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
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Rule of Darkness -Book II Chapter 3 Last Update 19 June 2008- Book I Completed
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="Ghostknight" data-source="post: 3356469" data-attributes="member: 15338"><p><strong>Rule of Darkness- Part1: Revelations Chapter 1</strong></p><p></p><p>Jeria sat in his niche near the roof, looking over the city, watching as the floaters faded into darkness, the streets emptied and the calls of the cave beasts faded into silence. The city glowed in the dark as each house, each building lights from within, as the lights from below reflect from the ceiling above, the hanging guard posts like stars in the sky. Jeria sat thinking, reflecting on his time as a mere guard, a mere soldier. He knew his relief would arrive soon and that his last watch ended as his time with the Outwalkers began. The Outwalkers, the city's elite, the only ones to go beyond the gates on a regular basis. To venture outside and not just deeper under the earth, the ones who patrolled the world under the sky and ensured the city stayed safe, hidden. </p><p></p><p>He thought of his history lessons, of how it was now. Once, it was said, that half-breeds such as him were rare, that half-fiends were unknown to most; now the world above was filled with them, and many filled roles of authority in the cities of the fiends as they matured into their powers. It had been different for him; in the cities below, half-fiends were viewed with suspicion and many doubted their loyalty. Who could blame them? Cowed, living in hiding, they had been taught by three thousand years of the Rule the value of suspicion. Ah, Jeria thought, if only the legends of Gerogh and his prophecy were true! But he was to be an Outwalker, soon he would show his worth to those who doubted; he would be one of the elite, a guardian and protector of the city.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>The day was the same as any other. The floaters brightened, the city awakened, and the streets filled with people as they moved to shops, to work, into the darkness of the cavern edges to collect the mushrooms and lichens which supplemented the diet of all. With the rising light Jeria rose with the others in the barracks. The quiet movement of those around him was purposeful, guided, as each dressed in their uniform for the day. Those who shared the barracks were members of the City Guard and donned the blue surcoat and chain hauberk of their uniform. He watched as they left one at a time, and gathered his belongings. He would not be returning here.</p><p></p><p>His grin, a frightening sight on his red face, which made his fangs clearly visible, grew as he stood and donned the plain leather armour, ring and cloak of the Outwalker. They may have looked benign, but their magical nature made them more powerful, more protective than the heavier chain hauberk that those who looked down on the city, stood at the gates and patrolled the streets, wore. He stood in front of his barracks' mates, as they teased and derided him. His red skin, fangs and heavily muscled torso looked out of place in the light leather armour, far more so than it ever had in the chain hauberk. The teasing was good-natured, There was no resentment amongst these guards, men who had lived in the barracks with him for years. Laughingly he slapped Kyl, once a partner on the watch, on his back, his clawed hand clanging on KYL’S mail. He sauntered out the door, waving farewell to the rest as he left.</p><p></p><p>"Jeria, apprentice to the Outwalkers, reporting." The half-fiend stood before the diminutive halfling, looking down at the deceptively frail woman. She, too, was wearing the leather and cloak of the Outwalkers, with rapier and dirk at her side, and a bow appropriate to her size on the chair beside her. Jeria knew her name well, as he knew the stories told of her. The halfling Delire was the captain and master of the Outwalkers, a legend in the city; her small size belyied her deadly nature, not hinting at the speed of her swords or the deadliness of her bow. She looked up, the tall half-fiend towering over her, and addressed him, her words coming out in a light, mocking tone.</p><p></p><p>"You're the new one? Rumour has it your mother lived on the outside, was raped by a fiend and died as you were born. What you got to say about it, any truth in that, new boy? Do I need to worry about you going over to the other side when you're out there?"</p><p></p><p>Jeria stood in shock. His mind whirled as he looked at the diminutive woman, her words sharper than her rapier, stinging adding more fuel to the fire created by a life of sideways glances and surreptitious whispers.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, my father was a fiend. No need to worry about me going over to their side though, I hate them as much as anyone here!"