Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Into the Moral Darkness: (Now a Completed Story!)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3401255" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p><strong>Chapter Five: THE COMPLETE OUTLANDISHNESS OF THEM ALL</strong></p><p></p><p>The two days of training and equipping passed quickly and before the party could realize where the time had gone they found themselves voluntarily on the southern edge of the Tongra-Quehalost Mountains. Charis had convinced them that the safest place to blindly teleport into would be her old village. She wanted to see how the land had changed and grown up without her Drakontai kin to manage the land. She had expected it to be considerably wilder than how she had left it.</p><p></p><p>The party was not disappointed. In many respects, Quehalost was just as much home as anywhere else. Of course it was dangerous and things were always a bit on the wilder side, but there were certain familiarities here as well.</p><p></p><p>Everyone except Ophee relaxed when they saw the circle of huts materializing before their eyes. Ophee found it difficult to regain the confidence that she could normally count upon. It was one thing to work with the civilized population of Fingerdale; but it was entirely a different matter to deal with the uncivilized wiles of Quehalost. There were no rules here except survival. Everything would do what it took to survive. She knew that every fight would be for life.</p><p></p><p>Charis turned a full circle as she looked upon her old homeland. Out of habit, she lifted her eyes to the platform that had once been the perch for her father dragon. It was now vacant, and it even looked as if it were a void upon the land. Charis sighed, but it was not a mournful sigh. There was a smile upon her face even in the midst of the sigh.</p><p></p><p>Semeion wrapped his arm around her back and rested his hand upon her far hip. <span style="color: Plum">“Miss it, Charis?”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis smiled in amusement. <span style="color: Orange">“Yes, but not in the way that you think. I don’t miss life here. I miss the land. I miss the forest. I miss the little stream that we used to bathe in. I miss the field over the hill that we used for hunting deer and other small game. I miss the land, but not necessarily the life I lived here under my dragon father.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee shook her head in disbelief. <span style="color: Lime">“But there is so little control here. There is so little safety. How could you sleep at night?”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis laughed and pointed up to the dark void that used to house the red wyrm. <span style="color: Orange">“We had a dragon to protect us. I know that he was a red dragon, and they’re known for being violent and wrathful. But in terms of protecting us, he was fervent in his defense. We were his, and as far as he was concerned nothing would take what belonged to him so long as he lived.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema and Ischarus exchanged smiles, and Ischarus spoke the thought that they had passed between them without the need for words. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Until a few novitiates like us came through and pulled the wool over his eyes.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis looked back toward Ischarus. <span style="color: Orange">“Novitiates? Do you even know what that means? What, have you been studying under Semeion or something?”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus laughed. <span style="color: LightBlue">“It’s a word I picked up at the wizard’s college. They kept referring to me as a novitiate mage. There is no hiding that my casting ability is less than a true wizard and that I focus more on my blade. At the same time, I’ll probably always be a novitiate in their eyes.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion shook his head in amusement. <span style="color: Plum">“I would not call your or Rhema novitiates in Quehalost, though. I’m not sure a person exists in Tongra that can do what the two of you did for a few years before meeting me.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema had wandered a few paces away from the party and she reached out to touch the smooth sacrificial stone at the center of the village. She changed the topic of the conversation as her hand felt the coolness of the stone. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Well, the good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any sign of people left behind. And it doesn’t look like a legitimate presence has taken control over the land, either.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion moved toward Rhema, and Ophee followed him. Her curiosity was getting the better of her and the conversation about Ischarus’ and Rhema’s skill regarding Quehalost had helped to calm her nerves. <span style="color: Lime">“So we are safe?”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion rested a hand upon her shoulder. <span style="color: Plum">“As safe as anyone can be in Quehalost. You’re stuck with us, Ophee. But if you stick with us, do what we say, and trust us I can say that you’ll be as safe as can be in this land.”