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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5711332" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The companions entered the small guest room. Slivers of sunlight streamed through the narrow partings of the boards hammered over the single window.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria had forgotten, with all of the dark news and mood of the lower floor, that it really was only mid-afternoon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She seated herself upon the lumpy bed. Still, she thought, better than a saddle. Her mind raced with the options before them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Haelan plopped himself next to the magess. He stared at the floor. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Duor casually flopped into the one crudely fashioned wooden chair and slurped on his mug of ale.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Erevan moved to stand near the window, arms folded, letting the slivers of sunlight play across his face and the form-fitting violet leather jerkin he’d been wearing since his return from his elvin homeland.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Fen took a quiet position near the elf.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Festus stood near the chair with Duor, and “borrowed” a gulp of his mug.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Coerraine stood near the door, resting his spear and shield down against the wall. The paladin folded his arms and seemed deep in thought. He took a deep breath before attempting to speak. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The silence of the room was abruptly shattered.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“I CAN’T DO IT! Not undead! I just…I can’t! Please don’t make me! I don’t have to, do I Alaria? I’m a Hilltender! We tend the crops and the animals and the goodly folk. I’m not…I can’t…I…don’t make me…please.” The halfling burst in panic and concluded in a ball of tears.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Well, ain’t that just grand.” Duor commented softly. “Got a cleric who is afraid of ghouls. Some goddess you got there, hairfoot.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“You would have to be a fool not to fear the undead, Duor.” Erevan interjected. Alaria was surprised to hear the tint of recrimination and anger in the elf’s voice. “But then, we already knew you to be a fool, didn’t we?” The elf’s violet eyes looked to pierce the dwarf’s skull.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Duor guffawed and shook a finger at the elf in a toying manner. “That we did, point-ear. That we did.” Duor knew he needed to lighten the mood. This “mission” was nowhere near the casual “mine-sweep of yappers” he’d expected.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The company settled into talks of strategy...along with trying to calm and bolster their cleric.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Erevan,” Alaria took the lead, “what spells have you memorized for this day?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“I’ve only the disc spell and the evocation of energy darts.” The elf replied without his gaze faltering from the dwarf. Finally blinking, he turned to Alaria and continued, “I did not expect we would venture the mine until the morrow.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“That is well done.” Alaria answered, seeming to add that information to her unspoken equations. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“And you, ‘boss lady?’ What does our resident magess have to combat ghouls and demons?” Duor said with more than a polite amount of snark.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Well, she is the boss, isn’t she?” Festus interrupted innocently. “Captain Rynthis said the charter named you leader.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“That is correct, but I do not make summary judgements or decrees, Ranger Hornshod.” Alaria said distractedly. She did not want the satyr feeling them on “familiar” terms. There was more than enough to deal with without unwanted advances from a satyr.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“To answer your question, Duor, I have more than enough magics to deal with the undead.” Alaria replied with assurance…though she knew that to be false. Her limited teachings regarding the undead told her that the sleep spell would have no effect on the creatures…they would also, likely, not be fooled by the new illusion she’d learned from the fallen elf mage’s spellbook. “And we have the orb.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">That seemed to lift Haelan’s spirits quite a bit. “YES! The orb! You can blow them all away, right Alaria? We won’t even have to engage them, you can just blow them back into the mine.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Haelan, that…” Alaria began.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“That won’t be enough.” It was now Fen who interrupted. “These creatures can not simply be ‘blown away.’” The half-elf’s face was more serious than any had seen him before. “They must be destroyed. Expunged from our reality. The Balance must be preserved.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Well then, ‘Master Expunge’, what weird tree-magic do you have to stop these creatures…If, indeed, they are undead…Gonna talk to the animals that won't even come near them? What if they<em> are</em> demons?” Duor said in accusation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“I say,” the dwarf hopped out of the chair, “we cut n’ run. We could hold up here fer the night and hightail it out of here at dawn. Two hundred gold ain’t worth this.” The dwarf crossed his arms in an attempt to seem imposing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“But…but these poor people.” Haelan said. “And we have a paladin of Celradorn. Surely that counts for something.” The daelvar looked pleadingly hopeful at Coerraine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“We also have a Hilltender of Faerantha.” Coerraine countered as kindly as he could. “Who, I am certain, can do more good here than I.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Haelan again began to stutter, “But I…I mean…You and the spear…and I am…but…”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">It was Alaria’s turn to try to calm the daelvar. “Haelan, you have the blessings of your goddess. They are formidable. I’ve seen them save and protect and heal me, <em>all</em> of us, more times than I can muster. You have your blessings and the invocation of Sanctuary that cannot be pierced. Even a spell to stave evil will effect the undead. Surely we will prevail here.” The wizardess rubbed the halfling’s back in an attempt to be comforting.