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<blockquote data-quote="Hairy Minotaur" data-source="post: 3891462" data-attributes="member: 11574"><p><strong>The Dragon Font</strong></p><p></p><p>Xanthos returns to Kindoras with fire in his eyes, he explains the apparently empty state that Hledra finds itself in currently.</p><p></p><p>“Time to loot!” Menthos shouts</p><p></p><p>“This is most perplexing, why abandon their whole city? There was no sign of struggle, no sign of destruction?” Eeyore inquires</p><p></p><p>“None, the only thing emptier is my vengeance.” Xanthos answers</p><p></p><p>“I think you have issues, too much hate will lead you down a dark path that only ends with your death.” Haimish offers</p><p></p><p>“That may be true; however our side gets the girls.” Menthos explains</p><p></p><p>“I am not interested in procreation; I want to feel the beating heart of that orc leader fade away in my hands as I squeeze the blood from it. I want to digest its foul nature and grow a field in its waste.” Xanthos relates</p><p></p><p>“Yep, definitely anger issues.” Haimish states</p><p></p><p>“You should be interested in procreation, helps motivate me. Hell, the only reason I’m here for this meeting was that I was told Xanthos found something interesting at Hledra and I thought you had brought back some elven slave girls.” Menthos replies</p><p></p><p>“I find differentiating between your ego and your libido to be a trying endeavor.” Eeyore offers</p><p></p><p>“Too bad for you, I have a built in moral compass and it’s never pointed me in the wrong direction. Well, there was that one time in Carnage and a female bugbear, but it was only one time and I was so drunk that I don’t even count it.” Menthos relates</p><p></p><p>“Little man is sick.” Doopa says to Menthos</p><p></p><p>“Enough of this I return to Hledra this afternoon. Travel with me if you wish, but I shall not return without locating the orc who stole my heart.” Xanthos demands</p><p></p><p>“Aw, shucks Xanthos. I didn’t know that orc meant that much to you, see that’s why I don’t do love; gets too messy and then feelings get hurt and eventually you hate each other like you do now. Hey Haimish, write me up a good gnomish pity song about this I need something to sing to myself when a cold shower isn’t available.” Menthos answers</p><p></p><p>“How about I just give you the many songs I written about you?” Haimish says with a smirk</p><p></p><p>“No thanks, I know I’m great and just knowing you wrote ballads about me brings me such joy that I feel, nay I know that I will be unable to ever properly repay you for that.” Menthos answers, laying the sarcasm on thick. </p><p></p><p>“Why are you even here?” Haimish asks</p><p></p><p>“Because I’m good at killing and you’re not.” Menthos answers immediately </p><p></p><p>Haimish was going to respond but thought it best not to go down that road, playing with a psychopath’s mind offers no reward, especially when the big ogre with the tree trunk club was nodding in agreement to the warlock’s statement.</p><p></p><p>The troupe headed out right after breakfast, burrowed horses led them to Hledra by the next morning. The little snow that had fallen over the night had changed the complexion of the goblin city from an oppressive dark nature to a cold frosted but still intimidating nature. The snow blended the city’s hard lines into the white background of the mountains behind it giving the city a less stark ambience. </p><p></p><p>Xanthos wasted no time in running up to the front door of the central tower, the rest of the group held back expecting the elf to get riddled with arrows and daggers; however Xanthos made it to the door with no effort and no ambush. He was soon joined by the rest of the group each one less tentative in line than the next one. Eeyore brought up the rear and felt no need to watch his back.</p><p></p><p>Once at the door, Xanthos grabbed the brass rings and planned to pull the door open, however they both fell outward and crashed around the party. </p><p></p><p>“These doors had been ripped off their hinges and then someone replaced them by stacking them back onto the door frame.” Xanthos states</p><p></p><p>“What do you see inside?” Haimish inquires</p><p></p><p>“I see time as a lattice of infinite possibilities each flowing and melding into each other until there is only one clear undefined path of inestimable options.” Xanthos answers</p><p></p><p>“Quick, cast <em>tongues</em>.” Menthos says, elbowing Haimish</p><p></p><p>“Oh, and there’s giant tracks in the snow inside.” Xanthos finishes</p><p></p><p>“At least we have evidence of recent visitors.” Eeyore stated</p><p></p><p>The party entered the ground level of the tower, the human eyes adjusting to the dim light within. Several burn marks scared the walls like graffiti, giving the impression that something wide and on fire pushed its way down the hallway. Xanthos and Eeyore took lead, helping each other keep the giant tracks in sight and looking out for the general well-being of the party.