</span></p><p></p><p>When Semeion moved to Rhema, Ischarus and Charis drew their weapons and began to check the perimeter of the village. Ischarus called out from the edge using a calm tone. <span style="color: Lightblue">“The residents to the east are aware of the vacancy of the dragon. I’ve found tracks from a scouting party or two. As suspicious as they are, they are likely held back by the mysterious disappearance of the dragon. They’ll be unlikely to claim this land too quickly until they can understand why the dragon and his people left. They’re likely to never figure it out, however.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis called out from the other side of the village. The village was certainly small enough for her to hear Ischarus’ earlier comments. <span style="color: Orange">“We’ve always known them to be cautious. They don’t like to expand too much, because it draws attention to themselves. The more attention they draw, the less they’ll be able to live in the quiet that they desire. I suspect you’ve found tracks of a hunting party out to find meat. When we had clashes with them it was often over the hunt and the natural prey within the land. With my people and my father dragon gone, I have no doubt they’ve begun to hunt the land. They can come and go as they please that way.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee looked long and hard at the stone. <span style="color: Lime">“Is that covered in blood?”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema nodded. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“This is a different land. Sacrifices equal protection, here. You sacrifice something to appease a higher power that has the ability to protect you. Chances are that if we are caught, we could end up on a stone altar such as this. Stick close and do what we say. You’ll be fine.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion looked to the horizon. He was scanning the sky in search of potential enemies. With a vacant perch and an undiscovered horde, this would be a prime spot to welcome another dragon looking to stake a claim for power among his kind. <span style="color: Plum">“I would suspect that what you say is true, Rhema. Except for the land for which we are headed. I doubt the druid will offer us up as a sacrifice to the gods that he serves. My guess is that if we were to be sacrificed to anything it would be as dinner for his creatures.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee’s face paled at the sudden change of conversation. <span style="color: Lime">“No offense, but you all aren’t exactly painting a pretty picture, here.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema smiled as though she enjoyed scaring Ophee. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“No offense taken. But it isn’t exactly a pretty picture to paint. Now you know why it was that your master was so upset at the fact that we lost trust in him by the way in which we were introduced to Eberdeen. If we weren’t willing to travel into Quehalost for him, there aren’t many others who would. He would likely have needed to come into this dangerous land himself. For a wizard of the college, that possibility could not be very appealing.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus approached from the other side of the stone as introduced himself into the conversation. He and Charis had made a perimeter search and found few reasons to suspect that the area would not be relatively safe. <span style="color: LightBlue">“So what kind of creatures do you suspect that we’ll find? I know that the ghostly figure we met our last time through here called them phrenic. What do you suppose that means?”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema looked her husband in the eye and smirked. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“It likely means that you’ll be facing the same power that you married. The word phrenic simply means something that pertains to the mind. As we guessed earlier in the wizard’s college, these creatures are likely going to be pretty intelligent. They might even be able to naturally duplicate some of my abilities. I would suspect that our opponents will use intelligent tactics and their attacks may come without warning. You all will get a taste of what others feel when I fight against them.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion completed his scan of the horizon. <span style="color: Plum">“I know that it is early still, but might I suggest we spend a day here? I’d like to get a feel for the place around us before we immediately strike out to the east. Besides, here we have shelter, and this may be the last time that we have this luxury until we return. We could spend the night rather unnoticed.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema agreed. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“We’ll lose the rest of the day, and that is several hours of traveling. But I think the sentiment is wise. If we leave in the morning we’ll make much better use of our time tomorrow.”