</p><p></p><p>Delire looked at him, seeing the fury and anger rising. She chuckled as she saw his rising fury, she had expected this reaction; in truth, any other reaction would have worried her. </p><p></p><p>"Ahh, don't take it so hard, you wouldn't be here if anyone thought you were a security risk. Take me for example Now I'm one of the very few of my race that exist outside of the fiends breeding farms, one of the few that doesn't exist just to be fattened up and used as an hors de oeuvre at some fiendish party. When I first arrived I got asked if I would be willing to watch my cousins being eaten, do nothing while they screamed, just look on, to take no action but to report back on what had happened."</p><p></p><p>She stopped, sighed, looked at Jeria.</p><p></p><p>"Gotta do this properly I suppose, it's expected and the powers that be like to know that we are all bound by oaths.” She stood, and even at full height barely came to Jeria's waist.</p><p></p><p>"You are hereby inducted into the Outwalker's of Weald Hall. From this day forth you are a brother to us all; do not betray that trust or your city, thus say I, Delire, Captain of Weald Hall."</p><p></p><p>She sat, sank back into her seat, waiting for Jeria to reply.</p><p></p><p>"I, Jeria, soldier and citizen of Weald Hall, do hereby accept a commission in the Outwalker's of Weald Hall. I swear to be brother to all, to protect the city, to die before revealing the secret of the city to any that would speak before the fiends." He drew a small dagger from his belt, slitting his thumb, spilling a drop of blood into a bottle placed on the desk in front of Delire </p><p></p><p>Delire smiled, "Welcome, Jeria. Your blood will stand sentry for you here. When you are ever in trouble, we will know. If you are ever caught, if you are ever put in a position in which there is no hope: speak my name, your name, and a word only you will know. Whisper it into the bottle now. When you complete that formulae, the blood within will burn, as will the blood in you granting a quick death rather than the slow, agonising hell the fiends concoct for the combined goals of enjoyment and information extraction."</p><p></p><p>She leaned back. "Now that the formalities are over, let me let you in on a secret. Jeri, you would not be here if I had not checked you out a long time ago. Now whisper into the bottle and go out back; your travelling partner and mentor is waiting."</p><p></p><p>Out back was an exercise yard, with the ground cleared except for some targets at the far end and practice dummies in the centre. An ogre stood in the middle, the Outwalker uniform tight across his massive chest. Jeria wondered at him, there were few enough ogres within the city since most were happy servants in the fiendish regime above, but never had he heard of one trusted in such a position. At least that is what he thought until up close, then it was obvious, he just was not large enough for a full ogre. His voice, when he spoke, was deep, gruff, yet surprisingly soft.</p><p></p><p>"Jeria, right? I'm Gruzz. Delire said to take it easy on you, that people tend to deride you because of your father. Guess what? I have the same problem." His smile came quickly, broadly, sharp fangs visible as he smiled, the massive broad mouth below the broad nose producing a smile that was infectious. "Now come here, let me see that axe you're lugging around." Gruzz beckoned Jeria forward, holding his hand out for the axe that Jeria carried across his back. Taking it, he turned it over carefully, examining the head and the haft.</p><p></p><p>"Cold iron. Good, with what is out there you're going to need it if we get into trouble. If we do our jobs properly that shouldn't happen." </p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Passageways should define their destination, let the traveller know to where they are going. Not this one. The route to the outside was rock smoothed bare, leaving no place to hide. It was tough going for the half-ogre; the path did not leave much space on either side of his large frame. The door at the end was iron, faint magic sigils visible, glowing gently in the dark. They passed through the door and came to an unexpected corner, after which the path changed. The walls were covered in roots and sand, brackish red water seeping down onto the passage floor. Jeria felt elated, buoyed, every step of the trip a revelation. The air slowly filtering down from above carried scents of an outside world never looked upon, smells that never reached the city hidden below, the two days journey down a rocky path shrouded in darkness. Gruzz turned to look at him when the passage started widening.</p><p></p><p>"We'll rest here. It's not far to the surface and you need to prepare for it. You've grown up in Weald Hall, in the cavern city. You have never seen the open sky, smelt the open air, felt a true wind or been caught in the rain. Therefore, we will go slowly. Tonight we go out and sit tight; feel the air, look at the sky and if, and that's a big if, you are ok, tomorrow we take a walk."</p><p></p><p>The final cavern was huge. Stalactites and stalagmites formed a treacherous maze, the entrance into the cavern but a small sliver in the rocks. The half ogre looked back at Jeria.</p><p></p><p>"I'll go first, you follow after."