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The Rise of Felskein [Completed]
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<blockquote data-quote="Iron Sky" data-source="post: 4684719" data-attributes="member: 60965"><p>Session 18, Part 1</p><p> </p><p>“So why are you getting involved in all this Greywarden?” Kormak said as he finished propping up his tent. “I thought your kind just roamed the frontiers hunting for criminals."</p><p> </p><p>Kezzek growled as he stared out as the bubble. “Thessalock's Ashen Tower is a criminal state. That wasn't war against Steamport, it was genocide.”</p><p> </p><p>Kormak shrugged. “One half-orc's war is another gnome's genocide. The Greywardens all believe that about the Ashen Tower?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don't know. If you hadn't noticed, we haven't seen any others since we left Northmand,” Kezzek said. “But it doesn't matter. Greywardens are trained to enforce law in areas of lawlessness. That is our creed, our purpose. Sometimes a Greywarden must make hard choices.”</p><p></p><p> “And you've made yours?”</p><p></p><p> Kezzek nodded.</p><p></p><p> “Well, I'm still wondering what Annandor said back in Steamport." Harold said.</p><p></p><p>"You mean while we were blind?" Kezzek said.</p><p> </p><p>Harold ignored him. "Why would an Ashen Tower assassin say the Crystal Towers was the defense for all of Felskein? Does he believe it or was it just a riddle?”</p><p></p><p> “You sure he said meant the <em>nation</em> of the Crystal Towers?” Kezzek said.</p><p> </p><p>Harold lifted his hands in front of his body and gave a small shrug. “What else could he have meant?”</p><p></p><p> “Well, I've never been there, but I'm assuming they've got some sort of towers or something there, right?"</p><p></p><p>Harold glared at the dwarf.</p><p></p><p>"I'll take that as a yes. Did you build those towers?” Kormak said.</p><p></p><p> “No, they were there when the first people crossed the Span to the Crystal Tower's mainland. You think he was talking about them? They haven't done anything at all in the hundreds of years the Crystal Towers has been there, just giant floating crystals on top of massive silver towers. Why?”</p><p></p><p> “Silver towers? Like the ones in the ruins down there?” Kezzek said.</p><p></p><p> Harold nodded and tapped his foot and the dull silver of the platform. “It's the same stuff this platform is made out of and the Span. Indestructible. Magic, siege weapons; nothing can so much as scratch them.”</p><p></p><p> “If you didn't, then who made them?” Kormak said, tapping his knuckles on the cool metal of the lift.</p><p></p><p> “No one knows.”</p><p></p><p> There was a long moment of silence.</p><p></p><p> “Well, if the Towers themselves can be used as any sort of weapon, I'm definitely bringing it up to the Magisters when we get there,” Harold said. “Maybe we can end the Ashen Tower's reign once and for all.”</p><p></p><p> They rode the lift for a while in silence, occasionally glancing at where Suniel sat in meditation, for some reason stripped down to a loincloth. Brutal scars crisscrossed most of his body and Kormak noticed that faint blue runes seemed to shimmer on every inch of his body, but only when seen out of the corner of the eye. When Kormak looked at him directly, he saw only the scars.</p><p></p><p> Kormak squinted at the elf for a moment, then ducked into his tent, pulling out his book and tapping the tattoo on his arm.</p><p></p><p> <em>Danovin Au located. Pursuing. Also identified elven wizard Suniel Au as a once-associate of Thessalock.</em></p><p></p><p> He glanced outside to be sure no one was nearby, then glanced back at his book.</p><p></p><p> <em>Danovin Au </em>must<em> die. The father's ties to Thessalock were broken long ago, he is nothing like the threat his son poses. At any cost...</em></p><p></p><p> ***</p><p></p><p> Over the course of the approximately two days they spent on the lift, they became accustomed to it's slight but perceptible motion, so when it suddenly stopped, Suniel came out of his trance immediately. He opened his eyes and donned his robe. </p><p></p><p>Keeper was already staring down at a thin walkway that ran along the side of the mountain to their lift.</p><p></p><p> The others were waking up as Suniel joined Keeper. “We're not at the top yet,” Keeper said, motioning to the rail that continued up the mountain until it disappeared into the shimmering silver of the bubble above them.</p><p></p><p> “What's happening? Why are we stopped?” Harold said.