</span></p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>Chapter Five: THE COMPLETE OUTLANDISHNESS OF THEM ALL</p><p></p><p>The two days of training and equipping passed quickly and before the party could realize where the time had gone they found themselves voluntarily on the southern edge of the Tongra-Quehalost Mountains. Charis had convinced them that the safest place to blindly teleport into would be her old village. She wanted to see how the land had changed and grown up without her Drakontai kin to manage the land. She had expected it to be considerably wilder than how she had left it.</p><p></p><p>The party was not disappointed. In many respects, Quehalost was just as much home as anywhere else. Of course it was dangerous and things were always a bit on the wilder side, but there were certain familiarities here as well.</p><p></p><p>Everyone except Ophee relaxed when they saw the circle of huts materializing before their eyes. Ophee found it difficult to regain the confidence that she could normally count upon. It was one thing to work with the civilized population of Fingerdale; but it was entirely a different matter to deal with the uncivilized wiles of Quehalost. There were no rules here except survival. Everything would do what it took to survive. She knew that every fight would be for life.</p><p></p><p>Charis turned a full circle as she looked upon her old homeland. Out of habit, she lifted her eyes to the platform that had once been the perch for her father dragon. It was now vacant, and it even looked as if it were a void upon the land. Charis sighed, but it was not a mournful sigh. There was a smile upon her face even in the midst of the sigh.</p><p></p><p>Semeion wrapped his arm around her back and rested his hand upon her far hip. “Miss it, Charis?”</p><p></p><p>Charis smiled in amusement. “Yes, but not in the way that you think. I don’t miss life here. I miss the land. I miss the forest. I miss the little stream that we used to bathe in. I miss the field over the hill that we used for hunting deer and other small game. I miss the land, but not necessarily the life I lived here under my dragon father.”</p><p></p><p>Ophee shook her head in disbelief. “But there is so little control here. There is so little safety. How could you sleep at night?”</p><p></p><p>Charis laughed and pointed up to the dark void that used to house the red wyrm. “We had a dragon to protect us. I know that he was a red dragon, and they’re known for being violent and wrathful. But in terms of protecting us, he was fervent in his defense. We were his, and as far as he was concerned nothing would take what belonged to him so long as he lived.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema and Ischarus exchanged smiles, and Ischarus spoke the thought that they had passed between them without the need for words. “Until a few novitiates like us came through and pulled the wool over his eyes.”</p><p></p><p>Charis looked back toward Ischarus. “Novitiates? Do you even know what that means? What, have you been studying under Semeion or something?”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus laughed. “It’s a word I picked up at the wizard’s college. They kept referring to me as a novitiate mage. There is no hiding that my casting ability is less than a true wizard and that I focus more on my blade. At the same time, I’ll probably always be a novitiate in their eyes.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion shook his head in amusement. “I would not call your or Rhema novitiates in Quehalost, though. I’m not sure a person exists in Tongra that can do what the two of you did for a few years before meeting me.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema had wandered a few paces away from the party and she reached out to touch the smooth sacrificial stone at the center of the village. She changed the topic of the conversation as her hand felt the coolness of the stone. “Well, the good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any sign of people left behind. And it doesn’t look like a legitimate presence has taken control over the land, either.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion moved toward Rhema, and Ophee followed him. Her curiosity was getting the better of her and the conversation about Ischarus’ and Rhema’s skill regarding Quehalost had helped to calm her nerves. “So we are safe?”</p><p></p><p>Semeion rested a hand upon her shoulder. “As safe as anyone can be in Quehalost. You’re stuck with us, Ophee. But if you stick with us, do what we say, and trust us I can say that you’ll be as safe as can be in this land.”</p><p></p><p>When Semeion moved to Rhema, Ischarus and Charis drew their weapons and began to check the perimeter of the village. Ischarus called out from the edge using a calm tone. “The residents to the east are aware of the vacancy of the dragon. I’ve found tracks from a scouting party or two. As suspicious as they are, they are likely held back by the mysterious disappearance of the dragon. They’ll be unlikely to claim this land too quickly until they can understand why the dragon and his people left. They’re likely to never figure it out, however.”