</p><p></p><p>After meandering through several looted rooms and damaged hallways, Xanthos and Eeyore track a set of giant prints to a destroyed iron gate probably located opposite the entryway. A dead frost giant lay sprawled before the gate on the other side from the party. Xanthos turned the giant over to discover the cause of death, and finds the giant’s face and chest blistered so badly that the mere act of turning the body causes several to burst and a thick icy liquid escapes from each burst blister.</p><p></p><p>“Nasty magic, the orc must be nearby!” Xanthos exclaims as he walks passed the giant and onto a staircase leading to a natural cavern below the tower.</p><p></p><p>A soft blue light from the back of the cavern begins to grow as Xanthos descends the carved steps. Once at the base of the stairs, Xanthos peers over a field of gold and treasure the likes of which he has never seen nor heard described. The blue light flickers off the polished golden objects and many gems that litter the cavern floor. Looking out into the middle of the golden ocean, Xanthos sees a huge ribcage of some beast, its ribs turned up to appear as a skeletal Venus Fly-Trap. Inside the ribcage a blue light grows in both intensity and size.</p><p></p><p>“Holy Kador!” Menthos shouts as his knees give out in a near fainting response to the overwhelming smell of gold.</p><p></p><p>Haimish can only blabber as his appraise skill goes comatose and Oratory ability checks into a rehabilitation facility.</p><p></p><p>“This very bad place.” Doopa says his more savage nature taking the lead over greed.</p><p></p><p>“Obviously, we’re in the bowels of an orc city run by goblins. I think the chances of this being a gregarious philanthropist are highly unlikely.” Eeyore replies</p><p></p><p>“He’s hiding somewhere in here. Warlock, scan the area for magic, the greatest concentration is my destination.” Xanthos commands</p><p></p><p>Menthos however was way ahead of the shifter, already mapping out a detailed report of location and strength of each magical aura. Xanthos rips the map from the tiefling’s hands.</p><p></p><p>“I’m not here to finance your paternity suits.” Xanthos spits, looking over the map. Spying a concentration of magic below the blue glowing orb, Xanthos strides across the field of gold towards the center of the ribcage. </p><p></p><p>Once within a hundred feet from the ribcage, the blue orb pulses quickly and then bursts forth in a shower of sparks that ricochet off the ceiling and walls of the entire cavern, splashing the party in residual electrical energy. A brilliant bluish light fills the cavern and then fades to reveal a vaguely draconic shape easily a hundred feet long. </p><p></p><p>The dragon’s head is always present as is its spine however its limbs seem to move in and out of the prime plane. The entire creature is built upon a roiling blue energy that constantly creates a lightening show within the dragon’s “body”. </p><p></p><p>“Great one, I seek an orcish warlord, perhaps his cowardly self hides amongst your vast field of wealth?” Xanthos says approaching the dragon.</p><p></p><p>The energy makes no sound, however it’s “eyes” have lowered to watch the progress of the shifter across the sea of gold. With no fear Xanthos enters the skeletal ribcage area and proceeds to the spot on Menthos’ map where the magic was most concentrated, directly below the energy dragon. Sifting through the gold beneath the dragon, Xanthos locates a secret door in the floor of the cavern. Excitement swells through his body as he grips the door and tears it off the floor of the cavern. Xanthos spots a body lying below in a short shaft, transforming into a thoqqua the shifter dives in and slams his searing body into the figure below. </p><p></p><p>Clothing catches fire and desiccated skin flakes off in embers as Xanthos rips apart the dead goblin. Once his anger has subsided, he realizes this was not an orc at all. Spying the four rings lying on the ground where he destroyed the body and surmising that those were the objects Menthos had detected earlier, Xanthos bends down and picks them up and inspects them closely.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the party only saw the flash of blue light, as the claw moved at nearly the speed of light and shredded Xanthos’ very soul. Xanthos dropped to the ground instantly as energy claws tore their way down his body, leaving a blistering trail and an inner pain that was far more intense than watching his own heart ripped from his chest and crushed before him. No sound escaped his lips, the paralyzing ache wouldn’t allow anything to move and for the next few minutes he could only hear and see nothingness. </p><p></p><p>The dragon then reached down and plucked Xanthos from the shaft’s floor and flung him into the far wall above the party. The shifter’s body slammed into the wall with a wet slap and fell to the ground next to the party. Haimish and Eeyore rushed to Xanthos side as Menthos and Doopa both gave admiring whistles to the energy dragon.</p><p></p><p>“The orc is not in this room.” A weak Xanthos states</p><p></p><p>Healing was applied to the shifter and he was soon able to stand almost pain free.</p><p></p><p>“Maybe you should take a few coins with you as a memento Menthos?” Xanthos offered</p><p></p><p>“What do you think I am, stupid? You kill it first and then we can race to see who loots better.” Menthos answers</p><p></p><p>The party leaves the dragon enigma behind as they head back into the ground level of the tower.