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She glowered at Duor. “And we will prevail <em>here.</em> These people need us. Braddok needs us. And we need the payment of the Tower. Let alone I gave <em>my word</em> to Captain Rynthis and the hopes of those people downstairs. Besides, Duor, the captain gave us free reign to claim any treasure we find in the mine.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“We’re going<em> IN</em> the mine?!?!” Haelan, who had begun to relax, said in panic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Not now. Not today.” Coerraine said in all seriousness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The rest of the company turned to the usually understated Redstar Knight. Coerraine continued.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“There are only a few hours til nightfall. I say, we remain here. Do what we can to protect the town through the night. We will assault the mine in the morning,” Coerraine paused and continued before Alaria could object, “<em>after </em>we are suitably rested, of course. In the day neither the kobolds nor these unknown creatures would be venturing forth. But I doubt there is time now to do anything but defend the village…and you cannot argue, by the looks of those poor souls downstairs, they need some help and a decisive victory to have <em>hope</em> again.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The company agreed as a knock came at the door. It was one of the younger men from downstairs with two mugs of ale. As he was leaving he turned and looked at Coerraine, “You are going to save us, aren’t you Redstar?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Save you? No. We are going to <em>rid </em>you of these troubles.” Coerraine said flatly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria was amazed and allured by the young paladin’s charismatic assertion. She felt bolstered, bathed in his confidence. They <em>would</em> succeed…They <em>would</em> restore hope to these people…she just knew it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The youth grinned wearily at the paladin. “Gods bless you, sir. All of you.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">When the young man had left, Alaria rose from the bed. It was her turn to be assured and commanding. “Alright. You all must leave me now. I must rest and prepare my own energies for the coming battle. Do what you can to comfort and bolster the men below. I’ll be down before nightfall. There is much to do.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The company nodded and took their leave.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“’Nuther round, friend Duor? Good day to drink, indeed.” Festus said cheerily.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“’Nuther round, friend Festus.” Duor replied. He added after Alaria had closed the door, as they moved down the hall, “The Forge grant it not be our last.”</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5711332, member: 92511"] [FONT=Verdana]The companions entered the small guest room. Slivers of sunlight streamed through the narrow partings of the boards hammered over the single window. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria had forgotten, with all of the dark news and mood of the lower floor, that it really was only mid-afternoon. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She seated herself upon the lumpy bed. Still, she thought, better than a saddle. Her mind raced with the options before them. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Haelan plopped himself next to the magess. He stared at the floor. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Duor casually flopped into the one crudely fashioned wooden chair and slurped on his mug of ale. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Erevan moved to stand near the window, arms folded, letting the slivers of sunlight play across his face and the form-fitting violet leather jerkin he’d been wearing since his return from his elvin homeland. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Fen took a quiet position near the elf. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Festus stood near the chair with Duor, and “borrowed” a gulp of his mug. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Coerraine stood near the door, resting his spear and shield down against the wall. The paladin folded his arms and seemed deep in thought. He took a deep breath before attempting to speak. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The silence of the room was abruptly shattered. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“I CAN’T DO IT! Not undead! I just…I can’t! Please don’t make me! I don’t have to, do I Alaria? I’m a Hilltender! We tend the crops and the animals and the goodly folk. I’m not…I can’t…I…don’t make me…please.” The halfling burst in panic and concluded in a ball of tears. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Well, ain’t that just grand.” Duor commented softly. “Got a cleric who is afraid of ghouls. Some goddess you got there, hairfoot.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“You would have to be a fool not to fear the undead, Duor.” Erevan interjected. Alaria was surprised to hear the tint of recrimination and anger in the elf’s voice. “But then, we already knew you to be a fool, didn’t we?” The elf’s violet eyes looked to pierce the dwarf’s skull. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Duor guffawed and shook a finger at the elf in a toying manner. “That we did, point-ear. That we did.” Duor knew he needed to lighten the mood. This “mission” was nowhere near the casual “mine-sweep of yappers” he’d expected. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The company settled into talks of strategy...along with trying to calm and bolster their cleric. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Erevan,” Alaria took the lead, “what spells have you memorized for this day?” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“I’ve only the disc spell and the evocation of energy darts.” The elf replied without his gaze faltering from the dwarf. Finally blinking, he turned to Alaria and continued, “I did not expect we would venture the mine until the morrow.