</p><p></p><p> “I don't know. I guess we take this walkway,” Suniel said.</p><p></p><p> “We don't even know where it goes,” Harold said. “How do we know the lift won't start again when we leave? We'll be stranded half-way up the largest mountain in the world.”</p><p></p><p> “We don't know,” Suniel said, stepping out onto the walkway. The metal was thin and narrow, barely five feet wide, but Suniel felt comfortable, as if something was pulling him down and keeping him steady on it.</p><p></p><p> There was some quick discussion behind him. When he reached the bubble-wall, he saw the others were all following behind him.</p><p></p><p> The shock of cold and wind when he passed through the protective silver membrane dropped him to his knees and he was sure it would have ripped him from the platform but for the pull he had felt earlier. Keeper stepped out a moment later and helped to his feet, but even with his robe wrapped tight, the wind and the bitter cold it carried cut straight through him and the air seemed somehow... thin.</p><p></p><p>Squinting at the wind and suddenly-visible daylight, he saw a strange tower twisting up the side of the mountain. It looked like a pyramid that some giant had grabbed, stretched tall, and twisted. The thin walkway run to where it sat cantilevered off the side of the Landspear on a spider-web of supports that seemed far to thin to support its weight.</p><p></p><p> “What is that?” Kezzek shouted in Suniel's ear.</p><p></p><p> “Our destination, I would guess,” Suniel shouted back and pressed on.</p><p></p><p> As they made their way to the tower, Suniel glanced down to their right, at the immense drop and the sparkling Landspear Lake stretching off into the distance. From their height, he could even faintly see the far shores of the Landspear Lake and, though it might have been a trick of the eye, he thought he could see tiny ships making their way across its glinting surface. </p><p></p><p>His view was only obstructed by scattered clouds drifting <em>below</em> him. He guessed they were already a several miles up and still the Landspear stretched up above them until it pierced the clouds high above.</p><p> </p><p>Even with the magnificent view, he was grateful to pass through the narrow archway that led into the tower, to find a reprieve from the wind and chill and, surprisingly, to draw full deep breaths. He stamped his feet, shivering and glancing around as the others filed in behind him.</p><p></p><p> A giant stone statue of an orc with what looked surprisingly like a quor'rel held in its upraised hand dominated the center of the room, the statue's other hand held low and extended, as if reaching for something. A ramp of the silvery metal ran along the outside wall of the giant hollow tower until it disappeared into the darkness of its heights. Suniel was about to turn to examine the murals that covered every available wall-surface of the inside of the tower when a voice spoke from the darkness above.</p><p></p><p> “Father, I had hoped you wouldn't follow me,” Danovin's said.</p><p></p><p> Suniel squinted up at the darkness and could just barely make out his son's cloaked figure and, beside him, the looming silver form of Danovin's metal guardian.</p><p></p><p> “I've noticed your family has a thing for constructs,” Kormak whispered. "Did you notice that? 'Cause I've noticed that."</p><p></p><p> “You mean you hoped your unnatural creatures would kill me?” Suniel said, ignoring the dwarf and stepping forward.</p><p></p><p> His son ignored the comment. “Father, there is still time. We can head to the top of the Landspear together and destroy Thessalock's pet. My offer is still open. Together...”</p><p></p><p> Suniel's voice was a whisper, but somehow he knew his son could hear. “No.”</p><p></p><p> “Then you Greywarden," his son said. "Surely you must find Thessalock's actions unlawful. He flaunts the laws of every land he passes through. Nothing means anything to him but his own power.”</p><p></p><p> “And what guarantee do I have that you are any different?” Kezzek said.</p><p></p><p> Danovin did not reply, instead moving on to Harold. “Think of it, the Ashen Tower and the Crystal Towers standing together. We can work together once Thessalock falls, when I replace him. Nothing could withstand us.”</p><p></p><p> “There will never be a day when the Crystal Towers will suffer for the corruption and filth of the Ashen Tower to exist within its sight, much less join with it. As far as I am concerned, you're nothing more than another of Thessalock's Ashen Tower lapdogs,” Harold said.