</p><p></p><p>“Well there are a few tracks that go this way.” Eeyore points out.</p><p></p><p>“That way it is then.” Xanthos states, his body and soul shaken, his resolve however steeled more than ever.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hairy Minotaur, post: 3891462, member: 11574"] [b]The Dragon Font[/b] Xanthos returns to Kindoras with fire in his eyes, he explains the apparently empty state that Hledra finds itself in currently. “Time to loot!” Menthos shouts “This is most perplexing, why abandon their whole city? There was no sign of struggle, no sign of destruction?” Eeyore inquires “None, the only thing emptier is my vengeance.” Xanthos answers “I think you have issues, too much hate will lead you down a dark path that only ends with your death.” Haimish offers “That may be true; however our side gets the girls.” Menthos explains “I am not interested in procreation; I want to feel the beating heart of that orc leader fade away in my hands as I squeeze the blood from it. I want to digest its foul nature and grow a field in its waste.” Xanthos relates “Yep, definitely anger issues.” Haimish states “You should be interested in procreation, helps motivate me. Hell, the only reason I’m here for this meeting was that I was told Xanthos found something interesting at Hledra and I thought you had brought back some elven slave girls.” Menthos replies “I find differentiating between your ego and your libido to be a trying endeavor.” Eeyore offers “Too bad for you, I have a built in moral compass and it’s never pointed me in the wrong direction. Well, there was that one time in Carnage and a female bugbear, but it was only one time and I was so drunk that I don’t even count it.” Menthos relates “Little man is sick.” Doopa says to Menthos “Enough of this I return to Hledra this afternoon. Travel with me if you wish, but I shall not return without locating the orc who stole my heart.” Xanthos demands “Aw, shucks Xanthos. I didn’t know that orc meant that much to you, see that’s why I don’t do love; gets too messy and then feelings get hurt and eventually you hate each other like you do now. Hey Haimish, write me up a good gnomish pity song about this I need something to sing to myself when a cold shower isn’t available.” Menthos answers “How about I just give you the many songs I written about you?” Haimish says with a smirk “No thanks, I know I’m great and just knowing you wrote ballads about me brings me such joy that I feel, nay I know that I will be unable to ever properly repay you for that.” Menthos answers, laying the sarcasm on thick. “Why are you even here?” Haimish asks “Because I’m good at killing and you’re not.” Menthos answers immediately Haimish was going to respond but thought it best not to go down that road, playing with a psychopath’s mind offers no reward, especially when the big ogre with the tree trunk club was nodding in agreement to the warlock’s statement. The troupe headed out right after breakfast, burrowed horses led them to Hledra by the next morning. The little snow that had fallen over the night had changed the complexion of the goblin city from an oppressive dark nature to a cold frosted but still intimidating nature. The snow blended the city’s hard lines into the white background of the mountains behind it giving the city a less stark ambience. Xanthos wasted no time in running up to the front door of the central tower, the rest of the group held back expecting the elf to get riddled with arrows and daggers; however Xanthos made it to the door with no effort and no ambush. He was soon joined by the rest of the group each one less tentative in line than the next one. Eeyore brought up the rear and felt no need to watch his back. Once at the door, Xanthos grabbed the brass rings and planned to pull the door open, however they both fell outward and crashed around the party. “These doors had been ripped off their hinges and then someone replaced them by stacking them back onto the door frame.” Xanthos states “What do you see inside?” Haimish inquires “I see time as a lattice of infinite possibilities each flowing and melding into each other until there is only one clear undefined path of inestimable options.” Xanthos answers “Quick, cast [I]tongues[/I].” Menthos says, elbowing Haimish “Oh, and there’s giant tracks in the snow inside.” Xanthos finishes “At least we have evidence of recent visitors.” Eeyore stated The party entered the ground level of the tower, the human eyes adjusting to the dim light within. Several burn marks scared the walls like graffiti, giving the impression that something wide and on fire pushed its way down the hallway. Xanthos and Eeyore took lead, helping each other keep the giant tracks in sight and looking out for the general well-being of the party. After meandering through several looted rooms and damaged hallways, Xanthos and Eeyore track a set of giant prints to a destroyed iron gate probably located opposite the entryway. A dead frost giant lay sprawled before the gate on the other side from the