</p><p></p><p>Charis called out from the other side of the village. The village was certainly small enough for her to hear Ischarus’ earlier comments. “We’ve always known them to be cautious. They don’t like to expand too much, because it draws attention to themselves. The more attention they draw, the less they’ll be able to live in the quiet that they desire. I suspect you’ve found tracks of a hunting party out to find meat. When we had clashes with them it was often over the hunt and the natural prey within the land. With my people and my father dragon gone, I have no doubt they’ve begun to hunt the land. They can come and go as they please that way.”</p><p></p><p>Ophee looked long and hard at the stone. “Is that covered in blood?”</p><p></p><p>Rhema nodded. “This is a different land. Sacrifices equal protection, here. You sacrifice something to appease a higher power that has the ability to protect you. Chances are that if we are caught, we could end up on a stone altar such as this. Stick close and do what we say. You’ll be fine.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion looked to the horizon. He was scanning the sky in search of potential enemies. With a vacant perch and an undiscovered horde, this would be a prime spot to welcome another dragon looking to stake a claim for power among his kind. “I would suspect that what you say is true, Rhema. Except for the land for which we are headed. I doubt the druid will offer us up as a sacrifice to the gods that he serves. My guess is that if we were to be sacrificed to anything it would be as dinner for his creatures.”</p><p></p><p>Ophee’s face paled at the sudden change of conversation. “No offense, but you all aren’t exactly painting a pretty picture, here.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema smiled as though she enjoyed scaring Ophee. “No offense taken. But it isn’t exactly a pretty picture to paint. Now you know why it was that your master was so upset at the fact that we lost trust in him by the way in which we were introduced to Eberdeen. If we weren’t willing to travel into Quehalost for him, there aren’t many others who would. He would likely have needed to come into this dangerous land himself. For a wizard of the college, that possibility could not be very appealing.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus approached from the other side of the stone as introduced himself into the conversation. He and Charis had made a perimeter search and found few reasons to suspect that the area would not be relatively safe. “So what kind of creatures do you suspect that we’ll find? I know that the ghostly figure we met our last time through here called them phrenic. What do you suppose that means?”</p><p></p><p>Rhema looked her husband in the eye and smirked. “It likely means that you’ll be facing the same power that you married. The word phrenic simply means something that pertains to the mind. As we guessed earlier in the wizard’s college, these creatures are likely going to be pretty intelligent. They might even be able to naturally duplicate some of my abilities. I would suspect that our opponents will use intelligent tactics and their attacks may come without warning. You all will get a taste of what others feel when I fight against them.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion completed his scan of the horizon. “I know that it is early still, but might I suggest we spend a day here? I’d like to get a feel for the place around us before we immediately strike out to the east. Besides, here we have shelter, and this may be the last time that we have this luxury until we return. We could spend the night rather unnoticed.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema agreed. “We’ll lose the rest of the day, and that is several hours of traveling. But I think the sentiment is wise. If we leave in the morning we’ll make much better use of our time tomorrow.”</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3401255, member: 35788"] [B]Chapter Five: THE COMPLETE OUTLANDISHNESS OF THEM ALL[/B] The two days of training and equipping passed quickly and before the party could realize where the time had gone they found themselves voluntarily on the southern edge of the Tongra-Quehalost Mountains. Charis had convinced them that the safest place to blindly teleport into would be her old village. She wanted to see how the land had changed and grown up without her Drakontai kin to manage the land. She had expected it to be considerably wilder than how she had left it. The party was not disappointed. In many respects, Quehalost was just as much home as anywhere else. Of course it was dangerous and things were always a bit on the wilder side, but there were certain familiarities here as well. Everyone except Ophee relaxed when they saw the circle of huts materializing before their eyes. Ophee found it difficult to regain the confidence that she could normally count upon. It was one thing to work with the civilized population of Fingerdale; but it was entirely a different matter to deal with the uncivilized wiles of Quehalost. There were no rules here except survival. Everything would do what it took to survive. She knew that every fight would be for life. Charis turned a full circle as she looked upon her old homeland. Out of habit, she lifted her eyes to the platform that had once been the perch for her father dragon. It was now vacant, and it even looked as if it were a void upon the land. Charis sighed, but it was not a mournful sigh. There was a smile upon her face even in the midst of the sigh. Semeion wrapped his arm around her back and rested his hand upon her far hip. [Color=Plum]“Miss it, Charis?”