</p><p></p><p>Jeria watched as Gruzz disappeared. He could feel the wind blowing through a gap in the rocks, carrying unknown scents from what lay beyond. He moved forward, touching the rocks at the edge, taking deep breathes, his heart pounding, sweat pouring off his brow despite the cool night air. He felt the starting of panic panic within, the thought of the sky, nothing above him, no comforting ceiling overhead, just the sky going on forever. With the moment upon him, he suddenly realised his fear: The loss of the comforting, embracing presence of the cavern, a womb of comfort to those within its halls. He steeled himself, taking one last deep breath before stepping out, before looking up.</p><p></p><p>The sky. It was a clear night, cloudless. Overhead no moon shone, but the stars spread across the heavens like a blanket of white lace, a canopy of diamonds that glittered in the night. Jeria looked up, marvelling at their beauty- no, they were not comparable to the guard post lights shining down, the stars were so much more. He stood, staring up into the night sky, looking at their beauty and felt the breeze across his lightly scaled skin, and the hot tears that slid down his face as he sank to the ground, his hands reaching up to the unknown, uncaring sky. For an age, he just stared up, until a huge hand landed on his shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, it is a wonder. And we must live hidden, never seeing this. Generations live and die never knowing, never feeling the wind or seeing the moon and the stars. None except us, we lucky few, the Outwalkers that guard, protect and keep watch on an enemy that draws ever closer. We are lucky, these sights, this knowledge, more than enough compensation for the danger we must face." He stood over Jeria, giving him more time to absorb, to feel, to taste the air of freedom. Eventually he lifted his hand, "For now we move away from the gate. It is the first rule, never camp by the gate and never leave by the same path. Come on; let us go to where we can await the rising of the sun."</p><p></p><p>The wonder did not cease for Jeria as he followed behind Gruzz. The massive trees another wonder, their leaves soft beneath them, the grass, brown and dying from the onset of autumn, felt strange beneath him as he sat, the feel of the bark of the tree, upon which he leaned, rough on his skin.</p><p></p><p>"Careful there. Many of these trees are tainted. Cut yourself on this bark and you run the risk of being poisoned." A pause and Jeria just caught the last part muttered under the ogres breath "or worse."</p><p></p><p>Jeria settled down under one of the trees, his back touching the arm of Gruzz. Together they sat, waiting for the dawn, for Jeria to see his first rising sun, his first dawn without a sky of stone overhead.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><em>Please let me know what you think- feedback is valuable!</em> The Rogues Gallery for this story hour is <a href="http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=3356654#post3356654" target="_blank"> here</a></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ghostknight, post: 3356469, member: 15338"] [b]Rule of Darkness- Part1: Revelations Chapter 1[/b] Jeria sat in his niche near the roof, looking over the city, watching as the floaters faded into darkness, the streets emptied and the calls of the cave beasts faded into silence. The city glowed in the dark as each house, each building lights from within, as the lights from below reflect from the ceiling above, the hanging guard posts like stars in the sky. Jeria sat thinking, reflecting on his time as a mere guard, a mere soldier. He knew his relief would arrive soon and that his last watch ended as his time with the Outwalkers began. The Outwalkers, the city's elite, the only ones to go beyond the gates on a regular basis. To venture outside and not just deeper under the earth, the ones who patrolled the world under the sky and ensured the city stayed safe, hidden. He thought of his history lessons, of how it was now. Once, it was said, that half-breeds such as him were rare, that half-fiends were unknown to most; now the world above was filled with them, and many filled roles of authority in the cities of the fiends as they matured into their powers. It had been different for him; in the cities below, half-fiends were viewed with suspicion and many doubted their loyalty. Who could blame them? Cowed, living in hiding, they had been taught by three thousand years of the Rule the value of suspicion. Ah, Jeria thought, if only the legends of Gerogh and his prophecy were true! But he was to be an Outwalker, soon he would show his worth to those who doubted; he would be one of the elite, a guardian and protector of the city. *** The day was the same as any other. The floaters brightened, the city awakened, and the streets filled with people as they moved to shops, to work, into the darkness of the cavern edges to collect the mushrooms and lichens which supplemented the diet of all. With the rising light Jeria rose with the others in the barracks. The quiet movement of those around him was purposeful, guided, as each dressed in their uniform for the day. Those who shared the barracks were members of the City Guard and donned the blue surcoat and chain hauberk of their uniform. He