</p><p></p><p> There was a long silence above and Suniel felt sudden tension.</p><p></p><p> “I thought as much, though I might have hopped it could be different,” Danovin said. “If you will not join me, so be it!”</p><p></p><p> Suniel's spell-chant began a fraction of a second behind his son's. Around him, his companions drew weapons and the battle began.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Iron Sky, post: 4684719, member: 60965"] Session 18, Part 1 “So why are you getting involved in all this Greywarden?” Kormak said as he finished propping up his tent. “I thought your kind just roamed the frontiers hunting for criminals." Kezzek growled as he stared out as the bubble. “Thessalock's Ashen Tower is a criminal state. That wasn't war against Steamport, it was genocide.” Kormak shrugged. “One half-orc's war is another gnome's genocide. The Greywardens all believe that about the Ashen Tower?” “I don't know. If you hadn't noticed, we haven't seen any others since we left Northmand,” Kezzek said. “But it doesn't matter. Greywardens are trained to enforce law in areas of lawlessness. That is our creed, our purpose. Sometimes a Greywarden must make hard choices.” “And you've made yours?” Kezzek nodded. “Well, I'm still wondering what Annandor said back in Steamport." Harold said. "You mean while we were blind?" Kezzek said. Harold ignored him. "Why would an Ashen Tower assassin say the Crystal Towers was the defense for all of Felskein? Does he believe it or was it just a riddle?” “You sure he said meant the [I]nation[/I] of the Crystal Towers?” Kezzek said. Harold lifted his hands in front of his body and gave a small shrug. “What else could he have meant?” “Well, I've never been there, but I'm assuming they've got some sort of towers or something there, right?" Harold glared at the dwarf. "I'll take that as a yes. Did you build those towers?” Kormak said. “No, they were there when the first people crossed the Span to the Crystal Tower's mainland. You think he was talking about them? They haven't done anything at all in the hundreds of years the Crystal Towers has been there, just giant floating crystals on top of massive silver towers. Why?” “Silver towers? Like the ones in the ruins down there?” Kezzek said. Harold nodded and tapped his foot and the dull silver of the platform. “It's the same stuff this platform is made out of and the Span. Indestructible. Magic, siege weapons; nothing can so much as scratch them.” “If you didn't, then who made them?” Kormak said, tapping his knuckles on the cool metal of the lift. “No one knows.” There was a long moment of silence. “Well, if the Towers themselves can be used as any sort of weapon, I'm definitely bringing it up to the Magisters when we get there,” Harold said. “Maybe we can end the Ashen Tower's reign once and for all.” They rode the lift for a while in silence, occasionally glancing at where Suniel sat in meditation, for some reason stripped down to a loincloth. Brutal scars crisscrossed most of his body and Kormak noticed that faint blue runes seemed to shimmer on every inch of his body, but only when seen out of the corner of the eye. When Kormak looked at him directly, he saw only the scars. Kormak squinted at the elf for a moment, then ducked into his tent, pulling out his book and tapping the tattoo on his arm. [I]Danovin Au located. Pursuing. Also identified elven wizard Suniel Au as a once-associate of Thessalock.[/I] He glanced outside to be sure no one was nearby, then glanced back at his book. [I]Danovin Au [/I]must[I] die. The father's ties to Thessalock were broken long ago, he is nothing like the threat his son poses. At any cost...[/I] *** Over the course of the approximately two days they spent on the lift, they became accustomed to it's slight but perceptible motion, so when it suddenly stopped, Suniel came out of his trance immediately. He opened his eyes and donned his robe. Keeper was already staring down at a thin walkway that ran along the side of the mountain to their lift. The others were waking up as Suniel joined Keeper. “We're not at the top yet,” Keeper said, motioning to the rail that continued up the mountain until it disappeared into the shimmering silver of the bubble above them. “What's happening? Why are we stopped?” Harold said. “I don't know. I guess we take this walkway,” Suniel said. “We don't even know where it goes,” Harold said. “How do we know the lift