[/Color] Charis smiled in amusement. [Color=Orange]“Yes, but not in the way that you think. I don’t miss life here. I miss the land. I miss the forest. I miss the little stream that we used to bathe in. I miss the field over the hill that we used for hunting deer and other small game. I miss the land, but not necessarily the life I lived here under my dragon father.”[/Color] Ophee shook her head in disbelief. [Color=Lime]“But there is so little control here. There is so little safety. How could you sleep at night?”[/Color] Charis laughed and pointed up to the dark void that used to house the red wyrm. [Color=Orange]“We had a dragon to protect us. I know that he was a red dragon, and they’re known for being violent and wrathful. But in terms of protecting us, he was fervent in his defense. We were his, and as far as he was concerned nothing would take what belonged to him so long as he lived.”[/Color] Rhema and Ischarus exchanged smiles, and Ischarus spoke the thought that they had passed between them without the need for words. [Color=LightBlue]“Until a few novitiates like us came through and pulled the wool over his eyes.”[/Color] Charis looked back toward Ischarus. [Color=Orange]“Novitiates? Do you even know what that means? What, have you been studying under Semeion or something?”[/Color] Ischarus laughed. [Color=LightBlue]“It’s a word I picked up at the wizard’s college. They kept referring to me as a novitiate mage. There is no hiding that my casting ability is less than a true wizard and that I focus more on my blade. At the same time, I’ll probably always be a novitiate in their eyes.”[/Color] Semeion shook his head in amusement. [Color=Plum]“I would not call your or Rhema novitiates in Quehalost, though. I’m not sure a person exists in Tongra that can do what the two of you did for a few years before meeting me.”[/Color] Rhema had wandered a few paces away from the party and she reached out to touch the smooth sacrificial stone at the center of the village. She changed the topic of the conversation as her hand felt the coolness of the stone. [Color=PaleGreen]“Well, the good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any sign of people left behind. And it doesn’t look like a legitimate presence has taken control over the land, either.”[/Color] Semeion moved toward Rhema, and Ophee followed him. Her curiosity was getting the better of her and the conversation about Ischarus’ and Rhema’s skill regarding Quehalost had helped to calm her nerves. [Color=Lime]“So we are safe?”[/Color] Semeion rested a hand upon her shoulder. [Color=Plum]“As safe as anyone can be in Quehalost. You’re stuck with us, Ophee. But if you stick with us, do what we say, and trust us I can say that you’ll be as safe as can be in this land.”[/Color] When Semeion moved to Rhema, Ischarus and Charis drew their weapons and began to check the perimeter of the village. Ischarus called out from the edge using a calm tone. [Color=Lightblue]“The residents to the east are aware of the vacancy of the dragon. I’ve found tracks from a scouting party or two. As suspicious as they are, they are likely held back by the mysterious disappearance of the dragon. They’ll be unlikely to claim this land too quickly until they can understand why the dragon and his people left. They’re likely to never figure it out, however.”[/Color] Charis called out from the other side of the village. The village was certainly small enough for her to hear Ischarus’ earlier comments. [Color=Orange]“We’ve always known them to be cautious. They don’t like to expand too much, because it draws attention to themselves. The more attention they draw, the less they’ll be able to live in the quiet that they desire. I suspect you’ve found tracks of a hunting party out to find meat. When we had clashes with them it was often over the hunt and the natural prey within the land. With my people and my father dragon gone, I have no doubt they’ve begun to hunt the land. They can come and go as they please that way.”[/Color] Ophee looked long and hard at the stone. [Color=Lime]“Is that covered in blood?”[/Color] Rhema nodded. [Color=PaleGreen]“This is a different land. Sacrifices equal protection, here. You sacrifice something to appease a higher power that has the ability to protect you. Chances are that if we are caught, we could end up on a stone altar such as this. Stick close and do what we say. You’ll be fine.”[/Color] Semeion looked to the horizon. He was scanning the sky in search of potential enemies. With a vacant perch and an undiscovered horde, this would be a prime spot to welcome another dragon looking to stake a claim for power among his kind. [Color=Plum]“I would suspect that what you say is true, Rhema. Except for the land for which we are headed. I doubt the druid will offer us up as a sacrifice to the gods that he serves. My guess is that if we were to be sacrificed to anything it would be as dinner for his creatures.”[/Color] Ophee’s face paled at the sudden change of conversation. [Color=Lime]“No offense, but you all aren’t exactly painting a pretty picture, here.”