You cannot leave Histhaven until you break this curse. You have within you the power to end this. You must find this power. Find allies here and do what must be done."
With that, the Raven Queen was gone, leaving Penny to her thoughts.[/sblock]
You find yourselves in a strange, gray field of dead grass. Withered trees in the distance surround this field and give you a feeling of dread. You have no other information other than the above and what you see here.
Evil has no age. The only death it knows is long, slow, and lingering. Long after a wrong is avenged or a villain slain, evil twists in the heart, rotting from within - it cannot easily be destroyed and forgotten.
Though the Shadowfell is not evil by its nature, it does collect those of dark thoughts and deeds and embrace them. Misty tendrils of the Shadowfell seep into all worlds and all times, seeking the truly depraved and cruel and setting them up as dark lords. The Shadowfell bequeaths unto each dark lord an isolated domain that bends to his dark desires, but that also serves as the dark lord's prison.
HISTHAVEN, also known as the Withered Lands, is one such domain, ruled by the self-deluded tyrant LORD ARTIUS and plagued by the constant assault of a wretched avenger known as the RAG MAN. This undead warrior defies all attempts to stay his rage, returning night after night to murder and destroy in a never-ending quest to rid Histhaven of the Count. Eventually - inevitably - they confront each other in a mighty bout of bloodshed. If the Rag Man is slain, he reappears during the next new moon to exact revenge. In the meantime, sickness and blight continue to spread across the domain, heralding the Rag Man's return. If Artius is slain, he is quickly reborn, and Histhaven enjoys an all-too-brief period of renewal. The reprieve might last weeks or months, but, inevitably, the Rag Man returns. Terror grips the domain once more as the conflict between Count Artius and the Rag Man begins anew.
***
This is the In-Character (IC) thread for my Histhaven game. All "in-character" discussions and game play should take place here. See the OOC Thread (Out-of-Character) for discussions of the mechanics of the game. See the RG Thread (Rogues Gallery) for the most recent versions of the Player Characters.
As play begins, following are the main characters of this story:
ALEKSEY KHALENDROS, Human Wizard - Cor Azer
CARRIC, Half-Elf Cleric - Walking Dad
ERASMUS, Human Avenger - Goken100
MARKAL, Human Paladin - tiornys
PENNY WHISTLER, Halfling Warlock - Shayuri
As play begins, all characters find themselves in Histhaven under whatever circumstance brought them to the Withered Lands. The characters are somehow tied to the Withered Lands and cannot be freed until the Dread Lord of Histhaven is freed from his own curse. The main focus of this game will be for the Player Characters to discover how to end the curse and free themselves from the domain.
[sblock=Alexsey]Aleksey Khalendros had followed a clan of Vistani wanderers for some time, often without understanding the need for such wanton and irrational travel. Still, the wizard learned much from these travelers and enjoyed their company - and the feeling seemed to be mutual.
It was shocking, then, when Aleksey woke up one morning in the middle of a road that was unfamiliar to him. It was overcast; Aleksey could not see the sun. He did not see any landmarks he recognized. Without a sense of direction or familiarity with his surrounding, Aleksey decided to start to his left (as he laid there) and continue along the dirt road.
As he continued, seemingly walking without end in that same direction, Aleksey suddenly found himself in a bank of gray fog that had a sickeningly greasy texture to it. The wizard lost all sense of his direction and had no choice but to continue walking.
Suddenly, the fog cleared. Aleksey found himself in a gray field of dead grass. A floating woman, enveloped in silver light, appeared before Aleksey.
"Greetings, mortal. I am known as the Raven Queen. You have been brought here, to the Withered Lands, under circumstances most unfortunate. Your soul is now tied to this place. Histhaven is a land cursed with a Dread Lord and his curse is now yours to bear. You must break this curse in order to free yourself. Find allies and use the power you find within yourself to end this.
The woman vanished, leaving Aleksey alone to consider his fate.[/sblock]
[sblock=Carric]Carric had long served the Raven Queen with distinction. Joining the Winter Legion at an early age, the half-elf had enjoyed much success and eventually rose through the ranks to lead a small cadre of priests and other servitors in the Raven Queen's constant war against followers of Orcus and the undead.