watched as they left one at a time, and gathered his belongings. He would not be returning here. His grin, a frightening sight on his red face, which made his fangs clearly visible, grew as he stood and donned the plain leather armour, ring and cloak of the Outwalker. They may have looked benign, but their magical nature made them more powerful, more protective than the heavier chain hauberk that those who looked down on the city, stood at the gates and patrolled the streets, wore. He stood in front of his barracks' mates, as they teased and derided him. His red skin, fangs and heavily muscled torso looked out of place in the light leather armour, far more so than it ever had in the chain hauberk. The teasing was good-natured, There was no resentment amongst these guards, men who had lived in the barracks with him for years. Laughingly he slapped Kyl, once a partner on the watch, on his back, his clawed hand clanging on KYL’S mail. He sauntered out the door, waving farewell to the rest as he left. "Jeria, apprentice to the Outwalkers, reporting." The half-fiend stood before the diminutive halfling, looking down at the deceptively frail woman. She, too, was wearing the leather and cloak of the Outwalkers, with rapier and dirk at her side, and a bow appropriate to her size on the chair beside her. Jeria knew her name well, as he knew the stories told of her. The halfling Delire was the captain and master of the Outwalkers, a legend in the city; her small size belyied her deadly nature, not hinting at the speed of her swords or the deadliness of her bow. She looked up, the tall half-fiend towering over her, and addressed him, her words coming out in a light, mocking tone. "You're the new one? Rumour has it your mother lived on the outside, was raped by a fiend and died as you were born. What you got to say about it, any truth in that, new boy? Do I need to worry about you going over to the other side when you're out there?" Jeria stood in shock. His mind whirled as he looked at the diminutive woman, her words sharper than her rapier, stinging adding more fuel to the fire created by a life of sideways glances and surreptitious whispers. "Yes, my father was a fiend. No need to worry about me going over to their side though, I hate them as much as anyone here!" Delire looked at him, seeing the fury and anger rising. She chuckled as she saw his rising fury, she had expected this reaction; in truth, any other reaction would have worried her. "Ahh, don't take it so hard, you wouldn't be here if anyone thought you were a security risk. Take me for example Now I'm one of the very few of my race that exist outside of the fiends breeding farms, one of the few that doesn't exist just to be fattened up and used as an hors de oeuvre at some fiendish party. When I first arrived I got asked if I would be willing to watch my cousins being eaten, do nothing while they screamed, just look on, to take no action but to report back on what had happened." She stopped, sighed, looked at Jeria. "Gotta do this properly I suppose, it's expected and the powers that be like to know that we are all bound by oaths.” She stood, and even at full height barely came to Jeria's waist. "You are hereby inducted into the Outwalker's of Weald Hall. From this day forth you are a brother to us all; do not betray that trust or your city, thus say I, Delire, Captain of Weald Hall." She sat, sank back into her seat, waiting for Jeria to reply. "I, Jeria, soldier and citizen of Weald Hall, do hereby accept a commission in the Outwalker's of Weald Hall. I swear to be brother to all, to protect the city, to die before revealing the secret of the city to any that would speak before the fiends." He drew a small dagger from his belt, slitting his thumb, spilling a drop of blood into a bottle placed on the desk in front of Delire Delire smiled, "Welcome, Jeria. Your blood will stand sentry for you here. When you are ever in trouble, we will know. If you are ever caught, if you are ever put in a position in which there is no hope: speak my name, your name, and a word only you will know. Whisper it into the bottle now. When you complete that formulae, the blood within will burn, as will the blood in you granting a quick death rather than the slow, agonising hell the fiends concoct for the combined goals of enjoyment and information extraction." She leaned back. "Now that the formalities are over, let me let you in on a secret. Jeri, you would not be here if I had not checked you out a long time ago. Now whisper into the bottle and go out back; your travelling partner and mentor is waiting." Out back was an exercise yard, with the ground cleared except for some targets at the far end and practice dummies in the centre. An ogre stood in the middle, the Outwalker uniform tight across his massive chest. Jeria wondered at him, there were few enough ogres within the city since most were happy servants in the fiendish regime above, but never had he heard of one trusted in such a position. At least that is what he thought until up close, then it was obvious, he just was not large enough for a full ogre. His voice, when he spoke, was deep, gruff, yet surprisingly soft. "Jeria, right? I'm