[/Color] Rhema smiled as though she enjoyed scaring Ophee. [Color=PaleGreen]“No offense taken. But it isn’t exactly a pretty picture to paint. Now you know why it was that your master was so upset at the fact that we lost trust in him by the way in which we were introduced to Eberdeen. If we weren’t willing to travel into Quehalost for him, there aren’t many others who would. He would likely have needed to come into this dangerous land himself. For a wizard of the college, that possibility could not be very appealing.”[/Color] Ischarus approached from the other side of the stone as introduced himself into the conversation. He and Charis had made a perimeter search and found few reasons to suspect that the area would not be relatively safe. [Color=LightBlue]“So what kind of creatures do you suspect that we’ll find? I know that the ghostly figure we met our last time through here called them phrenic. What do you suppose that means?”[/Color] Rhema looked her husband in the eye and smirked. [Color=PaleGreen]“It likely means that you’ll be facing the same power that you married. The word phrenic simply means something that pertains to the mind. As we guessed earlier in the wizard’s college, these creatures are likely going to be pretty intelligent. They might even be able to naturally duplicate some of my abilities. I would suspect that our opponents will use intelligent tactics and their attacks may come without warning. You all will get a taste of what others feel when I fight against them.”[/Color] Semeion completed his scan of the horizon. [Color=Plum]“I know that it is early still, but might I suggest we spend a day here? I’d like to get a feel for the place around us before we immediately strike out to the east. Besides, here we have shelter, and this may be the last time that we have this luxury until we return. We could spend the night rather unnoticed.”[/Color] Rhema agreed. [Color=PaleGreen]“We’ll lose the rest of the day, and that is several hours of traveling. But I think the sentiment is wise. If we leave in the morning we’ll make much better use of our time tomorrow.”[/Color] [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] Chapter Five: THE COMPLETE OUTLANDISHNESS OF THEM ALL The two days of training and equipping passed quickly and before the party could realize where the time had gone they found themselves voluntarily on the southern edge of the Tongra-Quehalost Mountains. Charis had convinced them that the safest place to blindly teleport into would be her old village. She wanted to see how the land had changed and grown up without her Drakontai kin to manage the land. She had expected it to be considerably wilder than how she had left it. The party was not disappointed. In many respects, Quehalost was just as much home as anywhere else. Of course it was dangerous and things were always a bit on the wilder side, but there were certain familiarities here as well. Everyone except Ophee relaxed when they saw the circle of huts materializing before their eyes. Ophee found it difficult to regain the confidence that she could normally count upon. It was one thing to work with the civilized population of Fingerdale; but it was entirely a different matter to deal with the uncivilized wiles of Quehalost. There were no rules here except survival. Everything would do what it took to survive. She knew that every fight would be for life. Charis turned a full circle as she looked upon her old homeland. Out of habit, she lifted her eyes to the platform that had once been the perch for her father dragon. It was now vacant, and it even looked as if it were a void upon the land. Charis sighed, but it was not a mournful sigh. There was a smile upon her face even in the midst of the sigh. Semeion wrapped his arm around her back and rested his hand upon her far hip. “Miss it, Charis?” Charis smiled in amusement. “Yes, but not in the way that you think. I don’t miss life here. I miss the land. I miss the forest. I miss the little stream that we used to bathe in. I miss the field over the hill that we used for hunting deer and other small game. I miss the land, but not necessarily the life I lived here under my dragon father.” Ophee shook her head in disbelief. “But there is so little control here. There is so little safety. How could you sleep at night?” Charis laughed and pointed up to the dark void that used to house the red wyrm. “We had a dragon to protect us. I know that he was a red dragon, and they’re known for being violent and wrathful. But in terms of protecting us, he was fervent in his defense. We were his, and as far as he was concerned nothing would take what belonged to him so long as he lived.” Rhema and Ischarus exchanged smiles, and Ischarus spoke the thought that they had passed between them without the need for words. “Until a few novitiates like us came through and pulled the wool over his eyes.” Charis looked back toward Ischarus. “Novitiates? Do you even know what that means? What, have you been studying under Semeion or something?” Ischarus laughed. “It’s a word I picked up at the wizard’s college. They kept referring to me as a novitiate mage. There is no hiding that my casting ability is less than a true wizard and that I focus more on my blade. At the same time, I’ll probably always be a novitiate in their eyes.” Semeion shook his head in amusement. “I would not call