party. Xanthos turned the giant over to discover the cause of death, and finds the giant’s face and chest blistered so badly that the mere act of turning the body causes several to burst and a thick icy liquid escapes from each burst blister. “Nasty magic, the orc must be nearby!” Xanthos exclaims as he walks passed the giant and onto a staircase leading to a natural cavern below the tower. A soft blue light from the back of the cavern begins to grow as Xanthos descends the carved steps. Once at the base of the stairs, Xanthos peers over a field of gold and treasure the likes of which he has never seen nor heard described. The blue light flickers off the polished golden objects and many gems that litter the cavern floor. Looking out into the middle of the golden ocean, Xanthos sees a huge ribcage of some beast, its ribs turned up to appear as a skeletal Venus Fly-Trap. Inside the ribcage a blue light grows in both intensity and size. “Holy Kador!” Menthos shouts as his knees give out in a near fainting response to the overwhelming smell of gold. Haimish can only blabber as his appraise skill goes comatose and Oratory ability checks into a rehabilitation facility. “This very bad place.” Doopa says his more savage nature taking the lead over greed. “Obviously, we’re in the bowels of an orc city run by goblins. I think the chances of this being a gregarious philanthropist are highly unlikely.” Eeyore replies “He’s hiding somewhere in here. Warlock, scan the area for magic, the greatest concentration is my destination.” Xanthos commands Menthos however was way ahead of the shifter, already mapping out a detailed report of location and strength of each magical aura. Xanthos rips the map from the tiefling’s hands. “I’m not here to finance your paternity suits.” Xanthos spits, looking over the map. Spying a concentration of magic below the blue glowing orb, Xanthos strides across the field of gold towards the center of the ribcage. Once within a hundred feet from the ribcage, the blue orb pulses quickly and then bursts forth in a shower of sparks that ricochet off the ceiling and walls of the entire cavern, splashing the party in residual electrical energy. A brilliant bluish light fills the cavern and then fades to reveal a vaguely draconic shape easily a hundred feet long. The dragon’s head is always present as is its spine however its limbs seem to move in and out of the prime plane. The entire creature is built upon a roiling blue energy that constantly creates a lightening show within the dragon’s “body”. “Great one, I seek an orcish warlord, perhaps his cowardly self hides amongst your vast field of wealth?” Xanthos says approaching the dragon. The energy makes no sound, however it’s “eyes” have lowered to watch the progress of the shifter across the sea of gold. With no fear Xanthos enters the skeletal ribcage area and proceeds to the spot on Menthos’ map where the magic was most concentrated, directly below the energy dragon. Sifting through the gold beneath the dragon, Xanthos locates a secret door in the floor of the cavern. Excitement swells through his body as he grips the door and tears it off the floor of the cavern. Xanthos spots a body lying below in a short shaft, transforming into a thoqqua the shifter dives in and slams his searing body into the figure below. Clothing catches fire and desiccated skin flakes off in embers as Xanthos rips apart the dead goblin. Once his anger has subsided, he realizes this was not an orc at all. Spying the four rings lying on the ground where he destroyed the body and surmising that those were the objects Menthos had detected earlier, Xanthos bends down and picks them up and inspects them closely. The rest of the party only saw the flash of blue light, as the claw moved at nearly the speed of light and shredded Xanthos’ very soul. Xanthos dropped to the ground instantly as energy claws tore their way down his body, leaving a blistering trail and an inner pain that was far more intense than watching his own heart ripped from his chest and crushed before him. No sound escaped his lips, the paralyzing ache wouldn’t allow anything to move and for the next few minutes he could only hear and see nothingness. The dragon then reached down and plucked Xanthos from the shaft’s floor and flung him into the far wall above the party. The shifter’s body slammed into the wall with a wet slap and fell to the ground next to the party. Haimish and Eeyore rushed to Xanthos side as Menthos and Doopa both gave admiring whistles to the energy dragon. “The orc is not in this room.” A weak Xanthos states Healing was applied to the shifter and he was soon able to stand almost pain free. “Maybe you should take a few coins with you as a memento Menthos?” Xanthos offered “What do you think I am, stupid? You kill it first and then we can race to see who loots better.” Menthos answers The party leaves the dragon enigma behind as they head back into the ground level of the tower. “Well there are a few tracks that go this way.” Eeyore points out. “That way it is then.” Xanthos states, his body and soul shaken, his resolve however steeled more than ever. [/QUOTE]
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