won't start again when we leave? We'll be stranded half-way up the largest mountain in the world.” “We don't know,” Suniel said, stepping out onto the walkway. The metal was thin and narrow, barely five feet wide, but Suniel felt comfortable, as if something was pulling him down and keeping him steady on it. There was some quick discussion behind him. When he reached the bubble-wall, he saw the others were all following behind him. The shock of cold and wind when he passed through the protective silver membrane dropped him to his knees and he was sure it would have ripped him from the platform but for the pull he had felt earlier. Keeper stepped out a moment later and helped to his feet, but even with his robe wrapped tight, the wind and the bitter cold it carried cut straight through him and the air seemed somehow... thin. Squinting at the wind and suddenly-visible daylight, he saw a strange tower twisting up the side of the mountain. It looked like a pyramid that some giant had grabbed, stretched tall, and twisted. The thin walkway run to where it sat cantilevered off the side of the Landspear on a spider-web of supports that seemed far to thin to support its weight. “What is that?” Kezzek shouted in Suniel's ear. “Our destination, I would guess,” Suniel shouted back and pressed on. As they made their way to the tower, Suniel glanced down to their right, at the immense drop and the sparkling Landspear Lake stretching off into the distance. From their height, he could even faintly see the far shores of the Landspear Lake and, though it might have been a trick of the eye, he thought he could see tiny ships making their way across its glinting surface. His view was only obstructed by scattered clouds drifting [I]below[/I] him. He guessed they were already a several miles up and still the Landspear stretched up above them until it pierced the clouds high above. Even with the magnificent view, he was grateful to pass through the narrow archway that led into the tower, to find a reprieve from the wind and chill and, surprisingly, to draw full deep breaths. He stamped his feet, shivering and glancing around as the others filed in behind him. A giant stone statue of an orc with what looked surprisingly like a quor'rel held in its upraised hand dominated the center of the room, the statue's other hand held low and extended, as if reaching for something. A ramp of the silvery metal ran along the outside wall of the giant hollow tower until it disappeared into the darkness of its heights. Suniel was about to turn to examine the murals that covered every available wall-surface of the inside of the tower when a voice spoke from the darkness above. “Father, I had hoped you wouldn't follow me,” Danovin's said. Suniel squinted up at the darkness and could just barely make out his son's cloaked figure and, beside him, the looming silver form of Danovin's metal guardian. “I've noticed your family has a thing for constructs,” Kormak whispered. "Did you notice that? 'Cause I've noticed that." “You mean you hoped your unnatural creatures would kill me?” Suniel said, ignoring the dwarf and stepping forward. His son ignored the comment. “Father, there is still time. We can head to the top of the Landspear together and destroy Thessalock's pet. My offer is still open. Together...” Suniel's voice was a whisper, but somehow he knew his son could hear. “No.” “Then you Greywarden," his son said. "Surely you must find Thessalock's actions unlawful. He flaunts the laws of every land he passes through. Nothing means anything to him but his own power.” “And what guarantee do I have that you are any different?” Kezzek said. Danovin did not reply, instead moving on to Harold. “Think of it, the Ashen Tower and the Crystal Towers standing together. We can work together once Thessalock falls, when I replace him. Nothing could withstand us.” “There will never be a day when the Crystal Towers will suffer for the corruption and filth of the Ashen Tower to exist within its sight, much less join with it. As far as I am concerned, you're nothing more than another of Thessalock's Ashen Tower lapdogs,” Harold said. There was a long silence above and Suniel felt sudden tension. “I thought as much, though I might have hopped it could be different,” Danovin said. “If you will not join me, so be it!” Suniel's spell-chant began a fraction of a second behind his son's. Around him, his companions drew weapons and the battle began. [/QUOTE]
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