your or Rhema novitiates in Quehalost, though. I’m not sure a person exists in Tongra that can do what the two of you did for a few years before meeting me.” Rhema had wandered a few paces away from the party and she reached out to touch the smooth sacrificial stone at the center of the village. She changed the topic of the conversation as her hand felt the coolness of the stone. “Well, the good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any sign of people left behind. And it doesn’t look like a legitimate presence has taken control over the land, either.” Semeion moved toward Rhema, and Ophee followed him. Her curiosity was getting the better of her and the conversation about Ischarus’ and Rhema’s skill regarding Quehalost had helped to calm her nerves. “So we are safe?” Semeion rested a hand upon her shoulder. “As safe as anyone can be in Quehalost. You’re stuck with us, Ophee. But if you stick with us, do what we say, and trust us I can say that you’ll be as safe as can be in this land.” When Semeion moved to Rhema, Ischarus and Charis drew their weapons and began to check the perimeter of the village. Ischarus called out from the edge using a calm tone. “The residents to the east are aware of the vacancy of the dragon. I’ve found tracks from a scouting party or two. As suspicious as they are, they are likely held back by the mysterious disappearance of the dragon. They’ll be unlikely to claim this land too quickly until they can understand why the dragon and his people left. They’re likely to never figure it out, however.” Charis called out from the other side of the village. The village was certainly small enough for her to hear Ischarus’ earlier comments. “We’ve always known them to be cautious. They don’t like to expand too much, because it draws attention to themselves. The more attention they draw, the less they’ll be able to live in the quiet that they desire. I suspect you’ve found tracks of a hunting party out to find meat. When we had clashes with them it was often over the hunt and the natural prey within the land. With my people and my father dragon gone, I have no doubt they’ve begun to hunt the land. They can come and go as they please that way.” Ophee looked long and hard at the stone. “Is that covered in blood?” Rhema nodded. “This is a different land. Sacrifices equal protection, here. You sacrifice something to appease a higher power that has the ability to protect you. Chances are that if we are caught, we could end up on a stone altar such as this. Stick close and do what we say. You’ll be fine.” Semeion looked to the horizon. He was scanning the sky in search of potential enemies. With a vacant perch and an undiscovered horde, this would be a prime spot to welcome another dragon looking to stake a claim for power among his kind. “I would suspect that what you say is true, Rhema. Except for the land for which we are headed. I doubt the druid will offer us up as a sacrifice to the gods that he serves. My guess is that if we were to be sacrificed to anything it would be as dinner for his creatures.” Ophee’s face paled at the sudden change of conversation. “No offense, but you all aren’t exactly painting a pretty picture, here.” Rhema smiled as though she enjoyed scaring Ophee. “No offense taken. But it isn’t exactly a pretty picture to paint. Now you know why it was that your master was so upset at the fact that we lost trust in him by the way in which we were introduced to Eberdeen. If we weren’t willing to travel into Quehalost for him, there aren’t many others who would. He would likely have needed to come into this dangerous land himself. For a wizard of the college, that possibility could not be very appealing.” Ischarus approached from the other side of the stone as introduced himself into the conversation. He and Charis had made a perimeter search and found few reasons to suspect that the area would not be relatively safe. “So what kind of creatures do you suspect that we’ll find? I know that the ghostly figure we met our last time through here called them phrenic. What do you suppose that means?” Rhema looked her husband in the eye and smirked. “It likely means that you’ll be facing the same power that you married. The word phrenic simply means something that pertains to the mind. As we guessed earlier in the wizard’s college, these creatures are likely going to be pretty intelligent. They might even be able to naturally duplicate some of my abilities. I would suspect that our opponents will use intelligent tactics and their attacks may come without warning. You all will get a taste of what others feel when I fight against them.” Semeion completed his scan of the horizon. “I know that it is early still, but might I suggest we spend a day here? I’d like to get a feel for the place around us before we immediately strike out to the east. Besides, here we have shelter, and this may be the last time that we have this luxury until we return. We could spend the night rather unnoticed.” Rhema agreed. “We’ll lose the rest of the day, and that is several hours of traveling. But I think the sentiment is wise. If we leave in the morning we’ll make much better use of our time tomorrow.” [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Into the Moral Darkness: (Now a Completed Story!)
Top