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“That is well done.” Alaria answered, seeming to add that information to her unspoken equations. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“And you, ‘boss lady?’ What does our resident magess have to combat ghouls and demons?” Duor said with more than a polite amount of snark. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Well, she is the boss, isn’t she?” Festus interrupted innocently. “Captain Rynthis said the charter named you leader.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“That is correct, but I do not make summary judgements or decrees, Ranger Hornshod.” Alaria said distractedly. She did not want the satyr feeling them on “familiar” terms. There was more than enough to deal with without unwanted advances from a satyr. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“To answer your question, Duor, I have more than enough magics to deal with the undead.” Alaria replied with assurance…though she knew that to be false. Her limited teachings regarding the undead told her that the sleep spell would have no effect on the creatures…they would also, likely, not be fooled by the new illusion she’d learned from the fallen elf mage’s spellbook. “And we have the orb.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]That seemed to lift Haelan’s spirits quite a bit. “YES! The orb! You can blow them all away, right Alaria? We won’t even have to engage them, you can just blow them back into the mine.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Haelan, that…” Alaria began. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“That won’t be enough.” It was now Fen who interrupted. “These creatures can not simply be ‘blown away.’” The half-elf’s face was more serious than any had seen him before. “They must be destroyed. Expunged from our reality. The Balance must be preserved.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Well then, ‘Master Expunge’, what weird tree-magic do you have to stop these creatures…If, indeed, they are undead…Gonna talk to the animals that won't even come near them? What if they[I] are[/I] demons?” Duor said in accusation. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“I say,” the dwarf hopped out of the chair, “we cut n’ run. We could hold up here fer the night and hightail it out of here at dawn. Two hundred gold ain’t worth this.” The dwarf crossed his arms in an attempt to seem imposing. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“But…but these poor people.” Haelan said. “And we have a paladin of Celradorn. Surely that counts for something.” The daelvar looked pleadingly hopeful at Coerraine. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“We also have a Hilltender of Faerantha.” Coerraine countered as kindly as he could. “Who, I am certain, can do more good here than I.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Haelan again began to stutter, “But I…I mean…You and the spear…and I am…but…” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]It was Alaria’s turn to try to calm the daelvar. “Haelan, you have the blessings of your goddess. They are formidable. I’ve seen them save and protect and heal me, [I]all[/I] of us, more times than I can muster. You have your blessings and the invocation of Sanctuary that cannot be pierced. Even a spell to stave evil will effect the undead. Surely we will prevail here.” The wizardess rubbed the halfling’s back in an attempt to be comforting. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She glowered at Duor. “And we will prevail [I]here.[/I] These people need us. Braddok needs us. And we need the payment of the Tower. Let alone I gave [I]my word[/I] to Captain Rynthis and the hopes of those people downstairs. Besides, Duor, the captain gave us free reign to claim any treasure we find in the mine.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“We’re going[I] IN[/I] the mine?!?!” Haelan, who had begun to relax, said in panic. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Not now. Not today.” Coerraine said in all seriousness. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The rest of the company turned to the usually understated Redstar Knight. Coerraine continued. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“There are only a few hours til nightfall. I say, we remain here. Do what we can to protect the town through the night. We will assault the mine in the morning,” Coerraine paused and continued before Alaria could object, “[I]after [/I]we are suitably rested, of course. In the day neither the kobolds nor these unknown creatures would be venturing forth. But I doubt there is time now to do anything but defend the village…and you cannot argue, by the looks of those poor souls downstairs, they need some help and a decisive victory to have [I]hope[/I] again.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The company agreed as a knock came at the door. It was one of the younger men from downstairs with two mugs of ale. As he was leaving he turned and looked at Coerraine, “You are going to save us, aren’t you Redstar?” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Save you? No. We are going to [I]rid [/I]you of these troubles.” Coerraine said flatly. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria was amazed and allured by the young paladin’s charismatic assertion. She felt bolstered, bathed in his confidence. They [I]would[/I] succeed…They [I]would[/I] restore hope to these people…she just knew it. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The youth grinned wearily at the paladin. “Gods bless you, sir. All of you.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]When the young man had left, Alaria rose from the bed. It was her turn to be assured and commanding. “Alright. You all must leave me now. I must rest and prepare my own energies for the coming battle. Do what you can to comfort and bolster the men below. I’ll be down before nightfall. There is much to do.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The company nodded and took their leave. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“’Nuther round, friend Duor? Good day to drink, indeed.” Festus said cheerily. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“’Nuther round, friend Festus.” Duor replied. He added after Alaria had closed the door, as they moved down the hall, “The Forge grant it not be our last.”[/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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