Carric learned that a hated priest of Orcus, Votorgun, had holed up in a ruined wizard's tower in the Cairngorm Peaks and was threatening to raid nearby Winterhaven. Carric led his followers into the tower and dispatched the evil priest's undead minions as well as the arcane traps and wards left over from the wizard who once ruled the tower. Carric followed Votorgun below ground, into the tower's substructure. There, Carric faced off with the evil priest. Carric nearly defeated Votorgun when the evil priest activated and jumped into a black portal. carric had no choice but to follow the priest into the portal.
Carric awoke to find no Votorgun. Instead, Carric was laying in a gray field of dead grass and mud mires. Appearing before the priest was the Raven Queen herself.
"Faithful servant, I have news for you. Your soul has been consigned to this place, a domain of dread known as Histhaven or the Withered Lands. This place is cursed by a Dread Lord, who is fated to face his enemy nightly. Until this curse is ended, you and this Dread Lord will not leave Histhaven. My servant, you must find within yourself the power to end this curse and free the people of Histhaven."
The Raven Queen vanished, leaving Carric alone to consider his new place.[/sblock]
[sblock=Markal and Erasmus]Markal recently joined Erasmus in their efforts to raid the ruined tombs known as the Guardamon Crypts. During the most recent of these explorations, Markal and Erasmus found themselves separated from their hirelings. Lost and disoriented in the darkening tunnels, Markal and Erasmus were soon set upon by foul wraiths. Nearly drained of their very souls, the two adventurers escaped, but the wraiths gave chase. Markal and Erasmus continued through the maze-like tunnels below the Guardamon Crypts but ran right into the same wraiths they had been fleeing. The wraiths sucked the rest of the life out of the two men, but death did not come for them..
Markal and Erasmus awoke in a gray field of dead grass. They were alive but uncertain of their location. Appearing before the adventurers was a floating woman enveloped in silver energy.
"Greeting, mortals. I am known as the Raven Queen, and death is my domain. Your souls should be forfeit, but I have decided on a different fate for you. There is a certain power within your souls and I have sent you here, to Histhaven, on a quest to break the curse on this dread domain. The ruler of this domain is cursed to face his hated enemy over and over, in a curse that cannot be broken - or so it is believed. Your fate is now tied to the dread lord. It will be your task to end this curse and in doing so, free yourselves. Find allies and use the power within you to end what cannot be ended."
The Raven Queen vanished, leaving Markal and Erasmus to consider their situation.[/sblock]
[sblock=Penny]Penny Whistler long ago embraced dark powers, but only understood a fraction of the power at her command. During her travels on the King's Road through the Harken Forest, as she sought gnolls who had slain villagers the halfling was sworn to protect, Penny was ambushed by the pack of evil humanoids. Just when Penny thought she had defeated all of her enemies, a hill giant emerged from behind a stand of trees. Penny could not defeat the giant, but as she died, Sehanine came to Penny and explained that it was not her destiny to die at the hands of that giant. Penny's soul would be given to the Raven Queen, who would decide the warlock's fate.
Penny awoke to find herself in a gray field of dead grass and bleak patches of mud and dirt. Appearing above the fields was a floating woman glowing with silver energy.
"I am known to the living as the Raven Queen. Your soul has been granted to me and I shall make use of it. You are now in the Withered Lands, a place also known as Histhaven. Your soul is now tied to this place. A great curse has been placed on Histhaven. The curse is now yours to bear. The Dread Lord of this domain is cursed to fight his sworn enemy and neither can defeat the other. Such is their curse. You cannot leave Histhaven until you break this curse. You have within you the power to end this. You must find this power. Find allies here and do what must be done."
With that, the Raven Queen was gone, leaving Penny to her thoughts.[/sblock]
You find yourselves in a strange, gray field of dead grass. Withered trees in the distance surround this field and give you a feeling of dread. You have no other information other than the above and what you see here.
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