Gruzz. Delire said to take it easy on you, that people tend to deride you because of your father. Guess what? I have the same problem." His smile came quickly, broadly, sharp fangs visible as he smiled, the massive broad mouth below the broad nose producing a smile that was infectious. "Now come here, let me see that axe you're lugging around." Gruzz beckoned Jeria forward, holding his hand out for the axe that Jeria carried across his back. Taking it, he turned it over carefully, examining the head and the haft. "Cold iron. Good, with what is out there you're going to need it if we get into trouble. If we do our jobs properly that shouldn't happen." *** Passageways should define their destination, let the traveller know to where they are going. Not this one. The route to the outside was rock smoothed bare, leaving no place to hide. It was tough going for the half-ogre; the path did not leave much space on either side of his large frame. The door at the end was iron, faint magic sigils visible, glowing gently in the dark. They passed through the door and came to an unexpected corner, after which the path changed. The walls were covered in roots and sand, brackish red water seeping down onto the passage floor. Jeria felt elated, buoyed, every step of the trip a revelation. The air slowly filtering down from above carried scents of an outside world never looked upon, smells that never reached the city hidden below, the two days journey down a rocky path shrouded in darkness. Gruzz turned to look at him when the passage started widening. "We'll rest here. It's not far to the surface and you need to prepare for it. You've grown up in Weald Hall, in the cavern city. You have never seen the open sky, smelt the open air, felt a true wind or been caught in the rain. Therefore, we will go slowly. Tonight we go out and sit tight; feel the air, look at the sky and if, and that's a big if, you are ok, tomorrow we take a walk." The final cavern was huge. Stalactites and stalagmites formed a treacherous maze, the entrance into the cavern but a small sliver in the rocks. The half ogre looked back at Jeria. "I'll go first, you follow after." Jeria watched as Gruzz disappeared. He could feel the wind blowing through a gap in the rocks, carrying unknown scents from what lay beyond. He moved forward, touching the rocks at the edge, taking deep breathes, his heart pounding, sweat pouring off his brow despite the cool night air. He felt the starting of panic panic within, the thought of the sky, nothing above him, no comforting ceiling overhead, just the sky going on forever. With the moment upon him, he suddenly realised his fear: The loss of the comforting, embracing presence of the cavern, a womb of comfort to those within its halls. He steeled himself, taking one last deep breath before stepping out, before looking up. The sky. It was a clear night, cloudless. Overhead no moon shone, but the stars spread across the heavens like a blanket of white lace, a canopy of diamonds that glittered in the night. Jeria looked up, marvelling at their beauty- no, they were not comparable to the guard post lights shining down, the stars were so much more. He stood, staring up into the night sky, looking at their beauty and felt the breeze across his lightly scaled skin, and the hot tears that slid down his face as he sank to the ground, his hands reaching up to the unknown, uncaring sky. For an age, he just stared up, until a huge hand landed on his shoulder. "Yes, it is a wonder. And we must live hidden, never seeing this. Generations live and die never knowing, never feeling the wind or seeing the moon and the stars. None except us, we lucky few, the Outwalkers that guard, protect and keep watch on an enemy that draws ever closer. We are lucky, these sights, this knowledge, more than enough compensation for the danger we must face." He stood over Jeria, giving him more time to absorb, to feel, to taste the air of freedom. Eventually he lifted his hand, "For now we move away from the gate. It is the first rule, never camp by the gate and never leave by the same path. Come on; let us go to where we can await the rising of the sun." The wonder did not cease for Jeria as he followed behind Gruzz. The massive trees another wonder, their leaves soft beneath them, the grass, brown and dying from the onset of autumn, felt strange beneath him as he sat, the feel of the bark of the tree, upon which he leaned, rough on his skin. "Careful there. Many of these trees are tainted. Cut yourself on this bark and you run the risk of being poisoned." A pause and Jeria just caught the last part muttered under the ogres breath "or worse." Jeria settled down under one of the trees, his back touching the arm of Gruzz. Together they sat, waiting for the dawn, for Jeria to see his first rising sun, his first dawn without a sky of stone overhead. [COLOR=Red][I]Please let me know what you think- feedback is valuable![/i] The Rogues Gallery for this story hour is [url=http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=3356654#post3356654] here[/url][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Rule of Darkness -Book II Chapter 3 Last Update 19 June 2008- Book I Completed
Top